Jo Tolley is one of The Lincolnite’s first generation Community Voices columnists. She describes herself as a ‘curious curtain twitcher’ and a budding freelance writer. She believes that everyone has a right to have their voices heard. “It’s my life’s goal to make a real difference and show that people can achieve their dreams, regardless of their situation.” Jo has Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy and believes that the arts provide freedom and independence for all.
Community Voices is a project which bridges the gap between the people of Lincoln and the news that helps them navigate every day life in the city. Read the experiences and views of a range of local people as they become regular voices on The Lincolnite and help shape the conversation in your neighbourhood.
We all know the arts industry gets bad press. Careers within the sector aren’t generally seen as “proper jobs”. Parents want their kids to become doctors, lawyers and secure a stable income. This is all well and good, but what happens when they can’t become doctors because holding a stethoscope is physically impossible? What happens if becoming a lawyer means using their voice, when they can’t conventionally communicate? What happens when their disability outwardly prevents them from doing what they love?
As someone with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy, I can wholeheartedly say that being disabled sucks sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, there are many occasions when being in a wheelchair is hilarious, but it can be isolating.
Flashback to a year ago, and I was sitting in Lincoln Drill Hall’s café, in the depths of what I now refer to as my decade-long quarter-life crisis. Yet another one of my “forever plans” had epically failed, which in my dramatic, anxiety-ridden brain resulted in my life being over at the grand old age of twenty-five. For most of that time, I’d been unwittingly engulfed by everything my disability wouldn’t allow me to do. The little girl in me yearned to put on a pair of ballet shoes and pirouette with the best of them.
Lincoln Drill Hall. Photo: File/The Lincolnite
Week after week, I was drawn to the creative epicentre that is the Drill Hall; observing as people from all walks of life came through the door. What gradually dawned on me was how indiscriminatory the Arts Centre is. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve popped in for a cuppa or you’re an artist who’s about to perform on stage, everyone was welcomed and valued. The Drill Hall provides a platform, both literally and metaphorically, where the people of Lincoln, disabled or otherwise, can be their authentic selves. In whatever form this may take, we are encouraged and nurtured to showcase the talent we possess.
Jo is passionate about the arts
It was the Jamie Marcus Productions’ panto season and a shining example of how disability and the arts are seamlessly integrative, flew to the forefront. When Tinkerbell, played by deaf actress, Phillipa Russell, sprinkled fairy dust in the Drill Hall Auditorium, there was no distinction between so called “ability and disability”. Phillipa is simply gifted with a natural flair for her craft and she was doing what she does best within the role of Peter Pan’s non-verbal sidekick.
I have found that we live in a society whereby, unless something is happening right in front of people’s noses, it goes unnoticed. The Drill Hall enables the topic of disability to be openly discussed; influencing the discourse surrounding disability. Their exclusive events, such as the Big Butterfly Club, offers a space where disabled people can let their hair down and have a boogie.
There’s lots of fun to be had at The Drill Hall’s Butterfly Club
Similarly, for those with learning disabilities who have a desire to develop their acting ability, Dreamland Drama Club is right up their street. I think I speak on behalf of Lincolnshire’s disabled community when I say the Drill Hall unlocks an individual’s full potential; promoting freedom of expression and the realisation of dreams.
A year on from when I emerged from my quarter-life crisis, and I was sitting in the café once again. The Drill Hall is indirectly a pinnacle aspect in my development as a writer and founder of Written Wheel.
Irrespective of whether you want to be a doctor, lawyer or ballet dancer, the arts industry, impeccably represented by Lincoln Drill Hall, gives you permission to think outside of the box.
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Jo Tolley is one of The Lincolnite's first generation Community Voices columnists. She describes herself as a 'curious curtain twitcher' and a budding freelance writer. She believes that everyone has a right to have their voices heard. "It's my life's goal to make a real difference and show that people can achieve their dreams, regardless of their situation." Jo has Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy and believes that the arts provide freedom and independence for all.
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.
Duran Duran’s latest music video ‘Anniversary’ was filmed in Grantham’s Belvoir Castle and features lookalikes including the Queen Elizabeth II, George Clooney and a bare-chested Vladimir Putin.
