The headteacher at Polish School Lincoln said they received millions of donations for their Ukraine appeal, as the first vans prepare to transport items to a charity in Poland this weekend.
It has been one week since Russia invaded Ukraine and attacks are intensifying on key cities, which has caused upset and anger to people across the world.
Aneta Smolarek who is the headteacher at Polish School Lincoln – Szkola Polska w Lincoln. Along with the support of her partner Derran Brown, volunteers at the school, and Ignite Church, she is trying to help those in need in Ukraine as much as possible.
Mass donations continue to arrive for the school, which is based at the Breakthrough Centre at Birchwood Library on Larchwood Crescent.
Aneta told The Lincolnite that on Thursday they have already received three times as many donations, with more still arriving.
They have two vans full of donations and are awaiting confirmation for a 7.5 tonne lorry to transport more to Poland this weekend.
The donations continued to pour in for the school’s Ukraine appeal.
Just a small portion of the millions of donations that Aneta and her team of volunteers have had to sort through over the last week.
The donated items will be dropped off at a charity in Poland called Ermed, for onward transportation to Ukraine.
The amount of donations to the school has exceeded expectations, so much so that Aneta has set up a fundraising page to extra transport to send items to Ukraine. The planned transport budget, raised by Ignite Church and volunteers, has already been exceeded and there are urgent medical supplies, baby products and food ready to send to Ukraine.
Aneta and her fellow teachers at Polish School Lincoln.
Aneta said it was too emotional to put into words how she feels about the situation in Ukraine as “it shouldn’t happen” but that she wants to “help others”.
She told The Lincolnite: “I wanted to help as we already have a community with contact at the school, and a network and connections with Poland and Ukraine. We also have children at the school with families in Ukraine.
“So many people have got involved and the donations are more than we expected, we are getting absolutely full. We no longer need donations of clothes, but medication and baby stuff, and batteries and power banks are a priority.
“The community (in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire) have been phenomenal. Parish councils, Lincolnshire Co-op pharmacies, ASDA in Nettleham, Polish shops, GP surgeries, schools, local businesses and people have all been doing collections.”
Aneta Smolarek, pictured with her Partner Derran Brown, is the headteacher at Polish School Lincoln.
Preparing to load up a van with donated items.
Ignite Church Lincoln is working alongside Polish School Lincoln to gather supplies for Ukrainian families. They are looking for more drivers and volunteers to help due to the amazing response of the local community increasing the workload required.
Items can be dropped at the Breakthrough Centres in Lincoln – Boultham library (Monday and Wednesday 9am-4pm, Thursday 4pm-11pm, and Sunday 9am-12pm), and Birchwood library (Tuesday and Thursday 9am-4pm, and Sunday 9am-12pm). It is advised to only drop off donations in person and to not post them.
Polish School Lincoln have been amazed by the amount of donations.
Hundreds of people also gathered at Lincoln Cathedral on Sunday evening (February 27) for a candlelit vigil to show their solidarity with Ukraine.
Meanwhile, thousands of Ukrainian refugees will be given help and support from Freemasons in Lincolnshire, as well as throughout England and Wales, following a £50,000 grant to the British Red Cross.
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The final in the latest series of road closures for works on the A1, as part of the Grantham Southern Relief Road project, has been temporarily postponed
A weekend northbound A1 closure was due to be in place between 8pm on Friday, May 20 and 6am on Monday, May 23.
However, Lincolnshire County Council said the closure has been temporarily postponed and once new dates have been confirmed they will be shared.
Works on phase three began in April this year, with the council anticipating that winter 2023 will be the completion date for the relief road.
This will be with the view to reduce congestion and carbon emissions, and provide opportunities for growth in the local economy.
The £102 million Grantham Southern Relief Road project has been led by Lincolnshire County Council, supported by South Kesteven District Council, Highways England, Greater Lincolnshire LEP, Network Rail, Homes England, the Department for Transport and local business contributions.
Safety improvements have been carried out at corner where numerous accidents have occurred in East Keal.
The council is looking into what else can be done to prevent motorists from coming off the road at Hall Corner, while police are looking into the possibility of fitting a speed camera.
A cement lorry recently overturned on the corner in February.
Lincolnshire County Council has found a slight dip in the road where Blacksmith Lane meets the A16 could be the reason why heavy vehicles travelling at excessive speed are tipping over.
It is considering whether to smooth out and realign the road, but says it is concious of the impact that closing the A16 would have on traffic and local businesses.
Several safety improvement measures have already been put in place, including ‘slow’ markings, enhanced bend warning signs and improved chevrons.
Problems have been found with the road surface on the corner. | Photo: Google Street View
Lincolnshire Police are assessing whether a speed camera on the corner would be beneficial, and will be taking speed readings in the coming weeks.
Larger barriers and longer safety fencing have been proposed by the public. However, the county council says that in order for it to be big enough to withstand the impact of overturned vehicles, the cost can’t be justified.
Either the local parish council or the country council could also explore whether to fund a reactive speed sign on the location.
Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said: “We are very thankful to the residents and members of the parish council who have given us their ideas and support in what can be done at Hall Corner. Local knowledge and personal feedback are cornerstones of what we do in terms of delivering the best solutions in the most informed way.
“There has already been much done at this bend to try and mitigate the issues faced and we now have more planned for this particular area that will go on to encourage all road users to drive accordingly in line with the road and conditions.
“I would like to thank everyone involved so far for their input. We will all work together to get the best resolution we can for Hall Corner.”
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