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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It has been a tragic week with three deaths on Lincolnshire’s roads after two male motorbike riders and a man on a pedal bike lost their lives.
The roads are now busier again after further lockdown restrictions were eased on April 12, but since then three men have sadly died.
A man died after falling from his pedal bike in Branston on Wednesday, April 14 and police said his death is not being treated as suspicious.
On the same day, a 34-year-old male died after a crash involving two motorcycles near Gainsborough.
The man who lost his life in the collision was riding a silver Wuyang motorcycle. The second motorcycle was a blue Suzuki being ridden by a man in his 30s, who was taken to hospital with suspected serious injuries.
A 54-year-old man from North Lincolnshire also died after his motorbike crashed with a Royal Mail post van on the A631 near Glentham at around 4pm on Thursday, April 15.
This comes after it was revealed on March 11 that for the first time in over three decades nobody had died on the county’s roads in the first months of the year, according to Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership.
Lincolnshire Police revealed earlier this week that between 2018 and 2020 twenty five motorcyclists lost their lives on Lincolnshire’s roads.
There have been 285 coronavirus cases in Greater Lincolnshire and eight COVID-related deaths so far this week – a 7% drop in cases and one less death from the previous week.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard on Friday recorded 32 new cases in Lincolnshire, eight in North Lincolnshire and three in North East Lincolnshire.
On April 16, three deaths were registered in Lincolnshire and none in Northern Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England reported two hospitals this week so far, compared to none this time last week.
On Friday, national cases increased by 2,596 to 4,383,732, while deaths rose by 34 to 127,225.
In local news, Lincolnshire health bosses expect COVID-19 cases to rise in our region as lockdown is eased, but are optimistic that if numbers are kept low enough, then people will be free to enjoy the summer.
Andy Fox, Deputy Director of Public Health at Lincolnshire County Council, said the lifting of coronavirus restrictions this week had not caused any specific concerns yet.
Since Wednesday, Greater Lincolnshire has again seen a decrease in its infection rates overall, against an increase nationally.
All districts have seen a fall in their rates, except small increases in North Lincolnshire and South Holland. Lincoln has stayed the same and has the lowest rate in the region.
Boston has the highest infection rate of COVID-19 in Greater Lincolnshire and is ranked 9th in the UK.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates up to April 16:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Apr 9 to Apr 16. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
England’s R number has dropped slightly to between 0.7 and 1 according to the latest data this week. This means for every 10 people infected with COVID-19, they will pass it on to between seven and 10 others.
The new Indian variant of the COVID virus that’s been detected in the UK has all the hallmarks of a very dangerous virus.
It has two new significant mutations in the spike protein that help it infect cells and evade the immune system.
People are “likely” to need a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine within 12 months of getting the first two, Pfizer’s chief executive has said.
Dr Albert Bourla said a booster jab could be necessary “somewhere between six and 12 months” after the second one – and every year thereafter.
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Friday, April 16
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
58,919 cases (up 43)
41,028 in Lincolnshire (up 32)
9,275 in North Lincolnshire (up eight)
8,616 in North East Lincolnshire (up three)
2,185 deaths (up three)
1,613 from Lincolnshire (up three)
304 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
268 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
of which 1,302 hospital deaths (no change)
810 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
41 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
450 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)
4,383,732 UK cases, 127,225 deaths
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.
Plans to demolish part of a former play centre and Chinese takeaway to build 41 new student flats, have been submitted to the City of Lincoln Council.
Killingbeck PLG has applied for permission to demolish “most” of the existing facade of the former home of Imagination Station and Big Wok, on Beaumont Fee, and rebuild it as part of the development.
The main hall, a warehouse and a recently built “link block” to the rear of the building will also be demolished, and will be completely replaced with a new extension.
In documents to the council, the applicant describes how the 41”study bedrooms” will be en-suite and open off a central circulation area.
The build will form part of the Iconinc post-graduate residential units development next door and will sit opposite the Park Court student accommodation on Park Street.
It will include 12 apartments on the ground floor, 11 at first and second floor and seven units on the third floor.
How the build could look.
The application said: “There is a clear need for good quality, post-graduate, city centre, residential accommodation and the economic case for the redevelopment of the site is reinforced by the fact the site can be linked with the new Iconic development so amenities can be shared.
“The demolition of the existing property and the proposed redevelopment will bring positive benefits to the area economically and aesthetically.”
As part of the build, residents will gain shared access to existing facilities including the gym.
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