Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue’s Chief Fire Officer Dave Ramscar has returned to Lincoln after completing his 4,000 mile trip to Nepal – providing aid to the thousands whose lives were devastated by the earthquake on April 25.
A team of 67 firefighters, plus four search and rescue dogs, arrived in the capital city Kathmandu days after the 7.9 Richter scale quake had struck.
The group remained in the country for ten days, with half of the team, led by Dave, heading north-east to the Chautara region to assist in the humanitarian effort.
The remaining firefighters spent the time ensuring that a hospital in Kathmandu was able to treat those injured, after a slab of overhanging bricks precariously balanced had left the facility unable to operate at anywhere near full capacity.
By the time the team left Nepal, over 400 beds had been re-opened in the college hospital.
The fire chief, who was the only Lincolnshire firefighter on the mission, said: “In Kathmandu, as a team, we completed a street by street, building by building search to help the local people find missing survivors or to remove fatalities.
“Some of the buildings had been totally destroyed and flattened while others had escaped unaffected.”
The UK International Search and Rescue Team in Nepal, led by Dave Ramscar.
Part way through his trip, Dave was re-tasked to the Chautara area, which had especially suffered from the quake, to conduct a search assessment.
He said: “It was almost total devastation in these areas and we had to be dropped in by helicopter because the roads had been destroyed.
“What struck the team was the resilience of the local people affected out in some of the villages, where up to 30 and 40 people had been killed in each settlement.
“When we arrived, we were given rose petals, water and food by the local people, who welcomed us to their villages.
“It was dramatic to see the resilience and robustness of them in the aftermath of such a tragedy and how they were just trying to get on with their lives.”
Dave, who has worked in the fire service for 31 years, added: “Although we didn’t rescue anyone alive from the rubble during the 10-day mission, we did make a major contribution to the rescue effort.
“It was on a much broader scale because helping to restore the hospital’s services will definitely save far more lives than finding a few alive in the destroyed buildings.
“The support from people of Lincoln and across the country has been fantastic. But there is a major need for assistance out in Nepal, which will only continue to grow.”
The devastation caused by the earthquake
Members of Lindum Rotary Club have joined in the fundraising appeal, and will be at Pennells Garden Centre on Wednesday May 13 collecting for ShelterBox which is providing tents and survival equipment to victims.
The charity has already delivered 39 tonnes of aid to remote villages in the earthquake-shattered country.
Lincoln charity Lincs2Nepal have also been helping with the aid mission. Two hard working fundraisers even went out to help, accepting donations and updating people on their mission via their Facebook page.
Leo Scott-Smith and Garry Goddard from local charity Lincs2Nepal flew out to Nepal in the wake of the devastating earthquake.
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Lincolnshire actress Harriet Bibby has spent more than a year-and-a-half on the iconic Coronation Street cobbles and now her portrayal of teenager Summer Spellman has been recognised with a nomination at the upcoming National Television Awards.
The 24-year-old, who attended De Aston School in her home town of Market Rasen, got her big break in Coronation Street in September 2020 and after several big story lines, including a hate crime centred around Seb and Nina, played by Harry Visinoni and Mollie Gallagher.
More recently, Summer is preparing for her A-Level exams as she aims for Oxford University, but she is also struggling with type 1 diabetes and an eating disorder, something Harriet has found eye-opening in playing her character.
Harriet has now been nominated for an NTA award for best serial drama performance, where she is up against 23 other nominees, finding out via social media she was in the running for the gong. Voting is open until June 6 and then a final shortlist will be decided.
Summer after a collapse relating to her type 1 diabetes. | Photo: ITV
Reflecting on the nomination, Harriet -who lives with her sister Nancy and their friend in Manchester – told The Lincolnite: “I found out yesterday [May 24] on social media via my sister Nancy as people had already started voting. I was a bit shocked but also chuffed.
