‘Jolly will welcome anyone to Skegness’: Council saddened by depiction of mascot as sweary Brexiteer
Skegness Town Council has said it is saddened that the Jolly Fisherman has been “exploited in a negative way” by a pro-EU newspaper. The New European’s front page depicts the much loved town mascot as a sweary Brexiteer in a ‘go-away’ jumper, making a rude gesture and alongside the caption ‘Skegness is so Brexit’. The image was…
The New European's front cover was designed to 'stir up controversy locally'
Skegness Town Council has said it is saddened that the Jolly Fisherman has been “exploited in a negative way” by a pro-EU newspaper.
The New European’s front page depicts the much loved town mascot as a sweary Brexiteer in a ‘go-away’ jumper, making a rude gesture and alongside the caption ‘Skegness is so Brexit’.
The image was emailed out to the media on Wednesday afternoon with a note saying it was an “opportunity to stir up controversy locally” because the cover and article were “unlikely to go down well”.
The Boston and Skegness constituency was the most leave leaning in the UK, with 75% of the population voting to leave the EU.
The New European’s cover story – “Skegness: The seaside town that Brexit could close down”
Speaking on behalf of Skegness Town Council, Town Clerk Steve Larner said: “It’s sad to see the image of The Jolly Fisherman exploited in such a negative way.
“Residents and visitors will testify that Jolly will welcome anyone to Skegness.
“Last week Skegness was open for business and was filled with visitors, all of which received a warm Skegness welcome.”
MP unimpressed
Boston and Skegness MP Matt Warman. Photo: Lincolnshire Reporter
Boston and Skegness MP Matt Warman was also unimpressed with the front page, claiming it was not satire.
He said: “It simply perpetuates the ignorant, grotesque idea that everyone who voted to leave the EU didn’t understand the issues at stake and is only interested in themselves.
“That’s offensive enough but for the national interest it’s also a daft way to think that the country can move forward.
“We are all leaving the European Union, and we now need to work together to understand what has happened across the country over previous months and decades and to get the best possible deal for the UK, rather than campaign to try and stop it and thereby undermine democracy itself.
“I will be writing a response to the piece and I will be expecting the New European to publish it in full next week.”
Spotted an error? Please notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
It wasn’t disclosed which players would be missing for Lincoln City, but manager Michael Appleton said four players could be out for up to three matches.
The postponing of this fixture will allow for the Imps to recover their squad and get everyone back to fitness.
A rearranged date for the match will be announced in due course, as well as information for fans who bought an iFollow match pass.
Lincoln City are currently three points clear at the top of the League One table, daring to dream of a promotion to the Championship.
Next up for the Imps, weather permitting, will be a home game against relegation battlers Northampton Town, on Saturday, January 23.
Thirty dogs with fur so matted their breeds were unrecognisable, and many covered in faeces, were found in a neglected state in kennels outside a property in the Skegness area.
The RSPCA was alerted to the plight of the dogs last week and the owner agreed to sign the pets over into the care of the animal welfare charity.
The dogs were taken by rescuers for immediate veterinary attention. Several of them were so badly matted that they had to have their fur shaved off.
The matting had caused skin problems for some of the dogs. Many also needed emergency dental work to enable them to eat properly.
One dog had puss leaking from her mouth and the situation reduced the rescue staff to tears.
Thirty dogs were found in a neglected state in kennels outside a property in the Skegness area. | Photo: RSPCA
The dogs were all cross-breeds and included Dachshunds, Yorkshire Terriers, Toy Poodles and German Shepherd types.
All the dogs are in need of care and rehabilitation from the RSPCA. When they are ready they will then be rehomed at a later date.
The dogs were in such a bad way their breeds were unrecognisable. | Photo: RSPCA
Ella Carpenter, manager at RSPCA Radcliffe Animal Centre in Nottinghamshire, said: “Clearly the dogs had been neglected for a significant amount of time and required their coats to be completely shaved and urgent dentals to be carried out. They were unrecognisable as to their breeds.
“One dog was in such a state she has pus leaking from her mouth. It was so upsetting to see it reduced rescue staff to tears
“Thankfully, dematting and removing the vast majority of their overgrown fur has already given the dogs a new lease of life.
“They are now able to move freely without experiencing the pain of those heavy matts, glued together with excrement, pulling and tearing at their skin.
“We will continue to regularly bathe them to help improve their skin condition and we will spend the coming weeks rehabilitating them and will give them lots of care and attention so when we are ready to re-home the dogs we can match them with a perfect future owner.”
The father of a woman who went missing in her teens nearly 30 years ago issued a fresh appeal to help try and find his daughter on her 43rd birthday.
Jaime Ann Cheesman was just 16-years-old when she was reported missing in November 1993, but she has never been found despite extensive and numerous reported sighings.
The last confirmed sighting of Jaime was on November 2, 1993, when she was seen by neighbours walking in Comber Place in Grimsby.
Reports were also later investigated that she was going by the name of Naomi and was in a hotel in London. More recently, there was an unconfirmed sighting of Jaime in Alnwick, Northumberland in 2019.
Her mum passed away without ever knowing what happened to her daughter, but her father Eric has made a fresh appeal via Humberside Police for help in tracing Jaime on what would have been her 43rd birthday.
Jaime as a child and a digital image of how she may look today. | Photo: Humberside Police
Eric said: “It’s been a long time but I am still hopeful. I do really miss her – like any dad would. I just want my daughter home.
“I don’t have a clue what happened to Jaime but I will never give up hope that I will see her again. I am confident she will be back home one day.
“I know she had a lot of friends in Grimsby, so I’m hoping that someone who knew them all may be able to help us.”
Jaime aged 14. | Photo: Humberside Police
Humberside Police have been involved in the search for Jaime for the past five years after taking over from Northamptonshire Police.
Since taking over the case, Humberside Police have carried out a forensic examination of the now demolished property at Comber Place.
They have also gone over more than 500 of Jaime’s letters, diaries and notes. From those, police have put together a list of names of those she was closest to (as seen below).
Jaime’s links to Grimsby. | Photo: Humberside Police
Detective Sergeant Sam Cunnington, who is now leading the investigation, said: “Due to the length of time Jaime has been missing, this is a very complex and difficult investigation.
“We have no CCTV, mobile phones or social media to assist us and many witnesses can’t remember accurate times and dates for when they may have seen her.
“However, we will not give up hope of finding her. I hope she is living a safe and prosperous life somewhere.
“Jaime, if you’re reading this, please get in touch with me or your dad to let us know you’re okay. You may not want to come home and that’s fine but we need to know that you’re safe.”
The investigation timeline. | Photo: Humberside Police
He added: “Although she was brought up in Westminster Road, in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, Jaime spent a lot of time in Grimsby where her best friend Joanne had family links.
“In the early 90s, Joanne’s parents – Clive and Valerie – secured a council house in Comber Place and the family moved to the area.
“They moved back to Wellingborough in 1993 but in November of that year Jaime returned to Grimsby with Clive and Joanne’s boyfriend Peter to tie up some loose ends.
“She and Peter stayed at Comber Place but we are told she stormed out following an argument over some CDs but when she didn’t come back or return to Wellingborough, she was reported missing.”
Anyone who remembers Jaime, or is one of the people named in the list of friends, should contact police on 101 or via email at [email protected]
Information can also be reported anonymously to Missing People by calling or texting 116000.