The next generation of scientists and pharmacists have begun work at the University of Lincoln’s £14 million Science and Innovation Park laboratories.
The 11-acre park, which is the result of a partnership between the University of Lincoln and Lincolnshire Co-op, includes the Joseph Banks Laboratories at its heart.
The laboratories, which welcomed the first 1,000-strong cohort of students in September 2014, were named in honour of the Lincolnshire-born botanist Sir Joseph Banks. It will expand to accommodate around 1,500 students.
Three academic schools take residence in the building alongside the neighbouring Minster House: the School of Pharmacy, the School of Life Sciences and the School of Chemistry.
Students are supported by around 60 members of academic staff across four storeys, covering 6,000 square metres of hi-spec laboratories, tutorial rooms and open social spaces.
A PhD student works on DNA extraction in the Molecular Biology Lab. Photo: UoL
Specialist laboratories and research facilities will include work in molecular biology, microbiology, tissue biology, DNA analysis, pharmacology and medicinal pharmacy, while Minster House will accommodate research in animal cognition, behaviour and welfare.
The building also features the Maltby Suite (named after the Maltby family who made a substantial contribution to the project). The suite offers a specialist learning environment for pharmacy students to develop their professional and consultancy skills.
Professor Andrew Hunter, Pro Vice Chancellor and Head of the College of Science, said: “I think Lincoln has lacked a scientific power house. We’ll now have around 200 scientists working within this building and contributing to the industry.
“The researchers we have are internationally known experts in their own field, but of course the biggest effect is regional because we can work with local companies.
“The University of Lincoln is now one of the only UK institutions to offer undergraduate courses across all the core sciences.”
Antonia, who came from London to study at the University of Lincoln’s new School of Life Sciences, said: “They teach us the science part and then the practical part at the same time, that feeds into the whole integration part that pharmacy actually is.”
PHD student Charlotte Bolt achieved her undergraduate degree at Hull University. She added: “My supervisor at Hull introduced me to a specific project which really drew me to Lincoln to study my PHD. I’m really enjoying it and I do see myself carrying on with academia in Lincoln with it being such an up-and-coming city.
The creation of the School of Pharmacy and the School of Chemistry has been supported by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and a range of regional and national employers.
The next stage of the development at the Lincoln Science and Innovation Park will be the creation of the Boole Technology Centre, which has secured £3.38 million of funding through the Government Growth Deal via the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership.
Next year, the University of Lincoln opens its new School of Mathematics & Physics.
Local partnership
The Lincolnshire Co-op, which operates 48 community pharmacies across the county, has been a crucial player in the creation of the science park. Students will also have access to placements throughout their Lincoln study.
Chief Executive of the Lincolnshire Co-op, Ursula Lidbetter, said: “We purchased this 11 acres some time ago with the hope to create a business park, helping to create jobs and value for the Lincolnshire economy.
“Businesses can now benefit from the university’s facilities and brain power and we have lots planned for the future of the development.
“It is exciting that students are now using this great new facility to learn and begin the next stages in their careers. This is a great example of how local business working together with the university offers mutual benefit.”
Head of Pharmacy at Lincolnshire Co-op, Alastair Farquhar, added: “This partnership is going to be a fantastic resource and we share the same values. Not only is the education science based but its also focused on the health of the patient.
“We’ve consistently had problems with the recruitment of pharmacists for a number of years and we’ve had to relay on graduates coming from quite far afield to fill the gaps.”
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Lincolnshire Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage following a two-vehicle collision in which a 12-year-old boy sadly died.
Following a call to police at 9.48am today (16 January), officers attended the B1190 at Bardney.
The collision involved two vehicles: a silver Mercedes-Benz A220 and a silver Ford Galaxy.
The 12-year-old boy, a passenger in the Galaxy, was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the Mercedes, a man, has been taken to hospital. The status of his injuries is currently unknown.
Update, 6pm: All road closures have now been lifted. No one else involved in the collision is believed to have sustained any life-threatening nor life-altering injuries.
If you saw the collision, or have information, you can contact police in one of the following ways:
Call 101, quoting Incident 141 of 16 January.
Email [email protected] putting “Incident 141 of 16 January” in the subject line.
