Lincolnshire streets with most parking fines

A man drowned in the estate lake at one of the UK’s most beautiful Elizabethan halls after consuming “significant” amounts of booze and cocaine while on his stag party with friends.

An inquest heard Shailesh Ishwar Chauhan, 32, had spoken to his fiancee on the phone at 9am on June 12 this year when he said he was near a lake – and she believed he was “heavily intoxicated”.

Mr Chauhan, from Chelmsford, Essex, was later seen swimming in the water at Doddington Hall, near Lincoln.

Staff went to check on their guest but there was no sign of him.

His friends reported him as missing and police divers found his body on June 13.

A post mortem examination found the cause of death was drowning as a result of cocaine use and “high alcohol intake”.

Acting senior coroner for Lincolnshire Paul Smith recorded a conclusion that market researcher Mr Chauhan’s death was misadventure.

Mr Smith said: “Shailesh Ishwar Chauhan was confirmed dead on June 13, 2021 at Doddington Hall, Doddington, Lincoln as a consequence of drowning on a background of alcohol use and the ingestion of cocaine.

“He had travelled to Doddington Hall on June 11 with a group of friends for his stag weekend.

“On the evening on June 11 he and his friends had a party, during which he consumed a significant quantity of alcohol and ingested a significant quantity of cocaine.

“He was last seen by his friends at breakfast time on June 12, at which time he was intoxicated and under the influence of cocaine.

“He spoke on the telephone to his fiancee until approximately 9am when he described being near a lake.

“She formed the view that he was heavily intoxicated.

“He was later seen by passers-by near to the water’s edge and subsequently to be swimming in the lake, although he did not appear to be in any distress.

“When staff visited the lake to check up on him he was not visible and could not be found within a search of the surrounding area.

“He was reported missing by his friends later that day.

“On June 13 an underwater search of the lake located his body.”

Mr Smith, who held the inquest at the Myle Cross Centre, in Lincoln, added: “On balance of probabilities, whilst intoxicated and under the influence of drugs he made the conscious decision to swim in the lake where, as a consequence of his condition, he drowned.”

The owner of Doddington Hall in Lincoln was appointed as the new High Sheriff of Lincolnshire in April.

Claire Birch, who has lived at Doddington Hall with her husband James since 2006, made her declaration in a small turnover ceremony in the gardens of the hall.

Built between 1593 and 1600, Doddington Hall and Gardens are open to the public, with facilities for private tours and school visits. Summer concerts and occasional exhibitions are held in the Long Gallery. Other businesses have been developed on the estate such as the sale of Christmas trees, weddings, a Cycle shop with cafe and a farm shop selling local produce.

In 2020 the Hall was featured on an episode of “An American Aristocrat’s Guide to Great Estates” on the Smithsonian Channel and Amazon Prime.

The countdown to Christmas is on! Advent calendars are being opened, presents are being bought, decorations have been put up, and some in Lincolnshire have gone that extra mile with festive lights.

A huge part of the Christmas festivities is putting up Christmas decorations, and while some may opt for a more reserved fit-out, others light up their street both literally and emotionally.

Here is a look at some of Lincolnshire’s most incredible and imaginative Christmas decorations, from a giant Santa the size of a house to a grotto with a sleigh and 31 trees surrounding it.

Moor Park – Ruskington

What could possibly be better than one house going all out with decorations? Well, three of course!

In the corner of Moor Park in Ruskington you can find this illuminated winter wonderland, boasting Santa inflatables, light-up candy canes and warm festive messages.

Elmtree Road – Ruskington

How this family have managed to fit this many decorations into one place I will never know, but regardless of that, seeing it made my jaw drop.

Many people pay a visit to the house on Elmtree Road in Ruskington just to see the lights in person, and trust me as I speak from experience, it’s worth it.

Sheldrake Street – Sleaford

It’s a community thing on Sheldrake Street in Sleaford, as multiple houses have collectively decorated their homes to create a wonderful festive corner for passers-by.

There are illuminated animals, trees wrapped in white lights, and there’s even a Santa Stop Here sign being projected onto one of the house’s walls.

Alma Avenue – Skegness

Adrian Dawes has created a winter wonderland at his home on Alma Avenue, with Santa and his sleigh surrounded by 31 Christmas trees and 15,000 lights.

It is all in aid of Skegness RNLI, with the lights on every night between 4.30pm and 10pm until January 2, and Santa available to meet and greet the kids on weekends.

High Street – Walcott

An imaginatively decorated home! Lindsay Knight on Walcott High Street has used fairy lights on her shed and the front of the home, as well as various festive characters.

Inflatable Santa Claus can be found both outside the front door and on the shed, as well as a glow-up inflatable tree and an igloo, guarded by a penguin.

Meadow Lane – North Hykeham

Peter Clare’s family in North Hykeham have become somewhat famous in their local community for their annual Christmas lights switch-on, and this year was no different.

The Lincolnite wrote a feature about this year’s decorations, a yearly tradition done by the Clare family for decades, containing a six foot reindeer, floor lights, polar bears and more.

Big Santa in Skegness

Surely the award for the biggest Father Christmas in Lincolnshire has to go to Jessica Thorpe in Skegness, whose inflatable Santa decoration is almost as tall as her house!

Alongside Santa is a much smaller inflatable elf, and a small snowman stood at the door, which sits between an inflatable candy cane-style entrance.

Ancaster Drive – Sleaford

Andy and Joy Wood on Ancaster Drive in Sleaford have paid homage to the story origin of Christmas with their decorations, creating a Nativity scene.

As well as this, there are light up animals all over their garden, and festive illuminations for all to see.

Westbeck – Ruskington

Perhaps the most inventive of them all, Susan Kilburn has created a tongue-in-cheek version of Santa’s Grotto, showing Father Christmas and a reindeer getting merry.

Santa’s Blotto, on Westbeck in Ruskington, gives us a side to Father Christmas we potentially don’t see all that often, enjoying a mulled wine or two!

Hospitals in Lincolnshire will benefit from more than £12 million of improvements thanks to a much-needed government funding boost.

Investments will see wards refurbished, new estates built and digital solutions updated, as part of the latest funding announcement from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

The investment is made up of:

• £5 million for two new laminar flow theatres at Grantham hospital
• £3.3m to refurbish and expand the critical surgical wards at Boston and Grantham hospitals
• £1.1 million towards the replacement of the digital cardiology system
• £2.5m for an artificial intelligence solution to support triage and management of the patient waiting list
• £600,000 for a digital solution to support the MSK pathway

Director of Finance and Digital at ULHT, Paul Matthew, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this additional funding, which we believe will have a huge impact upon the care that we can provide to our patients as well as supporting our valuable staff.

“On top of this, our healthcare system in Lincolnshire has been granted additional funds to establish a new Citizen Atrium, which will help us to work better with our patients to understand how they access support and guidance.

“We are now working up our plans for these developments and proposed timescales.”