Lloyd Mitchell from Boston was a criminal. He stole, took drugs, and served prison sentences. It’s a life he had known since his teens. Nothing and nobody seemed to offer a way out — until ARC.
Assisting Rehabilitation through Collaboration (ARC) is a joint approach to dealing with prolific offenders and, as Lloyd’s story shows, it is changing lives in Lincolnshire.
Before ARC, Lloyd, now 33, was a drug addict who had been stealing since he was 15. He has a long and significant offending history, predominantly for shop lifting.
During his worst times, he would commit crime on a daily basis so he could buy heroin and mephedrone (a New Psychoactive Substance banned in 2010).
Whilst extensive and prolific, Lloyd’s offending never progressed to more serious crime such as robbery or burglary.
Lloyd let people down, lost people close to him and hurt his family time after time.
“An existence, not a life”
In and out of prison, unable to hold down permanent employment, periods of homelessness, he described this as “an existence, not a life.”
has a long and significant offending history, predominantly for shop lifting.
His own mum, a constant support to him, decided to stop lending him money. Lloyd explains why: “She didn’t want to give me the tenner that I would put in my arm; the tenner that would kill me.”
Lloyd needed drugs to function and to feel normal. Besides drugs, Lloyd cared about nothing.
He would walk out of shops with stolen goods under his arm, alarms ringing out, and he would be oblivious to everything but where he could get the money together to buy more drugs.
Surprising as it may be to some, he described his addiction to mephedrone as far more powerful than his addiction to heroin.
While the dangers of substance misuse are obvious, for Lloyd, who also has Type 1 diabetes, those dangers became magnified. But Lloyd didn’t care about getting caught, going to prison or the impact on his health. Only satisfying that immediate need for drugs was important.
Many would have seen Lloyd as a lost cause, someone who could not be helped or changed.
The turning point…
Lloyd was released from prison in July 2017 and has been working with ARC ever since. The scheme has helped him to turn his life around. Since this point Lloyd, has provided nothing but clear drugs tests to Addaction and has turned his back on a life of crime.
“I didn’t know what normal was.”
Now Lloyd can see a future and has a simple ambition that many people would take for granted. He would like a job. “My next goal is to get a car, get back to work, stand on my own two feet and earn some money.” This concept is new to Lloyd who throughout his adult life has known nothing but drugs. He explained: “I didn’t know what normal was.”
But it is not only the influence of ARC that Lloyd attributes his success to, it is also his family. “If it wasn’t for my mum and my sister, I wouldn’t be here.” Lloyd recognises the constant and overbearing worry he inflicted on them.
The only respite, when they didn’t fear for his safety or his life, being when he was in prison. He said, “they used to love it when I went to jail. It was like a holiday for them.” Lloyd is quick to point out that he had a good childhood and that there is nothing that explains or excuses his former life of addiction and crime. It is just something he fell into that became an unbreakable cycle.
“Every day was a chore. I would wake up; get money; get drugs.”
Lloyd’s message to others in this cycle is to cut ties with the people who are using and avoid any places you know there may be drugs. His advice is that if you don’t distance yourself from it, “you’ll never get away from it.” But, he says, “if I can do it, any one of them can do it.”
T/Sgt Phil Muirhead has been Lloyd’s case officer over the last year. He said, “I am immensely proud of Lloyd. He was an extremely heavy substance abuser and prolific offender with everything stacked against him; yet he has triumphed with the support of ARC. It is a credit to him that he has been presented so many opportunities to fail, but he has remained absolutely resolute.”
Sgt Phil Muirhead: My journey through ARC with Lloyd
Assisting Rehabilitation through Collaboration (ARC) is a joint approach to dealing with prolific offenders and, as Lloyd’s story shows, it is changing lives in Lincolnshire.
Lincolnshire Police Sgt Phil Muirhead
Lloyd’s case officer T/Sgt Muirhead explained the bespoke approach, “Essentially it is about breaking down barriers and finding out what the real issues are for that specific person. In Lloyd’s case we got Addaction on board and I took Lloyd to every appointment. I made sure that his mum was involved so she didn’t feel like anything was being hidden from her.
“I helped Lloyd into alternative accommodation – the rural location, in contrast with Boston, did not offer the same temptation to slip back into his old life. But in the end, it’s down to Lloyd – he has taken the opportunity and he has changed his life.”
Breaking down barriers: A case officer’s perspective
“ARC officers invest a considerable amount of time in relationship building with our clients and have to initially put quite a lot of effort into breaking down those barriers to move away from: ‘police officer and offender’ to one of: ‘supporting person and client’.
“This couldn’t be more true than with Lloyd; as initially ARC wasn’t too well known in the area and he was naturally sceptical of my agenda and whilst he signed to be a part of the ARC programme that level of trust hadn’t yet had time to develop, meaning; in the early days he would avoid me at all costs if he thought he was in trouble.
“Following Lloyd’s release from prison he chose to go to an address out in the middle of nowhere rather than returning to the drugs den that was his former home – this, I believe was his finest and most pivotal decision that he ever made and I had a lot of respect for him in making that call.
