The Lincolnshire Co-op CEO, a former prison officer, a police volunteer, a woman with a passion for music and a councillor — all from Lincolnshire — were honoured in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
The ceremonies are organised by the palace or the Lord Lieutenants for their area, which usually happen two to three months after the list is published. BEM recipients are also invited to go to a garden party.
Ursula Lidbetter
Ursula Lidbetter, chief executive of Lincolnshire Co-op. Photo: Steve Smailes for Lincolnshire Reporter
Lincolnshire Co-op’s Chief Executive Ursula Lidbetter has been honoured with an OBE for her services to the local economy, after 15 years at the helm of one of the county’s largest employers.
The independent co-operative society employs more than 2,800 people and runs 221 outlets, including food stores, pharmacies, travel agencies and funeral homes.
As well as heading up Lincolnshire Co-op, Ursula is Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership.
“I’m proud to accept this honour for my work leading these two organisations,” said Ursula. “Lincolnshire Co-op and the LEP are about people coming together to make life better in our communities, whether that’s through providing valued services or driving economic development.”
Ongoing development projects include the Lincoln Science and Innovation Park, created in 2012 in partnership with the University of Lincoln. The Society is also regenerating the Cornhill Quarter in Lincoln’s city centre with a £70 million-pound restoration scheme.
Ursula joined the business in 1985 as a graduate trainee. She became Chief Executive in 2004.
Mark Edward Le Sage
Mark Le Sage launching Hidden Heroes with Andrew Skilton.
Mark Edward Le Sage, 52, from Spalding was awarded a British Empire Medal for voluntary service to the community and to the Rehabilitation of Offenders.
Mark helped develop the Men and Violence programme in 1995 – a rehabilitation programme looking at men who use violence to communicate. It has been used in 40 prisons in the country, as well as in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
He also set up The Rightside Trust and the programme called See Sense Not a Sentence, working towards rehabilitation and to help school age children with support before they get into trouble.
He also spent 10 years at HM Prison Stocken during his career, but an incident at HM Prison Gartree in 2005 forced him to medically retire in 2008 due to PTSD.
A prisoner with mental health problems destroyed 11 out of 12 cells in the unit with his head and staff were constantly covered in blood, faeces and urine, but ultimately the staff helped to save him.
Mark, who also qualified as a nurse in 2009, told Lincolnshire Reporter it stopped him working as an officer, but he still wanted to support the prison staff and being involved with The Butler Trust allowed him to do that.
He said: “I am absolutely overwhelmed and humbled by the award, I never expected it. I enjoy helping in the community so my children and grandchildren can have the best opportunities.
“2018 was a difficult year with a cancer diagnoses and other problems. I still have to go back for check-ups, but I focused on helping others and I am working on a future project about getting men to go to the doctors more.”
Photograph of Lynn Chantrey with Chief Constable Bill Skelly. Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Lynn Mary Chantrey, 61, from the Barlings, Langworth was awarded a British Empire Medal for voluntary services to the community in Lincolnshire.
She was looking for work and after talking to an officer started volunteering at Lincolnshire Police where she has been for six years.
Lynn, who is a wheelchair user, also tries to promote disability in the training side of things to make officers understand disability more and ask her any difficult questions they might have.
The former horse riding instructor has volunteered approximately 1,720 hours since May 2013. In 2017 Lynn gave 732 hours to the force.
Lynn also launched Operation Revive to support vulnerable and elderly members of the community identified as victims or potential victims of crime.
She told Lincolnshire Reporter: “I am exceptionally proud, it is quite humbling and a real honour. I can’t think of a better way for someone to say thank you.
“I love the job. I volunteer two days a week and treat it like a job.”
She added: “In terms of disability the officers, and the force as a whole, have hugely progressed and are now more aware of how to deal with situations around disability, it’s come more to the fore. I feel I have a purpose and I will be here for as long as they’ll have me.”
Susan Hollingworth
Susan Hollingworth
Susan Hollingworth, 68, was awarded a British Empire Medal for her services to music and the community in Scunthorpe.
Susan was a choral director for Scunthorpe Cooperative Junior Choir (SCJC) for 34 years before later becoming the artistic director. In 2008 SCJC won the title of BBC3 Choir of the Year. She also conducts for several choirs and teaches conducting.
She is planning to take the Sine Nomine International Touring Choir to Manchester this weekend and to Lisbon later this summer. She also aims to take a play with music to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2020.
Susan, who was one of two conductors to do the War Requiem at Lincoln Cathedral in November 2018, told Lincolnshire Reporter: “It is a fantastic honour and a surprise. It’s great for me and for Scunthorpe.