“I am really proud as in the grand scheme of things it has been quite a short time on the show, so to be recognised for the stories I’ve been in is lovely.
“To see your name in a list with actors such as Maureen Lipman feels mad, but I also feel very privileged. Honestly, I am just pleased to be on there, to see my face on there is fabulous. It is definitely an honour to be one of the names in the hat.
“Other actors in the category are fantastic, so to be alongside them is amazing. My family are so excited and trying to tell everyone to vote. My mum works at De Aston School and my dad works at the University of Lincoln so they are drumming up support. If anyone can vote for me it would mean the world to me.
“I’m proud of myself. Growing up in Market Rasen there is not much going on in this industry so to get myself in and push myself through the right doors makes me feel proud.
“When I go home it’s really lovely. The people who already knew me from home, their reaction is the same as me, still buzzing that I’m here and doing it. There’s also a lot of people who know there is someone from Market Rasen in Corrie and I now get stopped more when I go to shops when I’m back home.”
Harriet Bibby as Summer Spellman, with fellow cast members Liam Scholes, Maximus Evans, Mollie Gallagher, and Harry Visinoni during the hate crime story line. | Photo: ITV
Last year Harriet was nominated for best newcomer at the Inside Soap Awards, which was won by one of her Corrie colleagues Jude Riordan, who plays Sam Blakeman. In last year’s Inside Soap Awards best storyline was awarded to Nina and Seb’s hate crime horror, which Summer was very much involved in.
Harriet added: “Due to COVID, there was not a huge ceremony for the Inside Soap Awards. It felt really lovely to be recognised, the same as it does for the NTAs. Jude is a little star, he’s fabulous and it was really nice to see it go to him.
“That [the Nina and Seb hate crime] was one of the storylines where a huge portion of the cast were involved and it felt lovely to be included in that and help tell that story.”
Harriet Bibby as Summer Spellman, with her on-screen dad Billy Mayhew (played by Daniel Brocklebank) after Todd Grimshaw’s misdemeanours become common knowledge. | Photo: ITV
So what’s next for Summer Spellman?
Harriet said: “At the moment we are seeing Summer struggle with her type 1 diabetes and not managing her medication very well. She has also developed an eating disorder and seeing her struggle through this mismanagement of medication and being very conscious of her body image.
“She’s taking her A-Levels and this week is not looking great for her. I didn’t know much about it [diabetes] at all before and [now] I’ve done a lot of work with Diabetes UK. I’ve also spoken to people they have worked with who have been through a similar thing to Summer.
“I’ve learnt a lot about the management of diabetes, but also that being hand in hand with an eating disorder and how difficult that is. It has definitely been eye opening for me and I hope it has been for viewers as well.
“Right now, we are still seeing Summer aim for Oxford University, revising and worrying about exams, but over the next few weeks we may see her dream crumble a little bit.”
And the future for Harriet? She added: “I am happy on the cobbles and seeing what’s to come for Summer.
“I think there’s always growth that comes with playing a character. You learn something new about yourself and I have grown in the past a few years. I think with an actor normally they are short-term jobs, but with a character on a soap you are with them all the way through and you don’t necessarily know where they’ll end up.
“There are definitely people who I am friends with now such as Elle Mulvaney [Amy Barlow] and I sometimes think ‘wow, I”m out with Amy Barlow’. I think [being star struck] will always kind of happen having grown up watching the show.”
Harriet at her graduation at Westminster Cathedral in 2019 with her dad Stewart, sister Nancy and mum Emma.
Harriet’s mum Emma said: “We are over the moon with Harriet’s achievements since leaving drama school, especially since she has had no contacts or knowledge of the industry before embarking on her career. Harriet has made all this happen and all of her family are so proud that she is doing what she loves.”
Her dad Stewart added: “We are all incredibly proud of Harriet and her achievements in portraying a character who is struggling with coming to terms with her issues. Watching her on screen is so amazing and the nomination for a NTA just incredible!”
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