“Being out in the middle of nowhere Lloyd became reliant upon me to get him to his appointments and I ensured that I made the most of this valuable time with him by getting to know him better outside of appointments.
“Both Lloyd and I became invested in each other.”
“It’s fair to say that eventually both Lloyd and I became invested in each other; he could see the lengths that I would go to in delivering what I said I would and I could see the effort he was making in choosing the right decisions and trying to change his life and as time has evolved; so has the bond between us.
“From an ARC perspective and as a police officer with over 20 years’ service, Lloyd has shown me the true value of ‘working in partnership’ as well as what that phrase used so often, really means.
“He has shown me gratitude which I know is difficult for him to openly display, he has exhibited immense courage and resolve despite repeatedly being faced with adversity, he has demonstrated strength of character, he has opened up his life and allowed me to interrogate it, he has taught me that it can’t be about delivering a sterile service, but above all he has taught me the most valuable lesson — never give up on a client.
A caring bespoke service
“Of course it’s not just the relationship between police and client that is important but also the wider partnership family. It was important to me to get the message across to Lloyd that we were all invested in his future together and to that end spending time with him in company with our partners in their one to one meetings was crucial in delivering and demonstrating that message to him.
“Watching the way different agencies engaged with Lloyd was a huge learning curve for me also and helped me modify my own approach towards Lloyd. With Lloyd I was lucky enough to have a line manager and partners who were fully on-board and who are all so professional as well as offering such a caring bespoke service – it’s an accurate reflection on multi-agency working at its absolute best.
“Lloyd is a Type 1 Diabetic and has suffered with this debilitating autoimmune condition for most of his life and trying to balance Diabetes management with work potential has been a tricky conundrum of late.
“My 7-year-old son also has Type 1 Diabetes, he was diagnosed two years ago upon nearly losing him to it; so I’ve seen first-hand and over the last two years witnessed how incredibly difficult it is to manage. I guess that’s another reason why Lloyd and I have developed such a strong bond.
“Lloyd has freely admitted to me that he didn’t really care about his Diabetes before and would frequently run high (Hyperglycaemia), but now with some personal ARC investment, he takes it much more seriously than he did before and has better control.
“Clearly, Lloyd hasn’t in the past been fit for work and his mother has adopted more of a carers role for Lloyd which still continues to this day, but I’m pleased to say that owing to Lloyd’s lifestyle changes and Diabetes management we are hopeful of entering him into a local employers ‘back to work’ programme during the summer, which will be yet another milestone for him; by turning his disability into positive outcome.”
ARC is funded by a number of partners including the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Lincolnshire County Council, and Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust.
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A local mum turned her pandemic redundancy into a life-long dream after opening a new cafe with her daughter in North Hykeham.
Jo Stone, 56, was made redundant in June after 24 years as a manager with HSBC. She joined forces with her 26-year-old daughter Bethan, known by her family as Boo and Boodles, to launch a new business.
Together the duo opened Boodles Cafe and tea room in the Hykeham Green Shopping Centre on Lincoln Road on Monday, October 18 and The Lincolnite went to check it out.
Cooked breakfasts are among the specialities at Boodles Cafe. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Lasagne is one of many home cooked items on the tasty menu at Boodles Cafe. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Boodles Cafe has a focus on fuelling locals with hearty breakfasts, good home cooking and late night platters to bring the community together through food.
In addition to breakfasts, the cafe also sells sandwiches, omelettes, homemade sausage rolls and a variety of main meals such as lasagne and shepherd’s pie. Sunday lunches are served between 12pm-5pm every Sunday.
Jo told The Lincolnite: “I have always wanted to own a cafe and it seemed like the right time. We love the pleasure of cooking for people and everyone’s feedback has been great, and we thrive on that.”
Just some of the range of cakes available at Boodles Cafe. Lasagne is one of many home cooked items on the tasty menu at Boodles Cafe. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Why not try the chocolate cake? | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
There is a range of desserts to choose from at Boodles Cafe. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Boodles co-owner Jo grew up in an RAF family that toured Singapore and Malta as her father Frank Barrett was an aerial erector dealing with signals, including at RAF Digby in Lincolnshire.
Frank was later awarded an OBE for his services to the Royal Air Force Association, while Boo has further ties with the RAF as her dad Taff Stone was the chief engineer who restored the Vulcan XH558 back to flight.
The Stone family settled in North Hykeham with Jo and her sister Denise attending Sir Robert Pattinson Academy. They lived with all their extended family under one roof, which is where she said the “real passion for feeding what felt like the five thousands really took”.
Inside Boodles Cafe. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Preparing the food at Boodles Cafe. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Cooking has always been a passion for Boo, who previously worked as a chef at the Horse & Groom in Lincoln and the Ferry Boat in Washingborough, as well as at two local care homes.
Her nickname came about as her siblings couldn’t pronounce Bethan properly, so it didn’t take long for her to become known as Betty Boo. Over the years it was shortened to Boom and later Boodles, which became the cafe’s name too.
Boodles Cafe is also recruiting for two new chefs and waiting staff and anyone interested applicants should email [email protected].
