Lindongate: Development of the decade approved

2020 is a year of milestones for The Lincolnite: it marks a decade in publishing for Stonebow Media, serving local communities and businesses, and of course a new website was in the pipeline too.

Whether we like it or not, this year has forced drastic changes upon most of us — but we’re hoping you’re going to love the changes we’ve made.

They’re not just cosmetic, as there’s been a lot of work under the hood to make the whole reading experience faster and smoother.

Here are the top three things you’ll notice straight away:

The Lincolnite now incorporates Lincolnshire Reporter, its sister site launched in 2016, which adds coverage of the top news from across Greater Lincolnshire. This means you’ll find our full coverage  — from the Humber to the Wash — in one place, here.

You’re now experiencing our new uninterrupted story feed, where you can scroll through our full stories without having to click back and forth for individual stories. We think you’ll love it after giving it a go.

Automatic light or dark mode will give you an easy on the eye reading experience, depending on the settings on your phone, tablet or computer. Basically, if you have dark mode enabled, we’ll happily oblige. There’s also bigger, bolder text and images, because we know the vast majority will read this on a phone.

As you continue reading, you’ll find many other refinements along the way. There are also other parts of the website we are working on, so you’ll be able to spot some more changes in the coming weeks, including the property, jobs and events sections.

The Lincolnite has always been a passion project, an image of how we feel local news should be delivered and presented, and this iteration is our latest vision.

News consumption has changed dramatically in the past decade since we started, and we’ve always managed to stay ahead of the curve.

The latest re-imagination of The Lincolnite brings together our 10-year publishing experience to deliver a smooth experience for both our readers and advertising partners.

With record audiences and growth through our tenth year, thanks to our dedicated team, we are proud to be part of the Greater Lincolnshire community.

As a local company, we enjoy working with fellow local businesses to make our vision possible. Many thanks to TRS Design for development and Jolt for hosting support.

We welcome your feedback on [email protected].

P.S.: You can find out more about advertising opportunities with us on the Stonebow Media website.

P.P.S.: We’re looking for a second Local Democracy Reporter to join us. Email us for details.

34 new cases of coronavirus and one death in Greater Lincolnshire started off October on Thursday.

Government data showed cases of COVID-19 in Lincolnshire increased by 24, seven new ones in North Lincolnshire, and three in North East Lincolnshire.

Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals confirmed a new death in its facilities on September 30 in NHS figures released Thursday. No other trusts reported further fatalities.

There were 820 cases in September, a 400% spike compared to August.

The government’s own death tally, which also includes fatalities outside of hospitals or the county, also increased by one, in line with NLAG’s announcement.

Since the start of September, there have been eight deaths in Greater Lincolnshire hospitals.

Hospital bosses in Lincolnshire have confirmed there are seven patients with coronavirus in their facilities.

Although cases have spiked to their highest levels nationally, Thursday’s rise was lower than the previous days.

Nationally, cases increased by 6,914 to 460,178 while deaths increased by 59 to 42,202.

Latest coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire

4,626 cases (up 34)

• 3,311 in Lincolnshire (up 24)
• 969 in North Lincolnshire (up seven)
• 346 in North East Lincolnshire (up three)

398 deaths (up one)

• 272 from Lincolnshire (no change)
• 90 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
• 36 from North East Lincolnshire (up one)

of which 274 hospital deaths (up one)

• 147 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
• 4 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
• 1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
• 122 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (up one)

453,264 UK cases, 42,143 deaths

Three schools in the Lincoln area have had positive cases of coronavirus on Thursday.

Lincolnshire County Council said on October 1 that it is currently working with 27 schools with cases of COVID-19.

The latest additions to the council’s list are The Meadows Primary School in Lincoln, Waddington All Saints Academy and Dunholme St Chad’s Primary School.

The only school fully closed is Cranwell Primary.

In an email to parents Mrs Simmons, who is headteacher at The Meadows Primary School, said that “members of a Meadows’ family had tested positive for COVID-19.”

The child who attends the school has symptoms. As a precaution the children in that class have been asked to remain at home until the test is processed.

