It’s certainly been a year to remember for sport in Lincolnshire.
We’ve joined the rest of the UK in enjoying a fantastic Olympics, we’ve celebrated the torch procession through the county and we’ve even seen success from our very own athletes.
There’s little doubt 2012 will be remembered as the year when sport as a whole provided inspiration for the nation.
Behind the scenes the Lincolnshire Sports Partnership has been working hard to ensure the dreams of a successful Olympics became a reality.
The LSP was heavily involved in helping to organise and publicise the torch procession and hosted the Egyptian Paralympic Team – helping them to a handful of medals.
And we have made sure that the growing appetite to watch and participate in a wide variety of sport and activity has been supported.
The Lincoln 10k, the cycle Grand Prix, a sports zone at the Lincolnshire Show, National Join In Weekend, the West Lindsey Run Series to name but a few have all achieved huge success with help from the LSP.
The culmination of a great year for the LSP came at the annual sports awards glittering dinner where a record number of local business leaders, sports club organisers and athletes celebrated a fantastic year at the Epic Centre.
But while 2012 has been a pivotal year for sport the real challenges start now.
If we are to ensure the legacy of London 2012 both survives and thrives then we must work even harder in 2013. The LSP will be doing everything within its power to make certain that legacy burns brightly.
We have already developed a detailed strategy – Inspiration to Participation – due to be launched in the New Year. We will continue to support our budding elite athletes through the LEAP programme so we can see the nation’s sporting prowess continue to grow.
Just as importantly, though, are the projects designed to motivate non-athletes to get and stay active or enable others to do so. Sportivate, Jog Lincolnshire and Sport Makers are just three of the programmes that will be on the agenda of the LSP next year designed to encourage everyone to be involved in some kind of sport or activity.
Perhaps most importantly the LSP itself is an embodiment of teamwork – displayed within its own staff and through joint working with many partners around the county.
The LSP’s success depends on its partners and supporters. Without them nothing could be achieved. They rightly share in our achievements and we look forward to another year of positive, fruitful and successful partnerships.
— Jon Grubb is the Chairman to the Board of Directors at Lincolnshire Sports Partnership
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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.
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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.