— The Mayoral Medals series introduces you to the six inspirational people who won the award this year, chosen by the Right Worshipful Mayor of Lincoln. More stories from this series.
Bev Smith was awarded the medal for her work with Abbey Youthie, where she helped to get 50 people off the streets and engaged in useful activities.
Abbey Ward has some of the highest rates of crime and anti-social behavior in Lincoln. However, since the increased introduction of community-based projects, Abbey Ward has seen a 40% drop in burglaries.
She said: “It was great to achieve the award, it has given me more determination to continue to support and encourage positivity in my community.
“Although I was flattered to receive the award, there is a lot of hard work carried out at Abbey Youthie by many individuals, that shouldn’t go unnoticed. We work very much as a team.
Abbey Youthie, a voluntary-run youth club on the corner of Croft Street in Lincoln, offers a wide range of sports and fun activities for young people, including arts and crafts, electronic entertainment, indoor and outdoor games and a variety of popular children’s sports.
“I’ve run Abbey Youthie for five years now. It offers a place for youngsters to go in the area. Here, people can access many facilities, which wouldn’t be possible without the support of other groups such as Off the Bench. It’s great that we have that support,” said Bev.
“Kids can come here to play pool, table tennis, badminton and take part in arts and crafts. It’s a great way to get young people involved in positive action.”
On March 29th, Abbey Youthie held its Abbey Allstars Concert, an event supported by local youth groups to showcase the new skills and talents learnt by many of the young people to a 100-strong audience, such as singing, dancing and gymnastics.
The youth group has already shown that it encourages societal integration. Bev commented: “Around one-third of the young children that attend Abbey Youthie are Eastern European. It’s very important that they feel part of our community and it’s great that we can provide that.”
For more information about the activities on offer at Abbey Youthie, or to learn more about the youth engagement programme, contact Bev Smith on 07988 229720.
Photo: Joshua Potter for The Lincolnite
Spotted an error? Please notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
A local man was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and dangerous driving after two pedestrians were injured in a collision with a car and three parked vehicles in Skegness.
Lincolnshire Police officers attended the scene after the collision between a blue Citroen Berlingo, the parked vehicles, and a man and a woman, who are both in their 60s, on Winthorpe Avenue shortly before 7pm on Friday, April 16.
The two pedestrians suffered serious injuries and were taken to hospital. However, their injuries are not thought to be life threatening.
A 63-year-old local man, who was driving the Berlingo, was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and dangerous driving. He has since been released under investigation.
Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage and anyone with information should contact them on 101 or via email at [email protected] quoting incident number 389 of April 16.
Few people attended the second Kill the Bill protest in Lincoln on Saturday, as Extinction Rebellion activists stood alone on the High Street to campaign against a proposed policing bill that could make many protests illegal.
Activists from Extinction Rebellion Lincolnshire gathered at Speakers’ Corner to oppose plans for the latest Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which could curtail protesting rights if passed through parliament.
Extinction Rebellion were the main representatives at the protest. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Under the proposed bill, police officers will be given greater powers to put a stop to any protests, as well as determining start and finish times for them, and controlling noise levels.
A few stopped to talk with the protestors, but most just went about their day walking down Lincoln High Street in the first weekend that non-essential shops and beer gardens reopened.
The Lincolnite spoke to one of the rebels at the protest, to find out the reasons behind the march.
They said: “This draconian bill cannot go ahead, it needs to be taken apart and re-evaluted completely.
“People have been walking past us shaking their heads, but they don’t realise that it’s their freedom we are fighting for.”
The Lincolnite photographer Steve Smailes captured some pictures from the protest.
Signs were put up by the works at Speakers’ Corner on Lincoln High Street. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
A 19-year-old man is in hospital with serious injuries after a crash on the A52 on Friday evening.
The single-vehicle crash, involving a white Suzuki Splash, happened in the westbound lane of the A52 between Barrowby and Sedgebrook at around 7.20pm on Friday, April 16.
The driver of the car is now in hospital after suffering serious injuries, and police are appealing for witnesses to come forward.
Officers believe the driver had travelled from Grantham on the A52 at Barrowby before the crash.
Anyone who has dashcam footage or saw the vehicle before the incident is being asked to call 101, quoting incident 420 of April 16.
Alternatively, you can email [email protected], using the same reference in the subject box.
Whatsapp
