Some good ideas for half-term activities too
Frequency International Festival of Digital Culture will wow audiences with four packed days of digital, culture and tech starting on Thursday.
Streets, screens and public spaces across the city will be bursting with exciting exhibitions, talks, workshops and live performances by artists. It will take place in Lincoln city centre from October 24-27 (10am-5pm daily, but until 9pm on Friday).
The festival as a whole is free, but there are some ticketed events at a cost.
The theme of the 2019 festival is ‘Disruption = Cultural Reinvention’ and the festival programme will aim to challenge perceptions, capture imaginations and inspire change.
The fifth edition of the festival features over 30 events. The Lincolnite has compiled a list of ten highlights to give a full flavour of this year’s festival.
Driverless Car Challenge. Photo: Siemens
When: Thursday, October 24 until Sunday, October 27 (11am-4pm)
Where: Cornhill, High Street, Lincoln
A family-friendly space with workshops and activities for young curious minds, suitable for ages 5 and up. Build fantastic Lego WeDo models with JuniorStem, then learn to program sensors, motors and lights to bring them to life. It also includes playing interactive games and competing with friends in a Driverless Car Challenge by Siemens.
Click here for more information.
Halo Illumaphonium. Photo: Michael Davis
When: Friday, October 25 (5pm-9pm)
Where: Starts at Lincoln Castle
See the city and festival in a different light with exhibitions, installations, events and happenings until 9pm. Take a twilight stroll and revel in cutting-edge international art and performances. Dancers from Lincoln and North Hykeham will be travelling from uphill to downhill Lincoln for a Digital Light Box Parade.
Click here for more information.
Illumaphonium Halo. Photo: Michael Davis
When: Friday, October 25 (4pm-9pm)
Where: Lincoln Castle
Illumaphonium:Halo is a sculpture, an instrument, an environment. Using sound, light, algorithms and digital sensors, inventor Michael Davis has created an immensely satisfying, creative and magical experience to immerse yourself in.
Click here for more information.
VR Storyroom. Photo: Metro Boulot Dodo
When: Thursday, October 24 until Sunday, October 27 (10am-5pm, suitable for ages 13+)
Where: St Benedict’s Centre (off High Street)
The VR Storyroom, created by MBD, is home to a series of Virtual Reality installations and experiences. Travel through time and space to meet a long extinct dinosaur, or be transported back to the trenches of World War One. Put a headset on, close the door and explore.
Click here for more information.
Step Sonic. Photo: Tom Dale Company
When: Friday, October 25 (7.30pm)
Where: Lincoln Performing Arts Centre (LPAC)
Cost: Tickets available to book on LPAC website priced at £12.50 (Full) and £5 (LIVE pass – students & Under 26s)
Three dancers unite in an amplified environment. Shotgun microphones, custom-made instruments, plate reverbs and amplified boxes capture the rhythms and sounds. Sampled and processed live by composer Jo Willis, the dancers become the band, creating a new type of dance music/music dance.
Click here for more information.
Care(less). Photo: Lindsay Seers
When: Thursday, October 24 to Sunday, October 27 (10am-5pm)
Where: Cobb Hall, The Castle
Care(less) is a new 360 degree film work by artist Lindsay Seers. It uses Virtual Reality technology to give you the opportunity to feel what it might be like to be in the body of an older person facing a gradual reduction in capacity.
Click here for more information.
Upload Unplug. Photo: Pell Ensemble
When: Thursday, October 24 (7.30pm)
Where: Lincoln Drill Hall
Cost: This is a Pay What You Decide event – click here for more details
Meet David. From the safety of your seat, through a custom-built app, your every tap, swipe and swirl will inform who David becomes. A live performance and gaming experience where your choices become data, uploaded to shape a human being.
Click here for more information.
Small Global. Photo: D-Fuse
When: Saturday, October 26 and Sunday, October 27 (10am-5pm)
Where: Lincoln Drill Hall
Layers of projections and screens create an invisible cube of images, with light spilling onto the walls, ceiling and floor. Your movement triggers sensors and reveals more visual information. Surround sound will immerse you and your body will become part of the projection.
Click here for more information.
Maga Grabber. Photo: Annabel McCourt
When: Thursday, October 24 until Sunday, October 27 (10am-5pm)
Where: Mr Dryclean, Silver Street
Play a traditional seaside arcade game with a political twist. In a direct response to Donald Trump’s infamous brag that he just grabs women by a certain part of their anatomy, this claw grabber machine replaces cuddly toys with ‘Make America Great Again’ merchandise.
Click here for more information.
When: Friday, October 25 and Saturday, October 26 (Friday 3.30pm & 6pm, Saturday 10.30am, 2pm & 5pm)
Where: Lincoln Drill Hall (starting in The Room Upstairs)
Cost: £40 (cover one car load of participants – four people) – click here to buy tickets
Thrust into the heart of a spy thriller, you’ll navigate the political scandal of the decade. Staking out a multi-storey car park you must use every mode of surveillance to hunt down facts and intercept evidence.
*This is suitable for 16+ and under 18s should be accompanied by a responsible adult
Click here for more information.
Click here to see the full programme for the 2019 Frequency Festival.
Frequency Festival is presented by creative producers Threshold Studios, with the support of Arts Council England, University of Lincoln and a select range of city wide partners and businesses.
Fewer cases but more deaths this week
There have been 1,643 new coronavirus cases and 83 COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire this week – compared to 1,670 cases and 71 deaths last week.
Some 304 new cases and 17 deaths were reported in Greater Lincolnshire on Friday – the third day in a row with 17 deaths.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 252 new cases in Lincolnshire, 28 in North Lincolnshire and 24 in North East Lincolnshire.
