A Lincolnshire chocolatier spent two days making a nine-foot long chocolate helicopter to raise money for the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance.
Jan Hansen is the owner of Hansen’s Chocolate House on Market Place in Folkingham and spent the entire weekend hand crafting the helicopter using layers of Belgian chocolate.
The impressive 120kg of chocolate — the equivalent of 1,200 regular chocolate bars — was constructed using an iron frame in the shape of an egg. Additional parts were added to create the helicopter rotors and tail.
The chocolate helicopter is currently on display in the conservatory of his shop, so that visitors can see the creation through the window.
People can also make a donation to Jan’s fundraiser here to help keep the air ambulance flying.
The Choco-copter was created to help raise money for the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance.
The back of the chocolate helicopter.
Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance has lost more than £1 million in projected income due to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as having to close its charity shops and cancel fundraising activities.
As income went down, the crew on board the helicopter and Critical Care Cars have continued to respond to incidents and attended 1,167 life-threatening emergencies throughout 2020.
Jan wants to help keep the air ambulance flying by raising money for the charity.
Jan, who has been in the chocolate business for over three decades, wanted to help support the charity.
He said: “We often hear the air ambulance fly overhead as we’re based off the A15. They do such a fantastic job and thought it would be a perfect opportunity for me to use my chocolate-making skills to help them raise some money.
“We’ve used a seven-foot egg frame to form the body of the helicopter. After adding the tail at the back, the finished product is around nine-feet long. We’ve used approximately 120kg of chocolate to build the helicopter.
“It’s been built in the air-conditioned conservatory at the back of the shop so that customers can view the helicopter through the window.
“While raising money for the air ambulance, we hope that this can help spread a bit of joy after what has been a very challenging year for everyone.”
Additional parts were added to create the helicopter rotors and tail.
Kelly Geoghegan, Fundraising Events Coordinator at Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance, said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to Jan for using his tremendous talent to create his choco-copter on behalf of our charity. We’re hoping his amazing efforts will help raise much needed funds for LNAA after a challenging year.
“While we work closely with our fantastic NHS, we don’t receive any funding. We rely entirely on donations from generous members of our communities to keep our helicopter flying and Critical Care Cars on the road.
“We know that Jan’s chocolate helicopter will bring a smile to so many people and is a fantastic way to help raise funds that could potentially save lives.”
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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.