Christmas Market’s ‘Best Dressed Stall’ donates prize money to teen with cancer

A salon owner from Sleaford has been nominated for a national hair and beauty award after overcoming a botched cosmetic surgery in Poland.

Emma Bestall, 34, runs Hair Chic Boutique in Sleaford, a professional beauty business that specialises in hair styling and extensions, but her world was turned upside down in October 2021 when planned cosmetic surgery took a horrible turn.

She saved up for two years to fund a tummy tuck and liposuction procedure at a clinic in Poland, costing £3,450.

Emma paid for flights, accommodation and the procedure herself from money she had been saving, but the results weren’t what she would have hoped.

Just two weeks after the operation, her stitches were leaking and the wound on her stomach was opened, which prompted a visit to A&E at Lincoln County Hospital.

Immediately after being seen to in Lincoln, Emma was transferred to Nottingham City Hospital by ambulance and kept there for almost three weeks.

She has been in and out of hospital since the surgery, and was only discharged from the outpatients centre on January 4, causing her to miss out on three months of work at Hair Chic Boutique.

Emma told The Lincolnite that it affected her mental health massively, but her pain and suffering was rewarded elsewhere, as Hair Chic Boutique was nominated in the Best Hair Extentionist category in the UK Hair and Beauty Awards.

The annual awards celebrate the industry and support businesses large and small across the country, offering exposure for local business owners as well as recognising their efforts.

She said: “After such a terrible end to 2021, this has boosted my confidence hugely. Towards the end of last year I spent a lot of time in & out of hospital due to having botched cosmetic surgery.

“I struggled hugely with my mental health in regards to letting my clients down by being unable to work, despite most of my clients staying in touch with me whilst I was poorly.

“I’m loving the huge support from the since I’ve returned and it’s amazing to pick up where I left off after nearly three months off work. I’m looking forward to what 2022 brings.”

Emma says that the clinic in Poland have made no effort to make amends for their error, ignoring her since the procedure and being spoken to “very rudely” by the surgeon afterwards.

She endured six operations to try and close the wound, including being attached to a vacuum machine and a skin graft, before eventually she started showing signs of recovery.

Emma is now looking ahead to the future, but acknowledges how tough the end of the year was for her.

“Life is still hard because its affected my whole life, my children’s and my business, which I will build back up.

“I feel privileged to be able to receive an award despite what has happened the past year. I still struggle with work as I’ve had to reduce my hours.”

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Below are a series of pictures taken of the injuries sustained from Emma’s surgery. They are strong, graphic images depicting surgical procedures.

Emma flew out to Poland for a liposuction procedure. | Photo: Emma Bestall

Emma’s skin began to suffer as a result of the treatment. | Photo: Emma Bestall

| Photo: Emma Bestall

Emma spent three weeks at hospital in Nottingham. | Photo: Emma Bestall

| Photo: Emma Bestall

The wound opened after her stitches began to leak. | Photo: Emma Bestall

It has left a mark on her stomach. | Photo: Emma Bestall

| Photo: Emma Bestall

Farmers in south Lincolnshire have urged the public to help stamp out barbaric hare coursing by reporting suspected offenders to the police.

Joining forces with the NFU, Lincolnshire Rural Support Network (LRSN) is advising families affected by threats and acts of violence, vandalism and theft, not to suffer in silence, but to seek help.

The NFU’s urgent call follows a “surge” in hare coursing across south Lincolnshire in recent weeks, which has included threats, abuse and assaults on farmers, with one victim even being knocked over in his own yard by a vehicle.

Farmers have reported being “plagued” by coursers on a daily basis, with huge damage to crops and fields caused by vehicles driven at break-neck speed and gate locks broken “as soon as we replace them”.

One anonymous hare coursing victim said: “In just the last year I’ve been threatened multiple times, verbally abused and even knocked over in my own yard as they drove through like lunatics whilst trying to escape from neighbouring land.

“I worry for the safety of others due to their recklessness in pursuit of ‘sport’, particularly my wife and baby daughter – even in our own yard.”