On Friday, 14 deaths were registered in Lincolnshire, two in North East Lincolnshire and one in North Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England reported six new local hospital deaths at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust, four at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLAG) and one at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals. Some 51 hospital deaths have been recorded this week, compared to 48 last week.
On Friday, national cases increased by 40,261 to 3,583,907, while deaths rose by 1,401 to 95,981.
Lincolnshire health bosses estimate that 80-90% of new coronavirus cases in the county are now a mutant, more infectious strain of COVID.
Figures earlier this week said that by January 8, 59.2% of cases had confirmed the new virus — up from 36% by the end of 2020 — and now county leaders estimate the number to be even higher.
The COVID mutation that has taken over most new cases in Lincolnshire is not only more infectious, but also more deadly, it has been revealed.
NHS bosses are hoping to offer all care homes in Lincolnshire the first COVID vaccine dose by the end of the week. This comes as almost 5.4 million people have received jabs nationally.
Director of Nursing at Lincolnshire CCG Martin Fahy told BBC Radio Lincolnshire that about three quarters has been completed so far.
A single week in December saw Lincolnshire deaths reach 13 times the yearly average, explained local health bosses frustrated with COVID deniers.
Lincolnshire County Council’s Director of Public Health Professor Derek Ward explained that the week including December 14 would usually see an average of 23 deaths, but 2020 say 301 deaths that week.
In national news, there are no plans to pay everyone in England who tests positive for COVID-19 £500 to self-isolate, No 10 has said.
The PM’s official spokesman said there was already a £500 payment available for those on low incomes who could not work from home and had to isolate.
The coronavirus R number in the UK has fallen sharply since last week, suggesting the lockdown is slowing the spread of coronavirus.
The R, which refers to the number of people that an infected person will pass COVID-19 on to, is between 0.8 and 1 across the UK, according to the figures released by the Government Office for Science and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).
This means for every 10 people infected with COVID-19, they will pass the virus on to between eight and 10 others.
Lincoln City has taken the top spot with the highest infection rate in Greater Lincolnshire.
This week saw South Holland at the top which was put down to two outbreaks in care homes with up to 100 cases. South Holland has now dropped to third place in the region.
Greater Lincolnshire still remains way below the national average infection rate of 472.9, with just 217.3 per 100,000 of the population.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rate over the last seven days up to January 22 according to the government dashboard:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Jan 15 to Jan 22. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
45,645 cases (up 304)
1,760 deaths (up 17)
of which 1,047 hospital deaths (up 11)
3,583,907 UK cases, 95,981 deaths
The charity project turned into a business
A Lincoln couple will reopen their independent pizzeria at a new location on Friday night, with an array of main and signature pizzas and Belgian waffles.
Weirdough’s Pizza Emporium will open at Tap & Spile on Hungate from 5pm on Friday, January 22, but it initially started out as a charity project making Neo-Neapolitan pizzas.
Husband and wife team Matt and Rachel Barnes have lived in Lincoln for around five years and last year they wanted to do something to raise money for the NHS.
Matt starting to prepare a pizza. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Kneading the dough. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Matt used to work at a Lincoln school, but they were closed to most pupils for a few weeks in March, so he started working on a project and Weirdoughs Pizza Emporium was born.
It was initially run from The West End Tap from the end of last summer, but in January the pub announced it would not reopen again under its current management, so Weirdoughs had to find a new premises.
The base ready for the next stage of the pizza making. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Matt putting the pizza into the oven. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The tasty pizza in the oven. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Adding the finishing touches to the pizza. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
All profits made from the food sold – just under £2,000 – went to the NHS. The couple also did some drop offs at the coronavirus ward at Lincoln County Hospital.
Matt was made redundant at the end of May and Rachel was due to give birth four weeks after that.
It was a hectic time for the couple as Rachel, who works at a primary school in Peterborough, would be on maternity leave and Matt would soon have no income.
The Margz main pizza – San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The Weirdough – San Marzano tomatoes, parmesan, Emmental, mozzarella, red onions, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, spicy Nduja sausage, rocket, balsamic glaze and garlic drizzle. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
As the pizzas were working so well and following feedback from customers, the couple decided to turn it into a business.
Dan Neale, who previously ran the West End Tap, has joined the Weirdoughs team of four as a pizza chef.
Or why not try a Create Your Own Weirdoughs Waffle? | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The dough is homemade 24 hours ahead to make their special main and signature pizzas, while customers can also order a create your own Weirdoughs waffle.
The Belgian waffles come with a variety of toppings such as Kinder Bueno, Crunchie, and Galaxy Caramel, with sauces including white and milk chocolate, salted caramel and toffee, with ice cream.
Weirdoughs will open Friday to Sunday 5pm-9pm and Wednesday to Thursday 5pm-8pm for takeaway or delivery.
Pre-ordering is advised via Facebook or Instagram or by calling 07734 297 035, with the latter option preferred if it is after 4.30pm.
Owner Matt Barnes will help meet your pizza needs. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Delivery is available to the following areas: Ermine, St Giles, Monks Road, High Street, Bailgate, Boultham, West End and the city centre.
Weirdoughs will try and accommodate other areas too, but it may incur additional charges, while the takeaway will also be joining Uber Eats in the near future.
Weirdoughs will be based inside the Tap & Spile pub in Lincoln. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Once pubs are allowed to reopen again, customers at the Tap & Spile will able to order Weirdoughs food straight to their table and Matt said he can’t wait for people to able to experience it that way.
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