A former Great Britain wheelchair basketball player, Lincolnshire Police’s chief constable, representatives from the county council and a Lincolnite reporter all took to the court as a pioneering local sports programme celebrated its 10th anniversary. Lincoln Minster School hosted the anniversary celebration for Active Lincolnshire’s Wheelchair Sports Programme. It is the biggest Wheelchair Sports Programme…
A former Great Britain wheelchair basketball player, Lincolnshire Police’s chief constable, representatives from the county council and a Lincolnite reporter all took to the court as a pioneering local sports programme celebrated its 10th anniversary.
Lincoln Minster School hosted the anniversary celebration for Active Lincolnshire’s Wheelchair Sports Programme. It is the biggest Wheelchair Sports Programme in the country, with 170 sports wheelchairs in 17 trailers that go out to schools.
It has had in excess of 40,000 people and been delivered in secondary, primary and special schools, as well as at events including the Lincolnshire Show.
The Lincolnite was among those to try out the have a go sessions on Monday in a sport which has inspired several young people and rescued some from very dark places in life.
Lincolnshire Police’s chief constable Bill Skelly in action on the court. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Ian Brown, project leader at Active Lincolnshire for the Wheelchair Sports Programme, told The Lincolnite it’s about “reverse integration” and “engaging people in wheelchair sport”.
After a motorbike accident near Caenby Corner in 1991 Ian, who has been playing the sport for nearly 20 seasons, was left paralysed from the chest down.
His love of wheelchair basketball has been crucial for him and he is proud of how far the programme has come in Lincolnshire over the last 10 years.
Ian Brown, project lead at Active Lincolnshire’s Wheelchair Sports Programme. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
He said: “The programme has had a massive impact. It’s surprising how much impact it’s made on people and the way they think about disability sport and the change of attitude. It’s slowly changing people’s perceptions.”
Ian helped launch Jaguars Wheelchair Basketball Club in 1995, where is currently the chairman.
Why not give the sport a go? Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The NK Jaguars train on a Monday night between 6pm-8pm at OneNK Leisure Centre on Newark Road. The club has over 40 members aged between 10 and 76, with a mixture of able bodied and disabled players.
A birthday cake to celebrate Active Lincolnshire’s Wheelchair Sports Programme. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Richard Sargent, 27, from Lincoln recently retired from a career professional basketball, which included being captain of Great Britain’s Under-23 team and carrying the Paralympic flag in front of the Queen in 2012.
He started playing wheelchair basketball after a crash in Lincoln in August 2001 left him paraplegic, and he used the sport as a way of rehabilitating and building his strength back up.
Richard Sargent, former captain of Great Britain’s Under-23 wheelchair basketball team. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
In additional to the experience of playing at international level, Richard also spent several years playing in the professional wheelchair basketball league in Italy.
He told The Lincolnite that back in 2001 there was a big issue about reinstating people back into mainstream school as someone in a wheelchair or a disability usually went to a special school.
Players taking to the court to have a go at the sport. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Richard, who is now studying for a new law career, said: “When Active Lincolnshire and the NHS teamed up, they became innovators in the way that we saw sport in school and programmes like this are massively beneficial to the county.
“I’m a big believer that people who may stare at someone with a disability are not staring because they are being rude or arrogant, they are actually inquisitive. One of the big things about this programme is it just allows everyone to lay their cards on the table and learn from each other.”
Victoria Lyon, 17, suffered a head injury and neurological damage after a car crash in 2015.
An emotional Ian reflecting on her case study said that when Victoria became involved in the sport her mother told him it was the first time in ages she’d seen her smile.
Project lead Ian Brown with Lynn Chantrey, who said the sport saved her life. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Lynn Chantry, who was recognised by the Queen for her work as a volunteer at Lincolnshire Police, was a registered horse riding instructor until a virus caused her to be paralysed from the waist down and requiring a wheelchair in 2010.