The music video released earlier this month marks the band’s 40th anniversary and was directed by BAFTA winner Alison Jackson.
A George Clooney lookalike slides down the banisters in the video, which was shot over three days. It features other lookalikes including Elton John, Lady Gaga, Dolly Parton, Brad Pitt, Stormzy, and even four posing as the band in their 1980s heyday.
Belvoir Castle in Grantham hosted the filming of Duran Duran’s latest music video. | Photo: Duran Duran
Anniversary features on Duran Duran’s newest album Future Past, which was released on October 22 this year.
Lincoln MP Karl McCartney has defended his decision to vote against legal duties being placed on water companies in an Environmental Bill amendment, and accused people on social media of spreading “pathetic” and “deliberate misinformation” without knowing the facts.
It comes after a proposal from the Lords to change the Environmental Bill and place harsher legal sanctions on water companies in an attempt to reduce discharges was rejected by MPs last week.
The vote was met with uproar on social media, with many accusing he government of turning a blind eye to companies discharging raw sewage into rivers across the country.
But the government said that safeguards already exist to crack down on sewage discharge from water companies, while some members of parliament said the amendment could have cost up to £600 billion if it was passed.
One of the 265 MPs to vote against the sanctions was Lincoln’s Conservative member Karl McCartney, who has issued a detailed statement to The Lincolnite in response to the online uproar.
Mr McCartney claims that much of what has been posted online is sensationalised and puts “fiction before facts”, stating that the opposition to the amendment has no correlation to the “scaremongering” claims of allowing sewage to be dumped in rivers.
Lincoln MP Karl McCartney. | Photo: Daniel Jaines
Karl McCartney told The Lincolnite: “Over the past week, a small number of constituents have written to me or in the main put divisive social media posts up about my vote last week on amendment 45 of the Environment Bill.
“There has been a lot of deliberate misinformation on this, especially from those who wish to put fiction before facts on everything that I do. They still cannot accept that I am their Conservative member of parliament, and unlike my predecessors, I always put Lincoln first.It is important to put the record straight.
“I have always supported the new Environment Bill and it is an excellent piece of legislation from the Conservative government. Rather than the misinformation that has been posted about, or sent, to me, it tightens up environmental regulation, not least the Water Industry Act of 1991.
“It is a total nonsense to say I ‘voted to allow raw sewage to pollute our wildlife, our sports fields and our food’, which is what people have actually posted on social media over the last few days. If only they looked at the facts for themselves rather than idly retweet what they have been sent.
“Given how much I care about the environment, as I have always supported the need to ensure the River Witham and Brayford Pool are cleaner, alongside my concern for animal welfare, this deliberate political scaremongering by those who created the recent campaign is pathetic.
“The Environmental Bill has many strengths and continues to make rapid progress through Parliament. It will instigate real change and leave a lasting legacy.
“Amongst other things, it places a new duty on the UK government to produce a statutory plan to reduce discharges from overflows by September 2022, a new duty on water companies and the Environmental Agency to publish data on storm overflow operations on an annual basis and a further duty on government to produce a report on what is needed to eliminate storm overflow in England, and the costs and benefits of such action.
“It places an obligation on water companies to publish information (within one hour) of the commencement of an overflow, its location and when it ceases, a further duty on water companies to continuously monitor water quality upstream and downstream.
“It also mandates water companies to produce comprehensive statutory Drainage and Sewerage Management Plans setting out how the company will manage and develop its drainage and sewerage system over a minimum 25-year planning horizon.
“The statutory intent here could not be clearer and none of these measures are indicative of any plan to pump raw sewage into rivers!”
The Lincoln MP goes into more detail about his reasons behind the vote, as he continues: “In respect of amendment 45 from the House of Lords, this is slightly more complex, but I am happy to explain my logic if readers will bear with me.
“Contrary to perception, the House of Commons actually adopted most of its recommendations, albeit with the exception of lines 7 to 14 on storm overflows.
“The reason is that this would have effectively set a specific timeline for infrastructure works which would have been well beyond the ability of the government, Environment Agency and water companies to implement.
