The flash fiction competition will return too
Lincoln Book Festival will make a comeback in October with plans already underway for a week-long programme of guest author talks at cultural venues in the city.
The Lincoln Book Festival Trust intends to offer in-person events once again with the festival returning for the week commencing October 11, 2021, depending on government guidance.
The festival has been based mainly at The Collection for many years and the festival intends to run events there again, as well as exploring other options for venues.
Last year’s festival, which was originally planned to take place in May 2020, was postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Instead, the scheduled guest authors recorded a series of video talks, which were released on the festival’s website last autumn. The 2020 line-up included best-selling historian Alison Weir, children’s fiction writer, Sophie Cleverly, and food writer and critic William Sitwell.
Charlie Partridge (left), formerly of BBC Radio Lincolnshire, with author Michael Morpurgo (right) at Lincoln Book Festival in 2018. | Photo: Phil Crow
The 2021 Lincoln Book Festival will have a similarly diverse line-up and the popular flash fiction competition will return this year. The competition challenges authors of all ages to write ultra short stories of exactly 50 words on a designated theme.
In recent years the programme has expanded to feature a wider array of genres, formats and styles, including children’s and young adults’ fiction, poetry, thrillers, and food writing. Previous guest authors have also included Michael Morpurgo, Tracy Borman and Janina Ramirez.
Lincolnshire historian and author Tracy Borman signing books at the festival in 2018. | Photo: Phil Crow
Phil Hamlyn Williams, Chair of the Lincoln Book Festival Trust which organises the festival, said: “The pandemic has been a huge blow for the arts locally and nationally but the roadmap for lifting of restrictions means audiences can finally look forward to visiting venues and enjoying live events again later this year.
“We hope fans of literature will be as excited as we are about the prospect of Lincoln Book Festival making its return in 2021.”
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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