Amy Thomas, LRSN’s Head of Charity urged affected farming families to seek help. She said: “The consequences of violence and criminal behaviour on victims can be very difficult to cope with and they affect different people in different ways.

“Facing a violent, abusive or threatening criminal on your own premises could have profound effects on the wellbeing of you, your family and staff, so having someone to talk to and to help your recovery from these traumatic experiences is where LRSN can help.

“We’re here to support Lincolnshire’s rural and farming community through all sorts of challenges; hare coursing incidents and their associated effects can be devastating, and we are here to listen and help.”

Johanna Musson, NFU county adviser for south Lincolnshire, said: “This surge in hare coursing shows there is a determined, hardcore of offenders driving this activity forward and they’re hell bent on carrying on.

“Lincolnshire Police is recruiting the final members of its new rural crime action team and there are tougher laws surrounding hare coursing being discussed, but this situation is happening in Lincolnshire’s fields right now.

“Our farmers and growers need the public to help report suspected hare coursers to police, without putting themselves at risk, to help stamp out this barbaric crime.”

What to look out for:

• Groups of vehicles parked in a rural area eg by a gateway to farmland, on a grass verge, on a farm track or bridle path
• Racing dogs and sighthounds like lurchers, whippets and greyhounds
• Vehicles travelling in convoy, with vans at the front and rear containing minders
• People using binoculars to spot hares
• People walking the edge of a field to frighten a hare into the open

What to do next:

• Ring 999 if hare coursing is taking place
• Take photos or videos, but only if you can do so safely

Hare coursing was banned in the UK by the Hunting Act 2004. It is often committed by organised criminal gangs on large areas of flat farmland suitable for hares, including Lincolnshire. Offenders travel large distances to course hares, with gangs filming the chase for betting purposes.

Tackling carbon emissions from transport in Lincolnshire is currently the biggest challenge to getting the county to net zero emissions by 2050, according to a new study.

The Lincolnshire Carbon Tool, commissioned by Lincolnshire County Council, measured emissions from all sources around the region and showed a general reduction of around 30% since 2005.

However, to achieve its target, the tool reports the region still has a budget of 24.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide between 2020 and 2050.

A report before the authority’s Environment and Executive Committee on Tuesday showed most sectors had seen a reduction in emissions since 2005, however, transport remained mainly steady, taking over from domestic housing as the biggest emitter.

Transport produces around 1.462 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, just under 40% of the county’s total. Business and commerce and domestic housing each accounted for 30% of emissions.

Vehicle upgrades had improved efficiency but the number of journeys made due to online shopping and deliveries, and a move towards large sports utility vehicles (SUVs), were balancing out the benefits. There had been a 70% increase in van deliveries, councillors were told.

The areas with highest transport carbon emissions were the more rural district councils due to the longer distances residents had to travel to access services, while urban centres such as Boston and Lincoln were the lowest producers.

Carbon Emissions in Lincolnshire by Sector 2005-2019. | Data Source: BEIS

Dan Clayton, sustainability manager at LCC, said “There has been a significant reduction that’s occurred so far, but I think what’s happened is that the low-hanging fruit has been taken and the next round of emissions will be more problematic to introduce.”

He told councillors emission reductions in the future would be “largely driven by national government policy” including the stopping of the sale of fully diesel and petrol cars from 2030.

However, the council is working on a local transport plan to improve the situation, including commissioning reports into electric vehicle infrastructure requirements.

Funding options to help businesses introduce energy efficiency technologies are also being looked at through a new Lincolnshire Climate Partnership and Business Lincolnshire.

During the meeting on Tuesday, councillors debated the benefit of online deliveries, new technology, increased emphasis on walking and cycling and improving public transport.

However, concerns were raised including the cost of retrofitting existing houses to be more energy efficient, as well as the suitability of current tech to meet meets.

The council’s green masterplan was also discussed in a separate agenda item and includes plans to improve sustainable transport options.