Legacy: New chairman of the Lincolnshire Sports Partnership explains how the organisation is keeping the Olympic legacy alive in the county.
— Jon Grubb is the new chairman of Lincolnshire Sports Partnership. He grew up in Louth and returned to the county in 2005 to take the editor’s chair at the Lincolnshire Echo. He left in summer of 2011 to start his own PR company, Grubb Street Media. His is married and lives near Sleaford with his wife, two children and two dogs.
Few would deny that it has been a fantastic summer of sport. The number of people participating in or celebrating sport makes impressive reading.
More than 100,000 people, from toddlers to pensioners, lined the streets of Lincolnshire to watch the Olympic torch’s journey through our great county. Around 8,000 people cheered the torch at Yarborough Sports Ground and a further 20,000 enjoyed the Olympic-inspired party on the Brayford. A thousand children from schools across the county competed in the Lincolnshire School Games at the Lincoln Castle Academy in June.
The individual stories were no less impressive. Our 150 torch bearers had stories that inspired us all and our sixteen home-grown athletes who competed in the Games and Paralympic Games filled us with pride and brought home five medals. Lincolnshire even welcomed, hosted and supported the Egyptian Paralympic team as they battled their way to 15 medals including four golds.
But now the sun has set on a remarkable summer of sport its time to think about how we ensure that spirit is not lost.
Lincolnshire Sports Partnership is working hard to turn the rhetoric of legacy pledges into reality. Already the LSP is in the process of setting up an Egyptian Paralympic Team Trust Group to continue the link with the Egyptian Paralympic Team and sports clubs in Egypt, in the hope that this relationship can benefit the county culturally and economically as well as in a sporting arena.
The LSP’s Sportivate programme is giving young people aged between 14 and 25 the chance to receive six weeks’ coaching in a sport of their choice – from rowing in Boston to wheelchair basketball in Louth and baseball in Lincoln, to girl’s cricket in Sleaford.
The Sportmakers programme is helping people in the community set and run their own successful sports clubs and Jog Lincolnshire is an exciting new county wide project which aims to encourage people to be more active by jogging on a regular basis.
These are just a handful of examples of where the LSP is working hard to keep the legacy alive, but we will always need the help and support of people, organisations and businesses around Lincolnshire. There are many ways of helping with financial support, time or just attending events in your community. However big or small your involvement, every bit helps ensure London 2012 lives on — not just in our memory but in our lives.
Jon is the chairman of Lincolnshire Sports Partnership. He grew up in Louth and returned to the county in 2005 to take the editor’s chair at the Lincolnshire Echo. He left in summer of 2011 to start his own PR company, Grubb Street Media. His is married and lives near Sleaford with his wife, two children and two dogs.
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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