The Lincoln Challenge: Lincoln’s first Monopoly game?
Lincoln Monopoly: Lincoln has had its own unofficial take on the popular board game in the past. We meet the owners of one of the last remaining versions.
While city residents are getting excited waiting for Lincoln’s official Monopoly game to hit shelves in October, a few might have already passed go on a board game featuring the city.
As it happens, Lincoln has had its own unofficial take on the popular board game in the past, dubbed The Lincoln Challenge.
The unofficial Monopoly game appeared in 1991, produced by Lincoln YMCA and artwork commissioned by Ruddocks, with the blessing of the Mayor of Lincoln at the time, Councillor Ralph Toofany.
Unlike the official board game, The Lincoln Challenge featured a variety of Lincoln businesses — most of whom still operate today — on each square. In order for the board to go into production, these businesses sponsored a square.
Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Around 5,000 of the boards were put on sale, costing £15 each.
While many people might not have their copy of The Lincoln Challenge anymore, one family decided to keep their pristine copy after hearing about the new Monopoly board.
Dawn Tyas and her mother Carol Thursby in south Lincoln almost let their copy end up in a local charity shop.
Carol said: “My husband was a magician in Lincoln, and he did a lot of parties around Christmas. Once he was asked to go and do a party at the YMCA, so he went along and was given a copy of the board.
“Everyone we show it to say ‘Oh, we’ve never seen that, where’d you get that from? Did you have it specially made?’ but no, it’s the YMCA.”
Dawn added: “We don’t know if it’s one of the only ones left — we haven’t seen another one anywhere! At the time dad was given it, we didn’t know if it was the first or last of them.”
It has also been a popular family game to play in the past and even the present.
Carol said: “We used to play it quite a lot, when Dawn was a teenager at college. I know we did have a lot of fun when we played it.
“We hadn’t played it though for a long time, but I got it out recently because Henry Ruddock worships at our church, so I got it out to show him.
Dawn Tyas and Carol Thursby have a play of their copy of the board. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
“I run a little charity shop on Wednesday at the church [St George’s Church] to raise money for orphans in Uganda and Brazil, which myself and my husband started 17 years ago — it has raised £65,000 so far.
“I got the board out with the intentions of taking it to the shop but then Dawn saw on The Lincolnite about the Monopoly coming out.”
Dawn said: “I just thought ‘Hang on, this is very similar’. It’s a Monopoly game without the name, made up of Lincoln businesses rather than just street names.”
“Dad was quite pound of it,” she continued. “We were all born and brought up in Lincoln, but dad had quite a lot of memories from the businesses featured on it, and he used to laugh at some of the cards when they came up.”
“I think it’s quite nice to have one of your own city. Some people like us have been Yellowbellies for generations, so I think it’s a great idea. It’s something that’s worth keeping and passing on.”
Seeing as they already have a copy of a Lincoln Monopoly style game, it’s proving quite hard to decide if the family will buy one of the official versions, and what should even be on the board.
Dawn said: “I’m not sure if mum will be getting one as it was dad who was the great Monopoly fan, though my son (15) loves it too.”
Carol added: “Yes, I’ll more than likely buy him one for Christmas!” She continued: “If I could put something on the new board, it would have to be the Cathedral.”
Of course, both can understand the controversy over what to put on the brown squares of Lincoln Monopoly.
Dawn said: “I think there’s a lot of stigma attached and people don’t want their street to be the cheapest, so that’s very difficult.
“Though I don’t think there’s any stigma attached — I think if you’ve got your street name on a Monopoly board you should be proud of that.
“I wouldn’t like to say which street, but that’s perhaps why people have been reluctant to vote,” Dawn added.
Carol mentioned: “A street can be very poor in wealth, but rich in community.”
The new Lincoln Monopoly board will be available to buy from October.
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City of Lincoln Council has approved a 1.9% tax hike despite a series of cuts for 2021-22 due to the financial uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 1.9% rise will take city council’s share of council tax for a Band D property in Lincoln to £285.39 – an increase of £5.31.
The executive committee agreed on increasing allotment charges, council house and garage rents.
Council bosses predict a budget gap of £1.75 million and said it must close the hole for financial stability.
