Reflections 2013: Why I’m proud of our policing family

A harvest supper in aid of charity was hosted at Lincoln Cathedral on Wednesday evening, with 175 guest attending.

The Harvest Supper was a celebration of the successful harvesting of crops grown on Lincolnshire land, and an opportunity to auction off some great local prizes to raise money for charity.

It was held in the nave of Lincoln Cathedral and hosted by the High Sheriff of Lincolnshire Claire Birch as an opportunity for people to come together, give thanks and share.

The event was in aid of the Lincoln Cathedral Fabric Fund, which supports the conservation projects of the historic landmark building, and 5% of ticket sales supported Centrepoint Outreach, the High Sheriff’s chosen charity.

Centrepoint Outreach is a Christian food bank charity based in Boston which provides facilities, guidance and support for homeless and vulnerable people in the area.

Before the supper, guests watched a specially-commissioned photo story, with a live music accompaniment, created by observational photographer Henry Kenyon, who grew up in Lincolnshire, studied in London and now lives in Bristol.

Henry spent time at four food projects in Boston, which all come under the umbrella of the Lincolnshire Food Partnership, which works for a fairer, greener, more sustainable food system in the county.

The four projects shown were the Maud Foster Windmill, Willoughby Road Allotment Association, Greenfield Bakers, and Centrepoint Outreach.

Guests were seated at long banquet tables, sharing large plates of some of the county’s finest produce.

The menu included roasted Lincolnshire squash, Cote Hill blue cheese, Doddington herd Lincoln red grass-finished beef, and baked Lincolnshire beetroots and roast potatoes.

An auction and raffle was also held to raise money for Centrepoint Outreach, with experience days such as sushi making at Fulbeck Hall and a large dinner at the Great Hall at Doddington on offer.

One of Lincolnshire Police’s most experienced dogs has signed off from the force for the final time, and will now kick back and enjoy retirement with his handler.

Police dog (PD) Charlie celebrated his retirement from the force on Wednesday, October 20, after years of dedicated service.

PD Charlie joined the force in 2012 and has served in the dog section for more than nine years, as a valued member of Lincolnshire Police.

His final job was executing a drugs warrant on the east coast of Lincolnshire on yesterday, and once the hard work was done he could clock off for one last time.

Charlie will now retire to his handler’s family home, and can enjoy a well earned rest!

Lincoln Police posted on social media to honour Charlie’s work, saying: “Time to put your feet up old boy! An absolute credit to the dog section and Lincolnshire Police as a whole. Thank you PD Charlie.”

Lincolnshire-based food manufacturer Bakkovor Fresh Cook Ltd has been fined £130,000 after an employee was crushed in an industrial cooking machine.

The employee sustained two broken ribs while working to clear a blocked water inlet on June 27, 2018.

The worker was crushed in the machine after its safety systems were over-ridden. The machine was worked on while it was live, but it should have been isolated before work on it began.

Bakkavor Fresh Cook Ltd, of Sluice Road in Holbeach St Marks, Spalding, pleaded guilty to one breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act. The firm said it was an isolated incident, but was fined £130,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,607.10.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the task was carried out by employees in this fashion on a regular basis and that the company should have been aware.

No risk assessment of the task had been completed and employees had not been provided with a safe system of work to carry it out.

It was found the lack of a system of work for the task, and the company’s failure to monitor how the work was done, caused employees to devise their own way of conducting the procedure. This included over-riding the safety systems and using unsafe working practices.

At the end of the trial, HSE inspector Tim Nicholson said: “Those in control of work have a responsibility to devise safe methods of working and to provide the necessary information, instruction and training to their workers.

“If a suitable safe system of work had been in place prior to this incident, alongside good monitoring of the way the work was done, the injuries sustained by the employee could have been prevented.”

In a statement to The Lincolnite, Bakkavor said: “We very much regret that one of our employees was injured at work in an accident that took place on June 27, 2018.

“As a major food producer, we take the health and safety of our colleagues extremely seriously and always seek to achieve the highest possible standards of health and safety.

“We took prompt and effective steps to respond to the incident and cooperated fully with the HSE’s investigation.

“This was an isolated incident in a site with an excellent record of health and safety; the employee recovered and continues to work in our business.”