Lincolnshire’s biggest rock festival was back with a bang over the weekend – after being delayed four times.
Thousands of rock fans descended on Lincolnshire Showground for Call Of The Wild festival, and were treated to a host of upcoming and well-established acts.
Headliners included Massive Wagons, Reckless Love, and Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons, established by legendary Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell after the death of frontman Lemmy.
The four-day rock extravaganza also had many local bands on the billing, including Lincoln-based The Velvet Queens, who announced their new single ‘The Morning After..’ in collaboration with the festival itself.
Many of the attendees had bought early-bird tickets for the festival back in 2019, following the inaugural event three years ago.
Speaking to The Lincolnite Podcast, Dave O’Hara, co-founder of the festival, spoke of his gratitude to the ticket-holders for sticking by them through a difficult couple of years, and admitted the atmosphere at this year’s event had lit a fire within his team going forward.
Listen here:
Call Of The Wild festival started in 2019, and the second show has been pushed back numerous times due to changes in COVID-19 legislation, including one instance where the festival had to postpone just weeks prior to the guidance changing.
Improvements will be made to the cycle network between Pinchbeck and Spalding after the government awarded a payout of £1.8 million to fund Lincolnshire County Council’s Active Travel Plans.
The money allocated to Lincolnshire will be spent on improving facilities along both the Spalding and Pinchbeck roads, subject to feasibility.
The two communities of Pinchbeck and Spalding will be connected with a safe and direct active travel route while also linking up with the important destinations along Wardentree Lane and Enterprise Way.
This route was identified as a priority for active travel development during the council’s work with stakeholders on the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan for Spalding.
Councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “I’m delighted to see further active travel money coming to Lincolnshire. Active travel is something that can benefit all of our communities and I’m pleased to see the development of a route in the south of our county.
“Having been actively developing this idea for one of our Local Cycling and Walking Plans (LCWIPs) it’s clear to see that the benefits are going to be widely felt. This is a great success in one of our bids to the Department for Transport.
“Lincolnshire has invested in developing a LCWIP for each of our strategy board areas. We believe the LCWIPs will be the key for unlocking more of the active travel funding and we look forward to working with the DfT to develop more ideas from our plans for Lincolnshire.”
The deputy headteacher at a now-closed down special needs school near Grantham is appealing against his convictions for rape and sexual assault.
Lincoln man David Taylor, 71 at the time of conviction, and 86-year-old Raymond Longley, were convicted of several sexual offences at the former Stubton Hall School, spanning over a 20-year period between 1983 and 1995. Taylor was sentenced to a total of 19 years and six months behind bars, while Longley was jailed for four years.
A former pupil who was sexually abused by the deputy headteacher from the age of 10 previously encouraged others to speak up about abuse as a civil lawsuit mounted against Lincolnshire County Council, who owned and ran the school.
Taylor, who worked at the school between 1975 and 1995, was granted permission to appeal against his conviction by a High Court judge on March 29, 2022. The date for the appeal hearing, which will be held in public, has yet to be confirmed.
Solicitor Katherine Yates from Andrew Grove and Company is currently acting for 40 claimants from across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire who are seeking damages from Lincolnshire County Council for the sickening abuse they endured. They recently sent a letter before action to the authority which is the first stage in the civil court proceedings.
Katherine said: “What we are being told is quite horrific and it’s hard to believe that Taylor is appealing his conviction given his despicable crimes and the fact that he fathered a child with one of the girls who he began abusing when she was under 16.
“Although we have started court proceedings against Lincolnshire County Council, we are still taking statements from witnesses and claimants as part of our ongoing investigations, and I’d urge anyone who was physically or sexually abused at Stubton Hall School to contact my firm.
“It doesn’t matter if you have not previously come forward to the police – we are listening, and we can help you seek the compensation you are entitled to. This money can’t erase the past, but it could help you build a better future and can be used to pay for counselling or training, for example.
“All claims are being funded by way of a ‘no win, no fee’ agreement so financial concerns should not prevent anyone from making contact and bringing a claim.”