“Music was a passion for me at school and I had a keen teacher. Then I went to music college and trained as a singer and then as a conductor. The music scene is vibrant with over 45 choirs in North Lincolnshire.
“I love music and things like choirs make a difference to a community and are part of the fabric, the same as sport. A lot of people in North Lincolnshire do stuff and belong to things. I’m 68, but I’m not going to retire yet.”
Councillor Richard Austin
Boston Borough Councillor Richard Austin, pictured with Alison, when he became Boston’s 481st Mayor. Photo: Boston Borough Council
Boston Borough Councillor Richard Austin was awarded a British Empire Medal to recognise his long service to the community.
Boston Borough Council said for the past 20 years Richard has selflessly dedicated his life to the promotion and improvement of the community of Wyberton and Boston.
His achievements include setting up a borough-wide team of litter pickers, making a successful case for an additional classroom at Wyberton Primary School and helping to introduce and develop the Boston UK Marathon, as well as voluntary church duties.
Richard was previously a leader at Boston Borough Council for four years and still represents Wyberton on the borough council. In 2015 he was made the 481st Mayor of Boston.
His wife Alison said: “He is known as the person to get the job done. He has a gift for rallying others to the cause and building teams to tackle challenges. He can be very persuasive and is quite tenacious. He never gives in.”
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Two men have died after a van crashed with a lorry on the A17 near Boston on Friday afternoon.
It happened shortly after midday on July 23, on the A17 between Bicker Bar and Wigtoft. The collision involved an HGV and a van.
A 46-year-old man and a 31-year-old man travelling in the van were pronounced dead at the scene, despite efforts from emergency services. Their families have been informed.
The driver of the HGV suffered minor injuries.
The road has been closed in both directions and will remain closed until at least 10pm on July 23, while officers carry out an initial investigation and recover the vehicles.
Lincolnshire Police are appealing for anyone who was in the area and may have witnessed the collision to contact officers as soon as possible.
Officers are particularly keen to see any dashcam footage which might have captured the vehicles prior to the collision, or the collision itself.
Detective Sergeant James Kirk from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “This is a devastating incident for all involved and our thoughts are with the families of both men at this time.
“We are in the very early stages of our investigation, and we would be very grateful for any assistance that the public can offer us in piecing together what happened.
“Any information, no matter how small you think it might be, will be a great help.
“We would be keen to see any relevant dashcam footage or speak to anyone who witnessed the collision.”
If you think you can help with the investigations please contact police in the following ways:
By clicking on the email link [email protected] with incident 212 of July 23 in the subject
Via our non-emergency number 101, quoting incident 212 of July 23
Through the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org
A Lincolnshire distance runner selected for the 10,000m race at the Tokyo Olympic Games is looking to do his county and his country proud, but he’s already done that and more for his Grimsby-based parents.
The Lincolnite caught up with Helen and Bob Atkin, parents of Team GB Olympic hopeful Sam Atkin, who will be running in the 10,000m event at the Tokyo games, an event that Sir Mo Farah famously won two gold medals in at the 2016 and 2012 Olympics.
During an incredibly emotional interview, with tears of joy and pride from parents Helen and Bob, they reminisced about Sam’s introduction into running and the obstacles he had to face along the way.
Sam Atkin will be representing Team GB in the 10,000m race at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Sam originally, and rather ironically, grew up playing as a goalkeeper in football, but it wasn’t until a cross country race at school where his true talents were realised.
Helen and Bob told The Lincolnite: “When he was 11, there was a cross country race at Healing school in Grimsby, and we told him if he finished in the top 10 we’d give him £100.
“There were some vey good runners out there, some who were training regularly, and Sam beat them by miles. We had parents looking around saying ‘wow, look at that boy so far in front!’
“That was the moment we knew he was special, we decided to sign him up for a running club straight after that.”
Sam is learning the game and is always studying tracks and trying to better himself.
Sam then joined Grimsby Harriers, winning every race he ran in, before eventually moving onto Lincoln Wellington at the age of 15 because he was getting so quick that he would win adult races.
While at Lincoln, Helen and Bob, who live in Grimsby, would have to drive Sam to and from training each day while juggling his school work and their own jobs at HMRC and Associated British Ports respectively, working flexible hours to support their son.
His dad Bob said: “We always knew he had talent, but it’s the unrivalled spirit and determination he has, you could almost call it stubbornness, which is just about the only thing I can claim he got from me!”
Sam moved to America when he was 18 and hasn’t looked back since.
