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Chestnut Homes has generously gifted St Barnabas Hospice the Folklore Imp after making an £8,000 winning bid at the Lincoln Imp Trail auction.

The popular Imp Trail was organised by Lincoln BIG and ran over the summer across the city, before coming to an end last month ahead of the farewell parade and auction.

The 31 statues went under the hammer at an average selling price of £4,000, when the Lincoln Imp Trail auction was held in the city’s iconic Cathedral on Lincolnshire Day, October 1.

Carrying the Imp back inside his new home. | Photo: David Harrison

More than £128,000 was raised with A Little Lucky Imp fetching the highest bid of £10,000, but the new owner will remain private for now – see a breakdown of what each imp sold for here.

The Folklore Imp was designed by local artist Carolyn Short and sponsored by St Barnabas. It was purchased by Chestnut Homes who gifted it back to the charity.

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice said: “Thank you to all our corporate sponsors, with your support [more than] £125,000 was raised for St Barnabas Hospice to allow us to continue to provide care and support to people in Lincolnshire who need it most.”

The Folklore Imp has a new home. | Photo: David Harrison

Standing proudly with the Folklore Imp. | Photo: David Harrison

Rob Newton, construction director at Chestnut Homes, said: “Being able to return the Folklore Imp to the team and patients at St Barnabas Hospice has been a highlight for everyone at Chestnut Homes.

“We are hugely grateful to all the staff at St Barnabas Hospice for all their hard work at this extremely difficult time and we are looking forward to supporting the hospice more in the future.”

A large snapping turtle found by a man near a river in Staffordshire has found a new home in the National Turtle Sanctuary at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park.

The turtle, who has since been named Hagar, measures 51cm by 37cm and weighs in at 4kg. It is believed to have been a pet which might have escaped or been abandoned in the River Trent.

He was found by a man walking with his children near a river behind Asda supermarket in Burton-on-Trent on Sunday, October 11. The man took the turtle home and placed it in his bath before alerting the RSPCA as he thought the reptile could be a danger to others.

Hagar was found near a river behind Asda supermarket in Burton-on-Trent. | Photo: RSPCA

The snapping turtle is native to North America and preys on animals including fish, birds and amphibians, but also eats a large amount of aquatic vegetation.

RSPCA animal rescue officer Karen Brannan was sent to the scene and collected the feisty reptile which she named Hagar, before taking him to his new home.

Karen, who believes the turtle may have lived in the area feeding on fish for quite some time, said: “He was a really big and aggressive turtle so I called him Hagar!

“I had to handle him very carefully as he was very angry and obviously this species has quite a bite as well as a very mobile head and neck.

“He had a fair bit of algae on his shell so I suspect he had been living in this area for quite some time and would have fed on fish and small mammals.

“We fear this turtle may either have escaped – or potentially been abandoned. It is a real concern if someone has discarded a pet like rubbish when there are animal welfare charities and organisations which would offer help. An animal like this could have been a real danger to other animals and people as they are capable of such a strong bite.

“I am keen to find out where Hagar came from and ask anyone with information to call the RSPCA appeals line on 0300 123 8018.”

Hagar is believed to be around 12 years old. | Photo: RSPCA

Karen added: “I am just so grateful to the turtle sanctuary for taking on Hagar as an animal like that is not easy to find a suitable home for. They believe he’s approximately 12 years old but they are capable of living to around 100 years – so I expect he has a long and happy life to now look forward to!”

Andy Ferguson, zoo manager at the sanctuary, near Friskney, said: “Hagar is settling in well to life in a seven-metre pool. He is definitely one of our more angry turtles – it is just his personality.

“This type of turtle is capable of a formidable bite and they are known as ambush predators so will hide before attacking for food.

“Unfortunately we have come across cases like this before where they have been found in rivers. They are not ideal pets and have very specific needs.”

It is illegal, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, to release non-native species, such as snapping turtles, into the wild.

Evie Button, RSPCA scientific officer for exotics, said: “Snapping turtles have extremely powerful jaws and should never be handled by an inexperienced person so we would urge anyone who finds one not to approach it themselves but instead to contact the RSPCA or a local reptile expert who can help.”

A man charged with endangering the safety of an aircraft which killed footballer Emiliano Sala and Lincolnshire pilot David Ibbotson after a crash in 2019 crash faces a two-week trial starting today.

The wreckage of a Piper Malibu N264DB aircraft carrying both the pilot and footballer was found in the English Channel in February 2019, after the plane crashed north of Guernsey.

Sala, 28 was on his way to Cardiff City after a £15 million transfer had been agreed with French club Nantes in January 2019, but the plane crash cost him his life.

Emiliano Sala pictured with Cardiff’s CEO and executive director Ken Choo after joining the Welsh club. | Photo: Cardiff City FC

The pilot, 59-year-old David Ibbotson from Crowle in North Lincolnshire, also died in the crash, but unlike Sala, his body was not recovered.

David Henderson, 66, from East Riding in Yorkshire, will appear at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday for a two-week trial after being accused of attempting to discharge a passenger without valid permission or authorisation.

Mr Henderson pleaded not guilty in October 2020, and a jury inquest into Ibbotson’s death has been postponed until February 2022, to allow for the trial to conclude.

Missing North Lincolnshire Pilot David Ibbotson. | Photo: GoFundMe page

The Air Accidents Investigations Branch conducted a report into the incident, and found David Ibbotson had likely been affected by carbon monoxide poisoning, and that he was flying too fast for the plane’s design limits.

Investigators stated that he had no training in night flying, and held a private licence that did not allow him to conduct flights for reward.