Three years, 1,317 days and more than 31,000 hours ago, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. Today, at 11pm, that referendum result will become a reality for people in Lincolnshire and across the nation.
It was in the early hours of June 24, 2016, in a leisure centre in Kettering where results from across Lincolnshire began to file in, that national news channels began to report the outcome.
Keith Vaz, the then Labour MP and remain campaigner, looked glum, while Nigel Farage was seen triumphant on television screens.
Since then, it’s been day after day of drip feeding whatever call to arms quote a reporter could grab from a Brexiteer or Remainer.
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“Brexit means Brexit”, “We need a People’s Vote” and “Take Back Control” were among the choice slogans from politicians.
The reality was there was no mandate in the House of Commons for anything and it only proved to frustrate people across Lincolnshire.
Now that the hours are ticking away for Britain’s exit, council leaders sing a different tune for the future of the region.
Lincolnshire needs to look at the “positives” from the UK’s exit and see the benefits that will come from it, they say.
From tomorrow, the country will enter an 11 month transition period where little will change apart from the nation’s membership with the EU and its political associations with the union.
But, for county council leader Martin Hill, it is more than that. He said it is the chance to think beyond Brexit Day.
Lincolnshire County Council leader Martin Hill
“Brexit is a momentous, historic occasion. I firmly believe that rather than it marking an end of an era, instead January 31, 2020, represents a new beginning,” said Councillor Hill.
“It will certainly be the beginning of further negotiations and a managed transition as we exit the EU, but also the beginning of new opportunities and a chance to think bigger.”
For those in Westminster and the civil servants in Whitehall, the negotiations will begin in February.
From the corridors of the leisure centre in Kettering to the morning of January 31, 2020, the result has caused friction, division and has been an education for some on Britain’s relationship with Europe.
Now, it’s time to see what that relationship looks like in the future and whether it will benefit Lincolnshire and the country as a whole.
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Over a tonne of food and essential items, as well as more than £16,000, have been donated to local food banks through a Lincolnshire Co-op campaign.
The donations came after Lincolnshire Co-op launched its food bank advent calendar campaign throughout December.
An estimated 1,350kg of food and essentials, the equivalent of around 3,213 meals, and £16,675 of store dividend and cash was donated to over 40 larders and food banks in Lincolnshire.
Customers could also donate store dividend as well as cash and items. | Photo: Lincolnshire Co-op
Customers were encouraged to donate one item each day during their shopping, dropping them in collection bins at local stores.
A full collection bin at the Queen Elizabeth Road store in Lincoln. | Photo: Lincolnshire Co-op
Each day a new item was suggested by Lincolnshire Co-op, ranging from tinned goods to cleaning products, providing an advent calendar format for the scheme.
Items were suggested for donations with campaign labels in stores. | Photo: Lincolnshire Co-op
Sam Turner, Community Manager at Lincolnshire Co-op said: “We’re so grateful to everyone who donated to our Food Bank Advent Calendar campaign.
“Thanks to the generosity of our shoppers, members, and colleagues, we’ve been able to support the important work of local food banks in our area and help feed families at Christmas and beyond.”
Boston United will have no games for two weeks, as the National League North and South divisions come to a temporary halt.
It comes after a review of feedback from all clubs in the sixth tier of English football, which will see football at that level paused for two weeks.
The move is effective immediately, meaning Boston United’s home fixture against Brackley Town has been postponed until further notice.
A board meeting with the National League decided to put a stop to football at that level, amid growing concerns of rising coronavirus cases and winter financial packages.
Clubs were informed that while government funding was still likely from January to March, it would be in the form of loans rather than grants should football continue to go ahead.
Boston United chairman David Newton. | Photo: Boston United FC
Boston United chairman David Newton issued a statement on Thursday outlining the club’s stance in relation to the season, saying that he supported the decision to suspend the season.
“Clubs were also asked to give their views on a potential four-to-six-week suspension of the competition.
“After lengthy discussions within the club, we confirmed that we would, on balance, support this.
“We are a football club so, of course, we want to be playing games, but our decision took into account a number of factors.
“We are somewhat uncomfortable playing when the pandemic is at its peak and a large part of the population are locked down.
“Despite the strict Covid protocols we have in place, there is always a risk to players, staff and their families, and that has to be paramount in decision-making.
“We would, of course, need to know the detail relating to any suspension – and planned restart – before offering our final support to the proposal.”
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