“Current cost estimates on the elimination of storm sewerage overflows range from between £150 billion to £660 billion so it would have been utterly irresponsible to mandate a fixed timeline of work and against unknown cost estimates, without understanding the full impact of doing so.
“Had this amendment not been voted down, then much of the cost of delivering this work would have fallen immediately upon Lincoln’s taxpayers and placed an unacceptable legal and financial burden on already stretched families in the constituency I have the honour and privilege to represent.
“Like most of my colleagues, I was not willing to write a blank cheque for this against an impossible timeline and it would have been irresponsible to do so, hence I voted the way I did.
“I was also not prepared to ignore the serious financial consequences for the consumer. The simple fact here is that the government is already tabling the most progressive, ambitious and environmentally friendly legislation of a generation and the bill is taking serious steps to address the harm caused by storm overflows.
“As it stands, water companies are already investing £7.1 billion on environmental improvements across England between 2020-25, of which £3.1 billion will be invested directly into storm overflow improvements.
“Once the government’s water quality enquiry is published in 2022, the water regulator OFWAT will be further incentivised to significantly reduce the frequency and volume of sewage discharges from storm overflows, to the point where it will be mandated in law.”
Mr McCartney rounded off his statement by speaking about his keen interest in protecting the environment as well as doing what is best for the people he represents.
“I hope this information is useful and reassures you that effective action is being taken to address storm overflows.
“As the MP for Lincoln, I am well used to misrepresentation in the local press and on social media but on this, it was important for me to address the clear lack of context in this case and to underscore the wider merits of the Environment Bill.
“As someone who loves the environment, and the beautiful city I first began to represent in May 2010, I hope that this statement makes clear my desire to protect our rivers, waterways, lakes and coastline.”
There have been new 570 cases of coronavirus confirmed in Greater Lincolnshire on Tuesday, as the government said it’s “too early” to draw conclusions from a recent fall in cases nationally
The Greater Lincolnshire case figure is almost 11.49% down on the 644 cases on last Tuesday.
Meanwhile, after cases fell for the fourth day in a row on Monday, government advisors said it was too early to say whether COVID was levelling off, or is about to start dropping off.
The latest COVID stats for Lincolnshire are:
570 new cases of coronavirus in Greater Lincolnshire with 420 in Lincolnshire, 94 in North East Lincolnshire and 56 in North Lincolnshire
Two further deaths were recorded in the government figures including one Lincolnshire and one North Lincolnshire resident
No further deaths were recorded in Greater Lincolnshire Hospitals
The Prime Minister’s spokesman today said it had been “encouraging” to see recent reductions in COVID infection rates, including a levelling off of admissions to hospital.
However, he added: “It’s too early to draw full conclusions from the case rates and we would continue to urge the public to abide by the guidance as set out and those eligible to get booster doses.
“Prevalence remains relatively high even if it has dropped off to a certain extent,” they added.
The government line continues to be that bringing in Plan B restrictions – which include making masks mandatory in some public places, compulsory COVID passports and advising people to work from home – was not in sight in the current data.
Scientific advisors today have also been saying the government should stop testing pupils without symptoms.
Prof Andrew Pollard, the head of the Oxford Vaccine Group, told the Commons Science and Technology Committee that widespread testing in schools was “very disruptive” due to isolations and families taking children out of school.
“I think probably we need to move in the pandemic, over this winter, maybe towards the end of the winter to a completely different system of clinically-driven testing,” he said.
“In other words, testing people who are unwell rather than having regular testing of those people who are well.”
He also told MPs the UK’s “very high” number of coronavirus cases was “partly because of our very high test rate” and the “vast majority” of ICU patients in the UK were unvaccinated.
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Tuesday, October 26
134,401 cases (up 570)
89,493 in Lincolnshire (up 420)
21,914 in North Lincolnshire (up 56)
22,994 in North East Lincolnshire (up 94)
2,392 deaths (up two)
1,747 from Lincolnshire (up one)
329 from North Lincolnshire (up one)
316 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
of which 1,439 hospital deaths (no change)
885 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
44 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
509 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)
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.
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