North East Lincolnshire’s MPs have stood by the Prime Minister after he apologised for breaking rules by attending a lockdown party.
Grimsby MP Lia Nici dismissed calls for him to resign, saying ‘nobody is perfect’, and Cleethorpes MP Martin Vickers said it was the wrong time to call a leadership contest.
Boris Johnson admitted this week he went to a ‘bring your own booze’ party in the first Covid lockdown.
He has apologised for the decision, saying he believed it was work related but regretted it in hindsight.
Although opposition MPs have called for him to resign, Lia Nici, Martin Vickers and other Tories have stood by him for now.
However, the Cleethorpes MP said the party was ‘irresponsible and reckless’.
“He was certainly right to apologise, and the party in question shouldn’t have taken place,” Mr Vickers said.
“I share the anger and frustration of my constituents at these events and it does appear that lockdown rules were broken. That is irresponsible, reckless and unacceptable and disciplinary action, and possibly prosecutions should follow.
“It begs the question of how it got to the stage of the events taking place. Senior figures should have realised that this was wrong and the event should never have got off the ground.”
Grimsby MP Lia Nici (Conservative)
Grimsby MP Lia Nici also welcomed his apology for breaking the rules.
“I think it’s a positive thing that he has apologised for being outside in that garden on that day in 2020,” she said.
“He clearly wanted to thank staff who have been working hard under under Covid rules. Was it advisable to thank them that way though?
“It certainly would have been safer than inside, but the email from the civil servant telling employees to ‘Bring Your Own Booze’ is concerning.
“People are quite rightly upset about it. Everyone should have been following rules that the public were abiding by.”
A probe into the parties is now being carried out by civil servant Sue Gray.
Neither MP joined the Labour party in calling for Mr Johnson to quit – but said the report should come out quickly.
Cleethorpes MP Martin Vickers (Conservative) | Photo: Steve Smailes for Lincolnshire Reporter
Mr Vickers said: “My colleagues and I need to consider what’s in the best interest of the country. A leadership contest would paralyse the country while we’re managing the pandemic and a volatile international situation.
“The last thing we want is a complete vacuum of power at the centre of government for six weeks.
“We should wait for Sue Gray’s report into the parties that is being prepared.”
Mrs Nici said: “Nobody is perfect. The Prime Minister is a good man who wants to do the right thing for the UK and Grimsby.
“We need to focus on where we’re going – not having the national media fixated on today.
“However, as a manager and a leader myself, I can say we need to see the report sooner rather than later. If people have intentionally been breaking the rules then there should be disciplinary action.”
If the report finds that Johnson broke rules, it could convince Conservative backbenchers to trigger a leadership contest overthrow him.
Mr Johnson said he hadn’t realised he was at a party and “bitterly regrets” that way that it was handled.
Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer said that Mr Johnson’s denials were “so ridiculous it’s actually offensive” to the public at a heated Prime Minister’s Questions.
New CCTV cameras will be installed north of Lincoln city centre after Lincolnshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner secured an additional £50,000 of funding.
The original £400,000 scheme came after a successful bid by Lincolnshire’s PCC Marc Jones. This involved broadening the CCTV coverage to include the main walking routes out of Lincoln city centre and in three areas.
The funding will extend the new Safer Streets CCTV and will allow for the creation of 360 coverage out of the city centre. It will now allow the cameras to monitor walking routes to and from Bishop Grosseteste University.
The money for the plan – developed in partnership with the City of Lincoln Council – comes from the government’s Safer Streets Fund.
The scheme also includes funding to develop teaching materials which promote women’s rights and challenge attitudes; a Night Safety Charter pledging to design public spaces to make them safe at night; and training for bar, hotel and restaurant staff regarding vulnerability and tackling predators.
All elements of the plan will be co-developed with women and girls and experts in the field.
Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones. | Photo: Daniel Jaines
The Lincoln-based bid is the third successful Safer Streets bid for Lincolnshire. So far the PCC has brought £500.000 in additional funding to the county for projects in the north and east coast.
“I am delighted to be able to secure additional funding to extend the CCTV cameras even further,” said Mr Jones.
“The project was already going to make a significant difference in helping residents feel and be safe and the extra money will ensure that security is extended to even more people.
“It is excellent news and another step forward in protecting our communities.”
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