Allotment charges will also see most tenants pay between £58.70-£78.30 per year from 2022, an increase of between 38p and 51 pence per week.
Council housing rent will increase by an average of 1.5%, while council garage rents will increase by 3%.
Attendees at City of Lincoln Council’s executive on Monday.
The authority said it faces a number of ongoing challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic and requires a substantial reduction in all of its budgets.
Cllr Ric Metcalfe, Leader of City of Lincoln Council said: “It’sareasonablymodestincreaseformostpeople,andwewill support lowincomegroups stillwiththeconcessions.”
The council has saved more than £9 million annually over the past decade, however will have to increase savings by £850,000 next year, rising to £1.75 million by 2023/24.
Due to the pandemic’s impact on government funded reliefs, empty properties and business closures, the authority estimates it will only retain £5.1 million of the £42 million of business rates generated in the city.
The draft budget will go to consultation and return before the council later this year for a final decision.
There have been 372 new coronavirus cases and nine COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Monday.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 325 new cases in Lincolnshire, 30 in North Lincolnshire and 17 in North East Lincolnshire.
Some nine deaths were registered in Lincolnshire and none in North and North East Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England reported nine new local hospital deaths at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and one at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust on Monday. Hospital deaths have now surpassed 1,000 since the pandemic started in Greater Lincolnshire.
National cases increased by 37,535 to 3,433,494, while deaths rose by 599 to 89,860.
Leader of South Holland District Council, Cllr Lord Gary Porter, put the spike down to outbreaks in two care facilities, one being a children’s care home.
A group of urban explorers who travelled from three different counties to look around derelict buildings were caught and fined in Grantham for breaching lockdown rules. Two groups of revellers in the woods near Woodhall Spa have also been fined.
In national news, Public Health England have confirmed 4,062,501 people have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Those in England aged 70 and over, as well as the clinically extremely vulnerable, will begin receiving offers of a coronavirus vaccine this week.
Ten hospital trusts across England consistently reported having no spare adult critical care beds in the most recent figures available.
It comes as hospital waiting times, coronavirus admissions and patients requiring intensive care are rising.
All UK travel corridors, which allow arrivals from some countries to avoid having to quarantine, have now closed until at least February 15.
Travellers arriving in the UK, whether by boat, train or plane, also have to show proof of a negative coronavirus test to be allowed entry.
Supermarkets face increased inspections from local councils to ensure they are COVID-secure amid a push from the government to clamp down further on coronavirus transmission.
Local governments have been asked by ministers to target the largest supermarkets for inspection to ensure companies are enforcing mask wearing, social distancing and limits on shopper numbers.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rate up to January 17 according to the government dashboard:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Jan 11 to Jan 17. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Monday, January 18
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
44,374 cases (up 372)
30,784 in Lincolnshire (up 325)
6,927 in North Lincolnshire (up 30)
6,663 in North East Lincolnshire (up 17)
1,686 deaths (up nine)
1,196 from Lincolnshire (up nine)
268 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
222 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
of which 1,006 hospital deaths (up 10)
612 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (up nine)
30 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
363 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (up one)
3,433,494 UK cases, 89,860 deaths
DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF the latest update. postcode data includes deaths not in healthcare facilities or in hospitals outside authority boundaries.
Eight people were fined for two separate COVID-19 rule breaches over the weekend, after being found partying and camping near Woodhall Spa.
Officers were called to two different incidents at Ostler’s Plantation, a woodland area near Woodhall Spa on Saturday, January 16 and on Sunday, January 17.
Five people were issued with £200 fines after a report of partying at around 11.08pm on Saturday.
The next morning, police were again called to the area at 8.21am after people were seen camping at the location.
Three people were fined as a result of this, again valued at £200 due to being first time offenders.
If these fines are paid within 14 days of the offence, the cost will be cut in half to £100.
On the same weekend, but this time in a different location, six urban explorers were fined after travelling from three different counties to try and gain access to an abandoned hospital in Grantham.
The behaviour of COVID-19 rule breakers has been described as “dangerous” by Lincolnshire Police’s assistant chief constable Kerrin Wilson, who referred to them as “Covidiots”.
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