Family tribute to son: The parents of a nine-year-old boy from Lincoln who died just before Christmas have paid tribute to their child.
The parents of a nine-year-old boy from Lincoln who died just before Christmas have paid tribute to a ‘very funny and imaginative’ child.
Alex Robinson died on December 23 after emergency services were called to a house on Pennell Street.
Police charged Alex’s grandfather Stewart James Greene, 64, with his murder on Christmas Eve.
Mr Greene, of Grimoldby, near Louth, will appear at Lincoln Crown Court for a plea and case management hearing on April 24.
Ahead of his funeral on Thursday, February 19, Alex’s parents Joanne Greene and John Robinson released a tribute to their son.
They said: “Alex was very clever, very funny, very imaginative, a bundle of energy, and we miss him terribly. Every parent thinks their child is special but Alex really was. He wasn’t like other nine-year-old boys, not into football or anything like that, and he was really into maths, science and anything to do with mechanics or engineering.
“He loved trains and especially liked to go and watch the high-speed trains at Retford and Newark. He liked riding his bike, playing Minecraft on his computer, his iPad, his Xbox and playing his racing games. He loved cars and planes and anything to do with space.
“Alex was a sponge for knowledge, it was not enough for him to get half an answer about something, he had to go away and find out all about it and as soon as he had learned it once he always remembered it. He once went on a school trip to the local power stations and for a while was obsessed with them, we had to go past them whenever we were nearby so he could see them. He was really intelligent and anything he learned just seemed to stick.
“The one thing he wasn’t into at school was writing, he’d take maths and science over it any day of the week, but he did love to read and particularly any factual books. The teachers told us that Alex used to sidle out of his English lesson every morning at 9.25am and pretend to go to the toilet and the school soon realised it was because he was trying to get out of the lesson! He was very cheeky but there wasn’t a malicious bone in his body.
“Saying that, he was actually really good at writing and once won an award for a creative story he wrote, the teacher told him he could be an author one day and she’d be the first to buy his book. It was an incredibly proud moment and showed us just how strong his imagination was.
“Alex said he wanted to be a train driver one day and also said he wanted to own a Bugatti, we told him he might need another job on the side to be able to afford it!
“But then he also wanted to be a computer programmer or even a fighter pilot because he loved the Red Arrows. We believe he could have done anything he wanted.
“He had no filter and would often say just what he wanted but it was never badly meant. He was just Alex – unique, cheeky, and never nasty. He was the kind of child who if he was in a room you couldn’t ignore him. All of his friends at school, their parents, and his teachers have been incredibly supportive and we are hugely grateful to them, the messages of support we have received have been unbelievable.
“Alex used to be quite shy but as he grew up he became ever more popular and so many of his friends have told us how Alex used to cheer them up and make them laugh. One of the strongest things to come out of all this is the amount of love his friends had for him. We wish he knew that and hope that he did.
“Quite simply it’s been an horrendous time since we lost Alex. No parent should ever have to lose a son and especially at such a young age. We love and miss him so very much. The fact that he’s gone is still sinking in, it’s surreal. Alex has a four-year-old sister and without her it would be a struggle to get up in the mornings, she really has kept us going.
“We want his funeral to be a celebration of his life. It will be the toughest day of our lives so far but if we can we want people to be able to smile through their tears.
“We will be playing some of his favourite music – Kasabian and Green Day – and have asked people to wear bright colours such as red, blue or white. We have asked for family flowers only please and if you would like to please donate to Children With Cancer UK.
“It is a cause close to our hearts because Alex’s best friend’s brother has been fighting leukaemia. We are dreading the moment we have to formally say goodbye to our son but hope his funeral will celebrate Alex’s life rather than mourn it.”
Thanks to over £458 million of government aid
County chiefs are optimistic for Lincolnshire’s economy as more than £158 million of business grants have been handed out since the coronavirus pandemic began.
However, COVID restrictions have seen more than 95,600 people in the county on furlough.
Lincolnshire County Council’s portfolio holder for economy Councillor Colin Davie updated committee members on the latest figures on Tuesday.
Mr Davie reported on a number of initiatives including growth programmes, tourism boosts, business park improvements and other schemes.
He said: “Despite all the challenges we face, all the issues with COVID we’re going to have to deal with over the next six months, I’m really optimistic that we can get through this and the Lincolnshire economy will come out the other side, resilient, strong, and in better shape to face the future.”
Councillor Colin Davie, Executive Councillor for Economy and Place at Lincolnshire County Council. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Councillor Davie said Lincolnshire councils handed out more than 13,500 business grants up to August 31.
Broken down by district councils:
On top of those, it is estimated that the total value of job retention scheme claims (furlough) in Lincolnshire was just over £300 million
The furlough figures make up 29% of the eligible workforce, lower than the national average of 30%.
East Lindsay had the highest take up in the county at 35%, while Boston had one of the lowest take-up rates in the UK at 21%.
Nationally, Councillor Davie said there was a “challenging picture” with UK GDP 9.2% lower than in February generally, but 40% lower in terms of hospitality and accommodation, one of Lincolnshire’s most important industries.
He said 2.7% of the county’s businesses are now at risk of insolvency or bankruptcy
However, the number of people claiming benefits last month had decreased by 0.7%.
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