Red day: An infant who had heart surgery as a baby will be raising money for charity this week.
A Lincoln toddler who underwent major open heart surgery just a year ago will be commemorating the operation this week.
Logan Whiteley (pictured), who will be two in May, was diagnosed with Fallots Tetralogy at six weeks old, and underwent surgery just before his first birthday.
Along with staff and other pupils at The Old Station Nursery on South Waterside, he will raise money for children’s heart charity Keep the Beat by holding a Red Day.
On April 21, children will wear red as well as heart and red themed activities, such as decorating red hearts and red cakes, pass the heart games and hunt the heart.
As well as raising awareness and money for the charity, Logan’s family hope the funds will help Glenfield Hospital, which deals with children’s heart problems.
Glenfield Hospital serves patients with heart defects in Lincolnshire, and is the hospital was where Logan received his operation a year ago.
However, it could be closed down due to funding cuts on the NHS, which sees 11 of the heart centres in the country cut to six or seven.
Logan’s mum Stacey Whiteley said: “We wanted to mark the anniversary of Logan’s operation with a day of fun and fund-raising.
“To know Keep the Beat provides hope, support and information to families like ours means everything and we have full belief in Keep the Beat and its future aims.
“We’re so proud of Logan and he’s come on in leaps and bounds since his operation last April; he still faces the possibility of surgery in the future but he is a happy, active and chatty toddler who enjoys his time at nursery.
“He became a big brother to his baby sister Darcie at the end of last year and loves drawing and painting so will certainly have lots of fun decorating hearts ready for the fund-raising day!”
She added: “We never dreamt of needing a facility like this for our child.
“For the sake of our region and all the heart children past, present and future, please back the campaign and choose Glenfield Option A in the NHS public consultation for the future of children’s heart surgery in England and Wales.
“Everyone’s opinion counts, let yours be heard.”
— You can make a donation on Logan’s fundraising page.
A dramatic video shows a car engulfed in flames in the car park at Lincoln County Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
An on-call crew from Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue attended the scene on Greetwell Road shortly before 5pm on Tuesday, April 13.
The crew used one hose reel to extinguish the fire and fortunately no casualties were reported.
The car is probably a write-off. | Photo: The Lincolnite
Dramatic pictures from the scene show the severe damage that was caused to the front of the car.
Fall in county infections but a Boston spike
There have been 50 new coronavirus cases and three COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Tuesday — compared to 58 cases and no deaths this time last week.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 26 new cases in Lincolnshire, 19 in North Lincolnshire and five in North East Lincolnshire.
On Tuesday, three deaths were registered in Lincolnshire, none in North East Lincolnshire and -1 in North Lincolnshire. Fluctuations in data are usually due to some deaths in those areas being reallocated to other regions across the UK or a miscount. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England has reported two new local hospital deaths at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust hospitals.
On Tuesday, national cases increased by 2,472 to 4,375,814, while deaths rose by 23 to 127,123.
In local news, people aged over 45 can now book their COVID vaccinations on the NHS website after the government reached its target of offering a first dose to the nine most vulnerable groups.
There were recently some technical difficulties for people accessing the NHS website, but vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said the issues have been fixed – book a vaccine online here and find out if you are eligible.
Over the weekend, Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rate has fallen, with a spike in Boston only.
Similarly, the England average has also seen a drop in infections, but still remains nearly half Greater Lincolnshire’s rates.
Lincoln has dropped by more than half over the weekend and now has one of the smallest rates in the UK, with just 9.1 per 100,000 of the population infected with COVID-19.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s COVID-19 infection rates up to April 12:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Apr 5 to Apr 12. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
In national news, Boris Johnson has warned that the reduction in coronavirus infections, hospitalisations and deaths “has not been achieved” by the rollout of COVID vaccines.
The prime minister, speaking the day after the latest easing of lockdown restrictions, instead said it was the national shutdown that had been “overwhelmingly important” in driving down COVID rates.
England is giving out its first doses of the Moderna jab, the third COVID-19 vaccine in the nation’s rollout.
It will be available at 21 sites, included the Madejski Stadium in Reading and the Sheffield Arena.
Along with the Pfizer jab, it offers an alternative to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for under-30s, after concerns about a possible link to very rare blood clots.
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
58,772 cases (up 50)
2,184 deaths (up three)
of which 1,302 hospital deaths (up two)
4,375,814 UK cases, 127,123 deaths
There will be another Kill The Bill protest in Lincoln next week, rallying against a new government bill that diminishes protesting rights.
Protests have been rife across the country since the government’s proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill was first discussed, with scenes turning violent in Bristol.
Over two hundred people peacefully took part in the city’s first march at Speakers’ Corner on April 3, including Extinction Rebellion activists and Socialist and Labour supporters.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Now, after a post started doing the rounds on social media, another protest has apparently been scheduled for 2pm on Monday, April 17 at the same location on Lincoln High Street, as part of a national day of action.
A poster promoting a second event has been shared across social media platforms.
Protests are lawful once again after the government eased lockdown restrictions on March 29, but organisers are required to submit a risk assessment prior to any event.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Organisers of the last protest were in close communication with police to make the event safe, and The Lincolnite has asked Lincolnshire Police if they have been made aware of another protest, but are yet to receive a reply.
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