Each month in 2021, The Lincolnite and publishers Stonebow Media will offer our support to a local charity, with free advertising and promotion across our website and social media channels, to help them raise funds and awareness.
During the pandemic lockdown countywide charities have suffered with fewer donations and not being able to host valuable events that help them raise more money throughout the year.
We’re asking our readers to submit nominations for their favourite charities over the next few months.
Our first charity is StreetVet, a charity set-up to treat dogs belonging those who are street homeless, in emergency accommodation, or sofa surfing with no permanent address. Their clients are often vulnerable and anxious, having been let down by others in the past.
The Lincoln team has helped 17 canines since launching in 2019 and treated a variety of cases ranging from ear infections to the surgical removal of a mammary tumour. Most of their registered patients are older pets, so they often see cases of arthritis and dental disease too.
Miri Prior, who works at The Veterinary Hospital in Lincoln, first launched Lincoln StreetVet in 2019, having volunteered at the old Nomad emergency shelter and at HOME meal previously run by St Swithin’s church.
The gorgeous Ty receiving a lot of fuss from Miri after a health check and nail clip. | Photo: StreetVet
Duke had become matted living in an allotment after the owner had lost his home. Pawz and Relax kindly provided a professional groom once StreetVet had checked Duke over and removed the worst of the matting. | Photo: StreetVet
She wanted to provide vet care for those in need and, after spotting a StreetVet stall at a veterinary conference, she contacted the charity about setting up in Lincoln.
StreetVet is a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons registered practice delivering free care to the homeless and their pets on the streets of Lincoln, London, and many major cities across the UK.
Laura Stone and Miri Prior, Team Leads for StreetVet Lincoln. | Photo: StreetVet
Benji lives between Cambridge and Lincoln with his owner. | Photo: StreetVet
StreetVet Lincoln go on outreach sessions alongside ECHO (East Coast Homeless Outreach) once a month, providing health checks, preventative treatments, food, toys and accessories for warmth and visibility, whilst their owners receive hot meals. It is hoped that this will become more regular once coronavirus restrictions are lifted.
They’re going out once a month around the city to see if there is anyone who would be in need of the charity’s help. Many cases are organised with the owners directly.
One of their most challenging visits was to a dog whose owners did not feel comfortable to be away from their pet or the tent where they were living.
The Lincoln team managed to take blood from the dog in the middle of a field and rush it back to a practice in time to go in the centrifuge within the 15 minute window required for the test needed.
Ty and StreetVet Volunteer Thryn Woodward after a blood test at the Veterinary Hospital.| Photo: StreetVet
Einie was treated for a false pregnancy and spayed. Her owner was living in a Travelodge at the time, but is now in permanent accommodation. | Photo: StreetVet
The Lincoln team currently has 12 volunteers, including Laura Stone, who told The Lincolnite: “I feel so lucky to be part of the StreetVet community. I knew ever since I qualified as a Veterinary Nurse I wanted to be a part of this wonderful charity.
“For many of our service users their companions are their only family, and support, many of whom have passed up housing opportunities so not to be separated from their pets.
“Being able to provide care for, and ensure the health of these animals is the best gift we could give. StreetVet is such a unique and needed provider out in the community, and I feel really excited to be part of its growth and development, and being able to support the growing number of users and their pets.
“We would also like to thank our supporters Webbox, Lintbells and Ceva, and 4Paws feeding Lincoln.”
Volunteer Gemma Graves and Misty enjoying a play at one of the outreach sessions. | Photo: StreetVet
Misty checking out the food on offer at one of our sessions. Misty and her dad were living in a shop doorway for several months at the start of the pandemic. | Photo: StreetVet
Little TyTy looking super handsome. | Photo: StreetVet
StreetVet Lincoln has the support of several local practices, most notably The Veterinary Hospital on Newport in Lincoln, where the charity stores some of its kit. It is also where several animal patients are booked in for urgent treatment.
It costs approximately £5,000 per location. However, day-to-day running costs can vary hugely depending on the number of patients and their requirements.
StreetVet Lincoln are also recruiting for a fundraising coordinator, with anyone interested urged to email [email protected].
StreetVet is also launching a country-wide “accredited hostel scheme” which it hopes will prevent anyone from having to choose between their canine best friend and a roof for the night.
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A 38-year-old man from a North Lincolnshire village charged with murder will face an eight-day trial later this year.
Emergency services were called at 4.23am on Saturday, July 2 to reports that a man was seriously injured on South Parade in central Doncaster.
The 28-year-old victim was taken to hospital but was sadly pronounced dead a short time later.
A post-mortem examination found that he died of injuries to his head, chest and abdomen.
Formal identification of the victim is yet to take place, South Yorkshire Police said earlier this week.
Steven Ling, 38, of Park Drain, Westwoodside in North Lincolnshire, has been charged with murder and was remanded in custody to appear at Doncaster Magistrates Court on Monday, July 4.
Ling later appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday, July 5 for a plea and trial preparation hearing.
No pleas were entered during the hearing, but an eight-day trial was set for November 28, 2022. Ling has now been remanded into custody until the next hearing.
The Lincolnite went on a ride-along with a Lincolnshire Police officer from the force’s Roads Policing Unit (RPU), which aims to disrupt criminals’ use of the roads and reduce the number of serious and fatal accidents.
The team will support the county response including local policing, neighbourhood policing and criminal investigation too.
Operations first began in Grantham in January this year and started in Louth earlier this week with a sergeant and nine PCs based in both locations.
The Lincolnite went out on a ride-along with PC Rich Precious from Lincolnshire Police’s Roads Policing Unit. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
PC Rich Precious has been a police officer for 22 years after joining the force in 2000 and he recently rejoined the Roads Policing Unit, working out of Louth.
PC Precious, who also previously worked as a family liaison officer for road deaths for 16 years, took The Lincolnite out in his police car to the A1 up to Colsteworth and then back to Grantham. He described that particular area as “one of the main arterial routes that goes through Lincolnshire”.
PC Rich Precious driving down the A1 up to Colsterworth. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Speaking about the new Roads Policing Unit, he said: “It’s intelligence led policing, it’s targeted policing in areas that have been underrepresented in terms of police presence, on the roads certainly, over a number of years.
“We’re hoping that the development of this unit will help address that balance, and look towards using the ANPR system to prevent criminals’ use of the road, and to identify key areas or routes where there’s a high percentage of people killed or seriously injured on the road, what we commonly refer to as KSI.
PC Precious is helping to keep the roads safer in Lincolnshire. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
When asked if he thinks the new team will help reduce the number of serious and fatal accidents in the county, he added: “That’s what the the unit designed for. Sadly, in Lincolnshire our road network does seem to incur a number of those KSI accidents year on year, and we need to reduce that.
“I’ve worked additionally in my roles as a family liaison officer on road death for 16 years, so I’ve seen first hand the impact that road death has on families and victims families.
“I know it’s important that we try and reduce those because, it’s very sad to see how a fatal road traffic collision can affect a family and the victims of that family.”
Marc Gee, Inspector for Lincolnshire Police’s Roads Policing Unit. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Marc Gee, Inspector for the Roads Policing Unit, told The Lincolnite: “Every day there will be officers on duty from both teams and they’ll cover the whole county or the county’s roads.
“Eventually, we’ll have nine police cars and we’ve got six motorbikes. We’ll be utilising them with as many officers as we can every day basically to make our roads safer and enforce against the criminals who feel like it’s okay to come into the county and use our road for criminal purposes.”
Lincolnshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones at the launch of the force’s Roads Policing Unit. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
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