His next big step came at 18-years-old, when he was offered a scholarship in Idaho in the United States of America.
Sam currently lives and trains in Idaho, meaning his contact with his family has been limited, particularly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Success appears to run deep in the Atkin family, as Sam’s twin sister Jen is the reigning Miss Great Britain.
Sam Atkin will represent Team GB in the 10,000m race at the Olympics in Tokyo, but it all started in Lincolnshire.
Helen said that the twins were huge parts of one another’s careers and successes, thanks to the “special bond” they both have.
Sam qualified for the Olympic Games in dramatic fashion, after narrowly missing out on the 5,000m qualifying time, which is his preferred event, but then went on to run the now 5th fastest 10k in UK history.
Sam nearly missed the call up to the Olympic squad entirely after changing his phone, but in a rather poignant sequence of events, he found out the news while back at home with his parents.
The biggest stage of Sam Atkins’ career is just round the corner.
Bob explains: “He got a new phone number, but the Team GB selectors had his old number so they couldn’t get through to him. Eventually his agent was contacted and he let Sam know, but Sam didn’t tell us for 30 minutes! We were stunned into silence when he told us.”
His heat run will take place at 12.40pm on Friday, July 30, and Sam’s parents will be watching the race from home, but in different rooms!
“We both get very nervous watching Sam run,” Helen explains. “When we went to events with him I’d be at one end of the field and Bob would be at the other end.”
He chased the dream and now he can achieve it.
Sam is set to be the only self-funded runner of the 29 competitors in the event, giving him an underdog status that his dad Bob says he thrives under.
“It’s like Grimsby Town being chucked into the Premier League, it sounds negative but trust me it’s not, wherever he finishes he’ll make us proud.
“When he was younger we just used to tell him to run as fast as he can, now that he’s reached the top level, the advice gets tougher, so we sent him a message to go with his Team GB kit that just read: ‘Keep your head up and get on with it’.
“We cannot express the pride we feel for him, it’s all too much to be honest with you. Make no mistake about it, he’s earned his way there and he deserves this so much.”
The second mural as part of the Sincil Bank Art Project has been completed, showcasing the famous Lincoln Star Clematis from the 1950s and spreading positivity in the process.
The Sincil Bank Art Project is a community scheme in which various artists will paint murals onto walls in the Sincil Bank area of Lincoln.
The first project, a portrait of Lincolnshire-born physicist Sir Isaac Newton, was completed by French street artist Zabou on the corner of Sincil Bank and Kirkby Street in April.
Sophie Mess, stood by her triumphant mural at Trollope Street in Lincoln. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The latest mural has come from another globally renowned artist, this time in the form of Sophie Mess, who was recommended for the project by Zabou herself.
Sophie Mess took over four days spray painting the mural. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Sophie’s ‘Project 002’ design at Trollope Street took four and a half days, and depicts the Lincoln Star Clematis, a flower first bred in the 1950s by Lincoln-born botanist Walter Pennell.
On the mural there are the words “Shine Bright” which Student Housing director Harry Conti told The Lincolnite was done to spread a message of positivity in the area.
The mural stands tall at Trollope Street in Lincoln. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
He said: “We’re hoping these murals will bring more people to the area and already we’re seeing the difference. People are stopping or detouring on their journeys just to look at the two murals, it’s amazing.”
Sophie spoke with pride when discussing her mural and the reaction it has got, stating that the positive messages and the joy it brings to people is “exactly what it’s all about.”
Hannah Dines is the owner of the property the mural is painted on, and says she couldn’t resist suggesting her house for the project.
Sophie is delighted with the end result and said she was honoured to be a part of the project. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
She told The Lincolnite: “Having seen project 001 and Zabou’s wonderful creation I contacted The Sincil Bank Art Project and offered my wall for a future project.
“I’ve been lucky to grow up in a creative arts environment, and love art in all its forms. I’m also very community based; I really enjoy sharing, supporting and getting involved in local projects.
“Sophie’s artwork is incredible and she’s been such a pleasure to have here – giving me updates and being just super chatty and friendly. Her work ethic and artwork are both awesome and I’m so glad she agreed to create a piece of her work in Lincoln.
“I feel truly humbled and so very lucky to have such an amazing piece of art on the side of my house – it’s surpassed all my expectations, size, style, colour, wow factor! I had seen the design before Sophie arrived but never expected the final result to be so stunning.”
The Lincoln Star Clematis is accompanied by the message “Shine Bright”. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
For future plans, the SBAP is hoping to have up to 30 murals in the Sincil Bank area within the next five years, which would eventually lead to an interactive trail of them all, using QR codes.
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