Special Christmas fun for disabled children

A heartbroken mother from Alford who has tried five times to have a child, only to suffer miscarriages or devastating deaths, is fundraising to pay for a funeral for her baby boy Archie.

Hayley Collins was born with a severe heart condition in which just one part of a ventricle was formed. For context, a typically healthy human heart has two ventricles and two atria, Hayley has just part of one ventricle.

She has undergone multiple open heart surgeries in her 29-year life, but at the age of 18 she was told he could never have or carry a child.

Archie only survived for one week on ventilation. | Photo: Chelsea Collins

Despite this, in 2016 she fell pregnant for the first time and went into spontaneous labour after 26 weeks, undergoing an emergency C-section.

Freddie, her first child, was born in September 2016, but only survived three weeks after developing Necrotising Enterocolitis, which inflames the intestines and develops severe gut infections.

Following this, Hayley tragically went on to have three unfortunate miscarriages, leaving her at a loss in her dreams of carrying a child.

The tragedies Hayley has suffered are unimaginable. | Photo: Chelsea Collins

After meeting her now partner Dave, she fell pregnant for a 5th time in 2020, but this one again came with complications.

At 26 weeks gestation, on July 15, 2021, Hayley went for a hospital checkup and found her baby’s heart rate to be dropping significantly.

A decision was made for Hayley to have another emergency C-section to prevent her having to go through a stillbirth, and Archie was born.

Tragically, he had severe bleeds on his brain and in his bowel, only surviving a week before the difficult decision was made to remove his ventilation on July 23.

Archie received big cuddles in his short time on earth, and now the family want to give him the send off he deserves. | Photo: Chelsea Collins

Hayley managed to have a proper send off for her first born child Freddie, but due to finances being very short, they are worried that they can’t hold a big funeral for Archie.

A fundraiser has been set up to help Hayley and Dave along the way, and already it has received £1,000 worth of donations.

It was set up by Hayley’s sister Chelsea Collins, who shared the difficult memories of Archie’s final day before his ventilator was removed.

“We had many cuddles with him on his last day,” Chelsea said. “As we were having cuddles, his saturation levels were dropping. He was on 97% oxygen, but his saturation couldn’t pick up above 76%.

“It was evident he was dying on us and the time had come. We removed the ventilator and around five minutes later, he passed away peacefully.”

Funds raised will go towards transport costs to the funeral, a plot for him to be buried in near his brother, a headstone and a coffin, as well as other organisation costs.

If you wish to donate to the cause, visit the GoFundMe page.

There have been 370 new cases of coronavirus confirmed on Tuesday in Lincolnshire, as people are urged to remain cautious despite falling case numbers.

The government’s COVID-19 dashboard on Tuesday reported 260 new cases in Lincolnshire, 57 in North East Lincolnshire and 53 in North Lincolnshire. The figure is 41% lower than last Tuesday’s 626 cases.

NHS figures have reported two further hospital deaths in Northern Lincolnshire and Goole hospitals trust. Government figures, meanwhile, showed three further updates to their deaths data for Lincolnshire, North and North East Lincolnshire residents.

Nationally on Tuesday, cases increased by 23,511 to 5,745,526 while deaths rose by 131 to 129,303.

Lincolnshire’s coronavirus numbers are low, and suggest natural vaccine immunity could be increasing, health bosses have said. But they warned there was a long way to go, and encouraged students and young people to get the vaccine.

According to the latest government report, despite infection rates continuing to rise, case numbers are lower than previously and the region’s authorities have mostly moved down the national tables for the past seven days.

North East Lincolnshire has remained sixth highest across England for new COVID cases, however, its infection rate has decreased from 960.7 last week to 908.7 this week.

Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from July 15 to July 26. | Data: Gov UK / Table: Daniel Jaines for The Lincolnite

In Lincolnshire, Boston and Lincoln remain top of the table with infection rates of 409 and 397.8 respectively. Both have, however, dropped down the table from 163rd to 226th in Boston and 146th to 240th in Lincoln.

Nationally, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has continued to urge caution after cases fell for the sixth day in a row.

Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Tuesday, July 27

78,956 cases (up 370)

• 51,512 in Lincolnshire (up 260)
• 12,194 in North Lincolnshire (up 56)
• 15,250 in North East Lincolnshire (up 88)

2,209 deaths (up three)

• 1,629 from Lincolnshire (up one)
• 304 from North Lincolnshire (up one)
• 276 from North East Lincolnshire (up one)

of which 1,323 hospital deaths (up two)

• 820 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (up one)
• 43 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
• 1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
• 459 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (up two)

5,745,526 UK cases, 129,303 deaths

DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF THE LATEST UPDATE. POSTCODE DATA INCLUDES DEATHS NOT IN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES OR IN HOSPITALS OUTSIDE AUTHORITY BOUNDARIES.

A 22-year-old man was this afternoon remanded in custody when he appeared before Lincoln Crown Court accused of murder.

Declan Grant, of St Mary’s Street, Lincoln, is accused of the murder of Darren Munnelly, 46, who was found with fatal injuries in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Mr Munnelly was discovered after emergency services were called to a property in Carr Street close to Lincoln city centre at 18 minutes past midnight on Sunday morning.

Darren Munnelly was a much-loved and very well-respected member of the community in Lincoln.

He was taken to hospital with a serious head injury but later pronounced dead.

Grant, who was wearing a grey sweatshirt and grey jogging bottoms, was flanked in the dock by two security officers.

He spoke only to confirm his name during the hearing which lasted less than two minutes.

Tributes line the ground outside flats on Carr Street, where Darren Munnelly was found fatally injured. | Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

There was no application for bail and Grant was remanded in custody to appear back before the Crown Court on August 31 for a plea and trial preparation hearing.

Judge John Pini QC told him: “I’m adjourning this case for a plea and trial preparation hearing. That will take place on August 31. In the mean time you will remain where you are.”