— Later update: Reaction from Lincoln MP Karl McCartney*
Plans to reinstate horse racing in Lincoln have been put on hold. The Lincoln Racecourse Regeneration Company (LRRC) withdrew its proposal three days before the City of Lincoln Council Executive Committee was meant to examine the plans.
In an unexpected move, LRRC announced that it will put on hold its plans for a racecourse on the West Common around five hours after Emile Van Der Zee, the head of the Hands Off Our Common campaign, submitted a petition with over 2,000 signatures against the proposal.
“We received notification from LRRC late [Thursday] that they wish to withdrawal the proposal which was to be discussed as part of Monday’s Executive meeting,” said Chris Dunbar, Communications Manager from City of Lincoln Council. “The meeting is still scheduled to take place as planned.”
Controversial council officer report
LRRC’s decision to hold their plans is reportedly due to an inaccurate City of Lincoln Council officer’s report to the council’s executives in the dawn of Monday’s meeting. “The report to be presented to the Executive is a fair appraisal of the proposal, taking into account both the information presented by LRRC and the comments of the Commons Advisory Panel,” Dunbar said.
The Commons Advisory Panel deemed LRRC's plans incomplete, and recommended against the proposal.
“We are disappointed to note that the report does not reflect adequately the many and varied discussions that have taken place between ourselves and the council over the past couple of years, nor does it acknowledge the format or information requested be contained in our proposal as requested by them,” Karen Rastall, a director with LRRC, said in a statement.
Rastall also alleged preconceptions regarding LRRC’s proposal from the City of Lincoln Council. “It has only been the onslaught of media attention that has encouraged them to escalate this matter onto their agenda, we think that this is further evidence of the officers’ desire to kick a project as important as this into the long grass to avoid making a decision on its future,” she said.
“The Council have always been aware of the commercial sensitivity of this project and the nature of the speculative spends. The creation of a limited company came about as a direct consequence of previous discussions with themselves and their indication to us that they needed a corporate body to deal with in the first instance if considering any lease or first rights.
“To not have that matter as an option for consideration at the Executive meeting is totally unacceptable to the investors in this project.” The City of Lincoln Council declined any further comment prior to Monday’s meeting.
LRRC, run by Rastal and Lincoln MP Karl McCartney, is not ready to back on its plans. “The LRRC will continue to lobby for regeneration of the Grandstand and associated areas and to bring back professional flat racing to Lincoln, this may be in consultation with other bodies or partners, only time will tell.”
*Disappointed Lincoln MP, but with clear conscience
“Obviously I am disappointed by this outcome,” Karl McCartney said in a statement. “Both I and the other board members of Lincoln Racecourse Regeneration Company Limited have never sought to gain financially from this proposal.
Lincoln MP Karl McCartney: 'For me racing was about wanting to bring prosperity to our city.'
“The City Council and their officers have continually moved the goalposts, and the options they put forward do not reflect the discussions we have had regarding a Heads of Terms Lease,” the MP said.
“However, like other board members I was surprised at the content and options put forward and made public by the City Council for consideration as they were not what we had been led to believe was the correct way forward for the process and so were perturbed, to say the least, considering our conversations and the direction given to us previously,” McCartney added.
“For me racing was about wanting to bring prosperity to our city and I now wait to see what plans the City Council and its senior officers have in store for regenerating and bringing new jobs to the city plus what plans it has to upgrade the grandstand and the amenities and facilities on the West Common. My conscience is clear, I have always been open and stated that my aims were the promotion, growth and economic well-being of the area I represent.”
Anti-racecourse campaigners will not rest
Emile Van Der Zee handed an anti-racecourse petition with over 2,000 signatures to the City of Lincoln Council on Thursday.
Emile Van Der Zee, the coordinator of the Hands Off Our Common Campaign, said he is happy about the latest developments, but there are still challenges ahead. “The LRRC has said that they may be back. It is now our challenge to use the momentum and develop some good alternative plans for the Grandstand and the area around it.”
“This is not the end of our activities! Although we have won, we will need to work hard in a constructive manner with all existing interest groups and political parties to do something good for the Grandstand and for the West Common. The really interesting work begins now,” Van Der Zee added.
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The coronavirus pandemic has made people more appreciative of Christmas traditions, but also more weary of leaving the house for festivities, a study has found.
Research by Save the Children found that of 2,000 adults that took part, 53% believe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has made them value Christmas traditions more than they realised.
Among the top traditions were, of course, watching festive films, giving and receiving presents and putting decorations up, but the standout leader was, naturally, eating Christmas dinner.
However, traditions such as going to a pantomime, shopping in-store and going out for drinks on Christmas Eve made Brits feel more uncomfortable than pre-pandemic times, according to this study.
