A Skegness grandma is stuck in a Barbados hospital with a mounting medical bill of over £10,000 after falling ill on a dream Caribbean cruise.
Retired pensioner Lynda Rogers booked herself on the Caribbean cruise with a friend after turning 70 last year and they left on their trip of a lifetime on October 29, 2019.
However, the dream turned to disaster for Lynda after she suffered a gallbladder infection five days into the trip and her travel insurance will not cover the treatment or travel costs.
Her bowels stopped working and her liver was under massive stress, so she was treated on the ship until they reached land in the port of Barbados.
After treatment on the ship and in hospital, she has now been left with a bill of over £10,000. £8,000 is required for the ship’s medical bill and a £3,000 ongoing bill for the hospital.
Flights, accommodation and other expenses are mounting up day by day for Lynda and her daughter Nicky, who are still stuck in Barbados hospital desperately trying to get home. She also has no savings to cover all these increasing costs.
Lynda is now on the mend and has been given a ‘fit to fly’ letter from the doctor, but the frustrating wait in Barbados continues.
Lynda’s grandson Ryan Hurt set up a GoFundMe page on Monday, November 18 to raise money towards the medical bill and to help get Lynda home. At the time of writing the page has raised £360 of its £10,000 target.
Lynda’s family said she just wants to be reunited with her beloved little dog Bille in the UK, who she has a tiny photo of with her in hospital.
Lynda’s family said she just wants to be reunited with her beloved little dog Bille in the UK.
Ryan Hurt wrote on the fundraising page: “Lynda was taken to the public hospital in Barbados all alone, scared, in pain and extremely vulnerable.
“She had a horrific experience for 3 days receiving no food, no fluids and more importantly no treatment until her daughter Nicky flew out from UK to be with her.
“Nicky managed to move her mum to a ward where she finally started treatment, IV antibiotics for seven days. Nicky then took over everything to do with paperwork and finances. This is when she found there had been complications with the travel insurance and they were not willing to cover her treatment or travel costs.”
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We are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage after a collision caused serious injuries to a 23-year-old man.
Just before 3.30pm yesterday (2 July), we received reports of a collision on Barholm Road in Tallington. It involved a grey BMW 335D estate, a blue BMW 116D and an orange KTM motorcycle.
The motorcycle rider, a 23-year-old man, sustained serious injuries during the collision and was taken to hospital.
If you witnessed the incident and are yet to get in touch with us, please do so. If you have any other information or dashcam footage available that may have captured the road along the A1175 at the time of the collision, get in touch.
By calling 101 quoting incident 282 of 2 July.
By emailing [email protected] quoting incident 282 of 2 July in the subject line.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can report via the independent charity CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.
The 2022 Destination Lincolnshire Tourism Excellence Awards are open for applications, and Destination Lincolnshire giving you the rare chance to co-create your application with Nell Barrington, a tourism awards veteran, who has helped hundreds of businesses write winning applications over the last 15 years – including national VisitEngland winners.
The Tourism Awards Masterclass is taking place on Tuesday 12 July at 11am for one-hour online. Laura Freer, Head of Marketing at Destination Lincolnshire said: “This is a golden opportunity, after years of hard work and heartache, to get your business and team recognised and rewarded.
“A well written application is key to achieving a coveted place on this year’s shortlist, and I’d encourage all tourism and visitor economy businesses who are thinking of entering – whether they are seasoned at writing award applications or not – to join us for this exclusive masterclass.
“Nell Barrington has worked with us and VisitEngland on the founding application processes of these awards, and she is perfectly placed to assist in co-creating applications that you can be proud of. This is a great opportunity for business development too – whether you are shortlisted for an award or not – discovering how to effectively apply for awards and talk up your business adds another string to your bow.
“Booking is essential and places are limited to just 35 – so be quick! This year we’ve made our masterclass available to partners and also to those who we are yet to work with for free. Call it an added bonus, after two years away from the awards circuit.
The awards masterclass is focussed on the application process, and it will spell out what the judges are looking for. You’ll learn how to make your application stand out from the local competition, helping your chances of going through to the national VisitEngland Awards in 2023.”
There are fifteen categories open for nominations from visitors attraction, accommodation providers, hospitality businesses and many more.
The deadline for nominations is July 29, with online judging starting on July 30 and mystery shopping from August 13. Finalists will be announced on Monday, August 15.
The awards ceremony will be held at the Engine Shed on October 21, and will be hosted by Lincs FM presenter, John Marshall.
The event is organised by Stonebow Media, publishers of The Lincolnite, to celebrate the best businesses in Greater Lincolnshire, alongside headline sponsors Lincoln College and Destination Lincolnshire.
We would also like to thank our other sponsors Visit Lincolnshire, Heart of Lincs, Duncan and Toplis and LNER, insight6 and EV Camel.