Jo’s former colleagues at HSBC enjoyed lunch at Boodles on Tuesday. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Happiness is a kitchen full of full tummies and smiles. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Welcome to Boodles Cafe in North Hykeham. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The cafe is licensed to sell alcohol and is open in the evening too. It is open Monday to Saturday between 7am and 10pm, and on Sundays from 8am-8pm.
The government will open up national vaccine hubs to 12-15-year-olds this half-term, as 644 positive tests are recorded in Greater Lincolnshire on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s figure is 25% lower than the 863 cases at the same point last week.
The latest government data also shows four deaths of Greater Lincolnshire residents, while one new deaths was reported at Greater Lincolnshire’s hospitals.
The latest COVID stats for Lincolnshire are:
644 new cases of coronavirus in Greater Lincolnshire with 495 in Lincolnshire, 73 in North East Lincolnshire and 76 in North Lincolnshire
Four deaths were recorded in the government figures including three Lincolnshire residents and one North Lincolnshire resident
Hospital data showed one further death at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust
Health secretary Sajid Javid has confirmed today that the national vaccine booking service will be opened up to children aged 12-15. It is part of efforts to “ramp up” the programme.
“To make the most of half-term next week, we will now be opening up the national booking service to all 12 to 15-year-olds to have their COVID vaccinations in existing national vaccination centres, which will offer families more flexibility,” said Mr Javid.
“I think it is important that anyone who is invited as eligible for a vaccine, including young people, that they do come forward and take up that offer.”
It comes as MPs debate extending coronavirus legislation by renewing the Coronavirus Act 2020, which gives the government emergency powers – including shutting down businesses and detaining COVID-positive or at-risk individuals.
Mr Javid told ministers there was “huge pressure” on the NHS and that it was facing a “particularly tough” winter.
Lincolnshire’s infection rates from September 27 to October 19 | Table: Daniel Jaines, Data: Gov.UK
Greater Lincolnshire as a whole has seen a rise in infection rates and, on average, sits above the England average of 424 per 100,000 population.
In Lincolnshire, the infection rates for those aged 10-14 is 2,879.3 per 100,000 population while for 15-19s it is 1,163. In North East Lincolnshire the figure is 1,454.3 and 834.1 and in North Lincolnshire it is 1,443.8 and 807.5.
According to the data, around 26.8% of 12-15-year-olds have been vaccinated in the county, while in North Lincolnshire the figure is 19.1% and in North East Lincolnshire it’s 22.5%.
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Tuesday, October 19
129,308 cases (up 644)
85,673 in Lincolnshire (up 495)
21,270 in North Lincolnshire (up 76)
22,365 in North East Lincolnshire (up 73)
2,379 deaths (up four)
1,739 from Lincolnshire (up three)
328 from North Lincolnshire (up one)
312 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
of which 1,429 hospital deaths (up one)
876 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
44 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
507 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (up one)
DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF THE LATEST UPDATE. POSTCODE DATA INCLUDES DEATHS NOT IN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES OR IN HOSPITALS OUTSIDE AUTHORITY BOUNDARIES.
A fundraising effort to help a young boy from Lincoln with a terminal illness tick off his bucket list raised close to £2,000 thanks to a charity truck pull and raffle.
Local strongmen Dave Johnson and Craig Collins, who often complete feats of strength for charity, hosted a truck pull on Saturday, October 16.
It was in aid of Joshua Bilton, 21, whom The Lincolnite wrote about in September, after his family organised a fundraiser to help him tick off a bucket list of activities, as doctors were unable to prevent the heart issues he suffered from Williams syndrome.
Joshua with his mother Heather.
His condition affects growth, causes mental deficiencies and can be associated with heart defects, and after years of tests and diagnoses, Joshua’s family have been told his condition is terminal.
Joshua was given two years to live in September, and since then has been experiencing amazing things since then to fill the remainder of his life with memories.
A huge tick on Joshua’s bucket list as he got to meet one of his favourite wrestlers at a WWE show in London.
He went to the O2 in London to watch WWE live and met some of his favourite wrestlers, and is now hoping for a holiday to Disneyland and a Zoom chat with his favourite band, Slipknot.
To help with the fundraising effort, Dave Johnson and Craig Collins hosted a truck pull in Lincoln over the weekend, allowing people to raise money for a good cause while testing their strength.
26 competitors took on the truck pull to help raise money for Joshua.
The event saw Dave himself take on a 27 tonne truck pull, along with 25 others competing such as Dave Thornton and double Guinness World Record holder Mark Anglesea, and it raised £1,270 for the cause. You can still donate here.
As for Craig’s raffle, that raised £700, meaning the total amount gathered from the event was £1,970.
Dave and a few of his friends painted their faces in honour of Damian Buckle, a friend of theirs who died in a crash on the A46 earlier in 2021.
The truck pull was also in memory of Damian Buckle, a close friend of Dave‘s who died in a crash on the A46 in August this year.
Dave Johnson said: “Thank you to Flying Hire for allowing us to do the event, to Dave Thornton and Mark Anglesea for the help and support, to Craig Collins for his hard work and everyone who competed.
“Hopefully it can help Joshua fulfil his bucket list.”
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