It was also discovered that 41% of people believe the traditions they follow each year have changed over time, while 35% have adapted to be less materialistic, and 32% have altered for the sake of their children.
The study was commissioned to celebrate the tenth annual Christmas Jumper Day, taking place on Friday, December 10, which encourages everyone to wear a festive jumper and donate money to Save the Children and help disadvantaged kids across the globe.
To sign up for Christmas Jumper Day and register for an online fundraising pack, visit the Save the Children website.
Francesca Savage, Head of Christmas at Save The Children, said: “For many of us, the traditions we take part in at Christmas are what make the festive period something we look forward to.
“However, COVID-19 has meant that we’ve had to adapt and in doing so, people have swapped materialistic traditions for ones that bring joy to their children.
“Whatever happens this year, we hope that the nation will join us in one of their top twenty beloved traditions of wearing a Christmas Jumper Day this Friday.
“The bolder and brighter, the better, to raise vital funds to help support Save the Children’s work in the UK and across the world.”
The British public’s favourite Christmas traditions, according to the Save the Children study, are:
Hospitals in Lincoln, Grantham and Boston will be lit up with festive stars to raise money for the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity this month.
The charity is launching its first ever Christmas campaign – Upon a Star – and stars have already started appearing at Lincoln County Hospital and Grantham and District Hospital. More stars will appear at Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital next week.
The stars will be sponsored by businesses and individuals who want to support their local NHS, and reach 9,000 staff members who worked on United Lincolnshire Hospital NHS Trust sites.
There will be a total of 50 stars across the hospitals. Sponsor a star by contacting Charity Fundraiser Gary Burr via email at [email protected].
All sponsors will be featured on the ULHT website and promoted via social media. So far, Visual Systems Ltd, JMT Service and Intersystems have all sponsored a star.
People can also donate to the Upon a Star campaign online here.
All donations and money raised will allow the charity to continue to provide additional equipment, services and facilities for patients, visitors and staff across Lincolnshire.
Stars have already started appearing at hospitals in Lincoln and Grantham, and more will be added in Grantham next week.
Our Stars had their first night on display at Grantham and District Hospital, don't they look great as the sun is just setting. If you would like to find out about sponsoring a star then please in get in touch with the Charity Team on [email protected] ⭐ #UponAStarpic.twitter.com/bhI6DE2Er6
— United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity (@ULH_Charity) December 7, 2021
The stars will be beacons of hope on the outside of the hospital buildings, shining bright for all to see and spreading joy to those working and visiting over the festive period.
Ben Petts, Charity Manager at the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity said: “It is great to have these additions to our hospital sites, as with COVID restrictions still in place Christmas cannot be celebrated the way our staff would like.
“It is our hope that these stars will give our workforce and visitors that added bit of Christmas cheer when they arrive or leave.”
The stars will be sponsored by businesses and individuals who want to support their local NHS.
The public can also get involved, get festive and raise funds for the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity through a variety of fundraising ideas.
This includes holding a Christmas jumper day, a wrapping party or donating unwanted gifts – find more ideas in the fundraising pack here.
The United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity was established in 1996 and has been supporting ULHT’s staff to deliver care to patients, their families and carers at Lincolnshire hospitals.
This helps to fund the extras which can’t be provided by the NHS alone, including developing new treatments, building state-of-the-art facilities and enhancing the environment for patients and staff – read more about the charity here.
A local community group in Hykeham are spreading festive cheer with a Santa sleigh tour of the area throughout December, raising money for charity in the process.
Hykeham Lions are a community group established in 1989, and each December they dedicate a few nights to making sure the children of North and South Hykeham get the chance to meet Santa from their neighbourhood.
This year, the group has arranged another Santa sleigh tour of the surrounding villages, running from December 6 to December 18, all in aid of good local causes.
Santa’s helpers will be on board with Father Christmas carrying collection buckets for cash donations, as well as having the facilities to take contactless donations.
Hykeham Lions is offering children the chance to meet Father Christmas. | Photo: Hykeham Lions
The sleigh will be stopping off at the likes of Brant Road in Lincoln, The Forum on Newark Road and Witham St Hughs on the near two-week long tour.
Over the course of 2021, Hykeham Lions has helped provide funding for educational projects in local schools, provided outdoor play equipment, donated to Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance and Blood Bikes, and helped numerous local businesses.
A spokesperson for Hykeham Lions said: “We are always on the look out to support local causes so feel free to contact us with suggestions through the website contact details. As well as Hykeham, we cover Witham, Thorpe and the cliff villages as far as Navenby.”
To donate to the Christmas sleigh appeal, which currently stands at £215 at the time of reporting, visit the Hykeham Lions website, where you can also see details of routes and timings for the sleigh tour.
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