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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Robert Goddard’s designer clothing shop will open on the first floor of the former Waterstone’s building in Lincoln’s Cornhill Quarter in spring 2022.
The Lincoln shop will offer a range of big designer brands including Ted Baker, Hugo Boss, Barbour, Tommy Hilfiger.
It will sell menswear, womenswear, and a new range of kidswear called ‘Robert Goddard Junior’, which includes Barbour, Napapijri, Calvin Klein and Polo Ralph Lauren for children aged 6-14.
Following the completion of the £21 million Lincoln Medical School Building in March 2021, there has never been a better time for local students to pursue a career in medicine.
The UTC sixth form provides a specialist curriculum, in partnership with the University of Lincoln, which builds the foundation for medical and biomedical degree courses.
Kirsty Hickling, Head of Science at Lincoln UTC, said: “The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic was led by experts in medicine, highlighting the importance of encouraging this career path in our younger generation.
“The Lincoln Medical School was established in 2018 with the aim of improving recruitment of doctors locally. The close connections between Lincoln UTC and the University of Lincoln provide our students with opportunities to build their subject knowledge and skills within state of the art laboratories, clinical and anatomy suites. This experience is invaluable for students aspiring to pursue a career in medicine.”
Year 13 UTC student, Edward Pitts-Drake, is currently applying to study Paramedic Science at the University of Lincoln next year.
Edward said: “I joined the UTC in 2018 because I was already focused on studying medicine in future. In August 2020 I achieved a combination of 8s and 9s in my GCSEs, and I am now completing A Levels in chemistry, physics, biology, and maths.
“Studying at the UTC has given me the confidence to put my scientific knowledge into practice by volunteering with St John’s Ambulance Service. Alongside opportunities to visit the University laboratories, this experience has been vital in ensuring that my application stands out.”
Year 11 students can apply now to join the UTC sixth form next September. For more information visit www.lincolnutc.co.uk, email [email protected] or call 01522 775990.
A 66-year-old man has pleaded guilty to one charge relating to the flight which cost Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala and Lincolnshire pilot David Ibbotson their lives in 2019.
David Henderson, of East Riding in Yorkshire, entered a guilty plea at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday, relating to the charge of attempting to discharge a passenger without valid permission or authorisation.
This charge relates to an incident in January 2019, when footballer Emiliano Sala was flying over to Cardiff to complete a £15 million club record transfer from French side Nantes.
Emiliano Sala pictured with Cardiff’s CEO & Executive Director Ken Choo after joining the Welsh club at the weekend. | Photo: Cardiff City FC
The plane he was travelling on, a Piper Malibu N264DB piloted by David Ibbotson, 59, from Crowle in North Lincolnshire, crashed north of Guernsey after poor weather conditions.
The crash killed both Sala and Ibbotson, with the former’s body being found some two weeks after the incident. Ibbotson’s body was never located.
North Lincolnshire Pilot David Ibbotson. | Photo: GoFundMe page
Henderson has denied a further charge of endangering the safety of an aircraft, with the full two-week trial now due to start at 2pm on Tuesday.
The Air Accidents Investigations Branch’s report into David Ibbotson’s death found that he had likely suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning and was flying too fast for the plane’s design limits.
An investigation found that Ibbotson had no night flying training, and held a private license that didn’t allow him to conduct flights for reward.
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