Interior fire damage at the Croft Street community centre in Lincoln. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Despite a blaze completely destroying the main hall of a well-used community centre in Lincoln on September 22, centre managers have vowed to keep it running.
As previously reported, a fire started at Croft Street Community Centre around 6.44am on Sunday morning, though despite firefighters’ best efforts, most of the community hall was ruined.
Police suspect the incident was due to arson.
A few of the other rooms were saved from the fire, however most cannot be accessed either due to smoke damage or the door handles melting away.
On Monday, centre manager Caroline Boltz and caretaker Phil Spendlow set up an “office” outside — a table, armed with a diary and a kettle — with the task of organising the 20 community groups and parties that use the hall.
The pair have been at the centre since Caroline was alerted to the fire by the alarm.
“I was in my nightie and my slippers, and I jumped into the car,” Caroline said, “because I just thought ‘oh well it’ll be alright, I’ll just go turn off the alarm’.
“As I pulled over the fire engine was just coming down to the centre. I just couldn’t believe it.
“Poor Philip, who was standing there, I gave him a jolly good thump! I wasn’t very happy yesterday morning.
“But I soon picked myself up and got organised.”
Offers of help
Smoke damage from the fire at the Croft Street community centre in Lincoln. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
As well as clearing the items from the hall and surrounding rooms, Caroline’s main task was to help the various booked parties and community groups find somewhere else to go.
Fortunately, a number of Lincoln community halls, churches and other organisations are coming forward to help.
“We don’t have any electricity and we cannot get into the office, because it’s all been secured, so rather than do nothing I am keeping calm and carrying on!
“I am working with what I can possibly use — my diary and two phones — so I can sort out all the people who have offered places and people that need places.
“We’ve had various offers of help; about 10 places before 9am today, and the offers are still coming in!
“Some community groups have been housed, it’s just the parties we don’t have any places for.
“Now we’re moving all the boxes out because we’ve found somewhere for the items to go. Some items couldn’t go to St Swithins’ Church because it’s too cold.”
Caroline and her volunteers are also happy for residents and businesses to come forward to help, but offers a bit of advice before heading down:
“Wait until tomorrow, because we’re now waiting for the insurance assessor and it’s just not safe,” she said.
Total damage
Showing The Lincolnite around the building, Caroline explained the worst damaged parts.
Fire damage at the Croft Street community centre in Lincoln. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The worst affected area is the community hall, with many of the smaller rooms, such as toilets, offices and meeting rooms, protected from serious damage.
“The hall is the worst part, but the fire doors did their job, as did the fire wall.
Despite all the damage, after the damage has been assessed and community groups organised, the volunteers are keen to get started again.
“Oh yes, we’re coming back! The smaller groups, once we get the power back and the doors unsealed, we hope to put in the meeting rooms. For now though, we’ll accommodate all we can in St Swithin’s Church.”
Suspected arson
Lincolnshire Police are treating the fire as suspected arson and have been carrying out investigations at the scene since Sunday.
The local neighbourhood policing team are stepping up foot patrols in the area.
Meanwhile, they are appealing for anyone who was in the area at the time, or who has any information about the incident to contact them on 101 quoting incident number 105 of September 22.
Alternatively, anyone with information can call the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
Still going ahead
The Croft Street Community Centre was due to hold a coffee morning on Tuesday, September 24, and it is going ahead with the event in their car park.
The local policing team will be present at the coffee morning to answer any questions from the public and anyone is welcome to attend and lend their support.
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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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