Schools with current confirmed cases:

• Lincoln College
• Cranwell Primary School (closed)
• Queen Elizabeth High School, Gainsborough
• Gonerby Hill Foot Primary School, Grantham
• Hackthorn Primary School
• Kesteven and Sleaford High School
• Ellison Boulters Academy, Scothern
• Ermine Academy, Lincoln
• William Farr School, Welton
• Our Lady of Lincoln Catholic Primary School
• Branston Community Academy
• Bourne Abbey Primary Academy
• Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Horncastle
• Lincoln Christ’s Hospital School
• Priory City of Lincoln Academy
• St Helena’s Primary School, Willoughby
• Spalding Grammar School
• Sir Robert Pattinson Academy, North Hykeham
• Bluecoat Primary School, Stamford
• Somercotes Academy, North Somercotes
• The Deepings School
• Lincoln Castle Academy
• Bluecoat Meres Academy, Grantham
• Boston High School
• The Meadows Primary School, Lincoln
• Waddington All Saints Primary
• Dunholme St Chad’s Primary School

Lincoln UTC is the latest to be removed from the list as it is no longer an active case with Public Health England.

North East Lincolnshire

Two schools in North East Lincolnshire, and Grimsby Institute, currently have cases of coronavirus.

Phoenix Park Academy in Grimsby had confirmed two cases of coronavirus and closed one of its sites – Park House.

Since then there is now a total of seven staff at the school’s two sites, who are now self-isolating after contracting coronavirus, according to Grimsby Live. A small number of pupils have also been sent home to self-isolate.

A member of staff at Bursar Primary Academy in Cleethorpes has now also tested positive for coronavirus.

A student and staff member at Grimsby Institute also tested positive for COVID-19, but their cases are understood to be unrelated and they have been in self-isolation as a precaution.

North Lincolnshire

The exact number of schools with cases has not yet been disclosed by North Lincolnshire Council, but there is understood to be at least six.

South Axholme Academy in Epworth and Enderby Road Infant School in Scunthorpe each have a case of coronavirus.

A member of staff at both St Lawrence Academy in Scunthorpe and Baysgarth School in Barton-upon-Humber tested positive for coronavirus.

A pupil at Frederick Gough School and a member of staff at Oasis Academy Henderson Avenue (both in Scunthorpe) tested positive for coronavirus.

In addition, John Leggott College in Scunthorpe has a positive case of coronavirus, who is self-isolating at home.

Drivers in Lincoln will face a year-long ban on Brayford Wharf East from next month, in a bid to encourage cycling in the area.

The closure on Rope Walk will mean that motorists will not be able to turn from St Mark’s Street or Rope Walk into Brayford Wharf East, but access will still be given to emergency vehicles.

The pop-up cycle lane is part of the Department for Transport’s emergency active travel fund.

The county council was granted £105,500 from the first round of the fund to support temporary projects during the recovery from the coronavirus crisis, although there is scope for them to become permanent.

The closure of Brayford Wharf East to through traffic will provide an almost traffic-free link for cyclists to the university. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “In Horncastle, the north side of the Market Place has been pedestrianised to allow more space for social distancing and allow the local businesses to use the area for outdoor seating.

“In Lincoln, the closure of Brayford Wharf East to through traffic will provide an almost traffic-free link for cyclists to the university, the city centre and the River Witham path. Then, on Wigford Way, a lane closure in each direction will provide a link to the bus and train stations.

“These measures are initially temporary for a year, but we’ll be keeping an eye on how well used they are, and they could be made permanent.

“We’ve also invested in new cycling storage that’ll be installed soon in Boston, Gainsborough, Grantham, Holbeach, Skegness, Sleaford and Spalding, and we’re continuing to look at options for Grantham town centre.

“The emergency active travel fund is just a part of our grand plans for cycling infrastructure in Lincolnshire.

“When it comes to upgrading our cycling infrastructure, having a coordinated approach that allows cyclists to reach more destinations will have the biggest impact on increasing the rate of cycling and take traffic off our roads.”

The closure is designed to capitalise on the increase in cycling. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

The second round of funding is worth over £800,000 for Lincolnshire. The council submitted a bid in August and is waiting to hear back from the Department for Transport.