It left her feeling extremely depressed, but she said the Wheelchair Sports Programme and the sport as a whole “saved my life and it is such a brilliant activity”.
Lincolnshire Co-op sponsored the Wheelchair Sports Programme for five years, by which point it was able to fund itself. The county council, and in particular, its executive director of adult care Glen Garrod, have been an amazing support to the programme.
Glen Garrod, executive director of adult care at Lincolnshire County Council, has also tried his hand at the sport. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Lincolnshire Police’s chief constable Bill Skelly enjoys playing the sport. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The Lincolnite reporter Joseph Verney tried the sport. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
A dramatic video shows a car engulfed in flames in the car park at Lincoln County Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
An on-call crew from Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue attended the scene on Greetwell Road shortly before 5pm on Tuesday, April 13.
The crew used one hose reel to extinguish the fire and fortunately no casualties were reported.
The car is probably a write-off. | Photo: The Lincolnite
Dramatic pictures from the scene show the severe damage that was caused to the front of the car.
Fall in county infections but a Boston spike
There have been 50 new coronavirus cases and three COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Tuesday — compared to 58 cases and no deaths this time last week.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 26 new cases in Lincolnshire, 19 in North Lincolnshire and five in North East Lincolnshire.
On Tuesday, three deaths were registered in Lincolnshire, none in North East Lincolnshire and -1 in North Lincolnshire. Fluctuations in data are usually due to some deaths in those areas being reallocated to other regions across the UK or a miscount. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England has reported two new local hospital deaths at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust hospitals.
On Tuesday, national cases increased by 2,472 to 4,375,814, while deaths rose by 23 to 127,123.
In local news, people aged over 45 can now book their COVID vaccinations on the NHS website after the government reached its target of offering a first dose to the nine most vulnerable groups.
There were recently some technical difficulties for people accessing the NHS website, but vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said the issues have been fixed – book a vaccine online here and find out if you are eligible.
Over the weekend, Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rate has fallen, with a spike in Boston only.
Similarly, the England average has also seen a drop in infections, but still remains nearly half Greater Lincolnshire’s rates.
Lincoln has dropped by more than half over the weekend and now has one of the smallest rates in the UK, with just 9.1 per 100,000 of the population infected with COVID-19.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s COVID-19 infection rates up to April 12:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Apr 5 to Apr 12. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
In national news, Boris Johnson has warned that the reduction in coronavirus infections, hospitalisations and deaths “has not been achieved” by the rollout of COVID vaccines.
The prime minister, speaking the day after the latest easing of lockdown restrictions, instead said it was the national shutdown that had been “overwhelmingly important” in driving down COVID rates.
England is giving out its first doses of the Moderna jab, the third COVID-19 vaccine in the nation’s rollout.
It will be available at 21 sites, included the Madejski Stadium in Reading and the Sheffield Arena.
Along with the Pfizer jab, it offers an alternative to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for under-30s, after concerns about a possible link to very rare blood clots.
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
58,772 cases (up 50)
2,184 deaths (up three)
of which 1,302 hospital deaths (up two)
4,375,814 UK cases, 127,123 deaths
There will be another Kill The Bill protest in Lincoln next week, rallying against a new government bill that diminishes protesting rights.
Protests have been rife across the country since the government’s proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill was first discussed, with scenes turning violent in Bristol.
Over two hundred people peacefully took part in the city’s first march at Speakers’ Corner on April 3, including Extinction Rebellion activists and Socialist and Labour supporters.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Now, after a post started doing the rounds on social media, another protest has apparently been scheduled for 2pm on Monday, April 17 at the same location on Lincoln High Street, as part of a national day of action.
A poster promoting a second event has been shared across social media platforms.
Protests are lawful once again after the government eased lockdown restrictions on March 29, but organisers are required to submit a risk assessment prior to any event.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Organisers of the last protest were in close communication with police to make the event safe, and The Lincolnite has asked Lincolnshire Police if they have been made aware of another protest, but are yet to receive a reply.
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