David Taylor (left) and Raymond Longley (right) were two management level staff members at Stubton Hall School near Grantham. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Clare (not her real name) was seriously sexually abused by Taylor throughout her time at the school for vulnerable children between 1982 and 1987 and is one of the claimants seeking damages in the civil court.
She said: “When I found out from the police about the appeal I broke down in tears. I thought it was all over and I could try and move on with my life. Now I cannot do that. A jury found Taylor guilty and he got what he deserved. I hope the appeal court sees through it.”
Heather Sandy, Lincolnshire County Council executive director for children’s services, previously said: “LCC expresses deep regret over the abuse suffered by the victims in this case.
“We wish to apologise to the victims and are pleased that justice has been done through the convictions in the criminal case.
“We hope that this brings some comfort and closure to the victims. We are unable to comment further regarding potential legal claims.”
Officers were called to reports of a disturbance outside a premises on Ashby Road, Scunthorpe, at around 1:00am on Sunday, May 22.
On attendance, two officers were allegedly assaulted by members of a large group of youths that were on the scene.
Five boys aged 15 and 16 were arrested on suspicion of public order offences. One has since been released with no further action, while the other four have been released under investigation.
If anyone has information regarding this incident, you can contact us on our non-emergency number 101, quoting log 53 of May 22.
Anyone who witnesses anti-social behaviour is asked to contact us on 101, or 999 if there is a crime in progress.
Plans to build a new Spar foodstore and two further shops in Gainsborough have been submitted for final approval.
Gelder has applied to West Lindsey District Council for reserved matters approval for the food store and two retail units within the Keepmoat Homes’ Warren Wood development located off Foxby Lane.
According to the documents the plans will total 5,400sq ft of retail space along with the associated services, 22 car parking spaces and amenity space.
It said Gelder had agreed agreed terms with AF Blakemores to take the main retail unit and operate a Spar shop, while discussions were ongoing with potential occupiers for the other two units.
“The site is currently empty but has previously been outlined for retail development.
“The addition of a small retail centre will provide local people with shopping convenience as well as providing employment opportunities,” said the document.
The layout of the proposed site.
“The site is currently unused. Therefore there is no loss of employment associated with the development.
“The reverse is true in this case with significant employment opportunities to be realised.
“The proposed retail outlets will generate around 15 full and up to 20 part time positions.”
A pedestrian and cycle bridge could be built across the River Trent to allow Gainsborough commuters to park out of town.
The concept of the ‘Park and Stride’ system is laid out in the Gainsborough Transport Strategy looking at potential improvements to the town’s roads.
People would be able to leave their vehicles in a new car park on the west bank of the river.
They would then cross the water on foot or bike, using a new bridge which would be built to the north of the current crossing.
This would reduce the amount of congestion from people driving into the town over the Trent Bridge, and lessen demand for parking spaces.
The west bank site could also include a mobility hub, with a range of different transport options such as shuttle buses, taxis, bike hire, and electric charging points.
However, the council wants more questions answered before it commits to the project.
The transport strategy is looking at how travel will change over the next few years. | Photo: Stock image
The transport strategy says: “This potential project requires further investigation to assess its feasibility and deliverability before it could form one of the strategy’s key pillars.”
The strategy is focused on levelling up Gainsborough’s transport links between 2022 and 2036.
The train and bus stations would also become mobility hubs giving people greater choice on how they get around, such as switching from car to bus or train to bike.
Councillor Richard Davies, the executive member for highways and transport at Lincolnshire County Council, says in the report that people are changing how they travel.
“We’ve factored in the significant changes to working patterns and travel habits we’ve seen as a result of the pandemic, with more people using online services and in home-working or hybrid scenarios,” he said.
“We want to meet these, and other changing travel demands by offering a wider range of affordable, reliable and environmentally-friendly travel options for people to choose from – all while supporting planned economic growth.
“This will lead to more people using alternative forms of transport, resulting in less congestion and a more pleasant town centre, making Gainsborough a more prosperous, attractive and healthier place to live, learn, work and visit.”
The strategy will be discussed at the council’s Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee on Monday, May 30.
