A Reclaim These Streets protest also took place
Women across Lincoln have been protesting against female harassment after the recent murder of Sarah Everard.
Sarah Everard, 33, was found dead in woodlands in Kent after going missing while walking home alone in Clapham, London, on March 3.
Serving Metropolitan Police officer, Wayne Couzens, has been arrested on suspicion of her kidnap and murder, and will face trial this autumn.
University Library Bridge has been covered with tributes. | Photo: The Lincolnite
It has prompted a wider national debate about the treatment of women and their safety in day-to-day life.
In Lincoln, a memorial for Sarah Everard has been put up on University Library Bridge, with flowers and a picture of Sarah, as well as other women who lost their lives in similar circumstances.
The memorial for Sarah Everard went up on Tuesday. | Photo: The Lincolnite
Students didn’t stop there, though. Surrounding the memorial are chalk etchings of solidarity to women, with phrases such as “equality for all” and “start the conversation” written on the ground.
Calls for change. | Photo: The Lincolnite
Chalk markings can also be found outside the Engine Shed and the LPAC, where students are making their voices heard with damning statistics and slogans on the public benches.
The benches have been marked with chalk to show solidarity to all women. | Photo: The Lincolnite
People were seen drawing on the benches and encouraging others to get involved and have their say with the chalk.
A poignant message delivered by University of Lincoln students. | Photo: The Lincolnite
This will all culminate in an online vigil, hosted by the University of Lincoln and the Students’ Union, at 7pm on Tuesday, March 16.
It will be a closed event designed only for students and staff at the university to honour Sarah Everard and give voices to women who feel marginalised.
Ceri Leech took to the streets of Lincoln (with a little help from friends) to spread the word. | Photo: Ceri Leech
Over the weekend, a virtual protest was held in Lincoln, organised by three women from the city who wanted to share their story.
They went to areas in Lincoln where they had experienced sexual harassment, armed with signs and posters, to Reclaim These Streets, as the event is named.
Over 200 people attended virtually via the Facebook page, and the organisers are now planning a march on June 21, when all lockdown restrictions are due to be lifted.
The Lincolnite spoke to Ceri Leech, a 23-year-old who is one of the organisers behind Reclaim These Streets, an online protest where women could share their experiences of harassment and abuse.
Anais Higgs is another of the event’s organisers. | Photo: Ceri Leech
This is Ceri’s story: “Not long after I’d returned to Lincoln after university, I was leaving the Scene when a guy approached me with all of his friends and tried to get me to go home with them.
“I said no, but unfortunately they did not take no for an answer, I ended up getting beaten up by the whole group of guys and I was genuinely scared something worse was going to happen.
“Luckily a passer by saw and tried to stop it from happening. He ended up getting hurt as well but luckily this then scared them off.
“The reason I choose to tell this story more than the countless others I have, it’s not because it’s the worst story I have, or the most recent story I have; but because it’s the most believable, so I’m not as afraid to talk about it.”
Another of the Reclaim These Streets organisers, Keeley Valvona, gave her harrowing account of being the victim of harassment.
Keeley Valvona and her dog took to the streets of Lincoln as part of the protest. | Photo: Ceri Leech
This is Keeley’s story: “I was walking home from Superbull by myself in a skirt and heels and a man approached me asking me where I was going and if I was going to my house.
“I didn’t answer him and he then followed me, reached out and tried to grab my waist and pull my skirt up.
“I managed to get away and sprinted home (in heels). He was alone and looked like he was waiting for someone vulnerable to walk past.
“After going to the police I found out it had happened to other girls in the same area and by the description it was the same man.”
Tributes to other women who lost their lives also feature on the memorial. | Photo: The Lincolnite
Ceri said that the scary reality of stories like these is that all girls can relate to them, so much so that often women will bond over their difficult experiences.
She continued: “Every single girl I know has a story like this, and it’s sad but true, that sharing experiences like these is how a lot of girls bond and become friends.
“To all the men who think it’s okay to be silent because you’re “not part of the issue”. Look at where your silence has got us so far.
“It’s not enough to do nothing, have those uncomfortable conversations, ask the women in your life what you can do to help make them and other women feel safer, call out your friends for their behaviours. Do better.”
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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