A mum-of-two will open a new roleplay centre and cafe in Lincoln this autumn, including a mini version of the city for children to play in and enjoy.
Little Lincoln is aimed at children aged 0-7 years and will open at the Carlton Centre in the unit formerly occupied by popular restaurant Mamma’s Italian Bistro, which is now instead focusing on its new concept business nearby called Mamma’s Bar.
Owner of Little Lincoln Francesca Nolan, 29, has two children – four-year-old Grace and nine-month-old Adam – and wanted to launch her own business after working as an air traffic assistant at RAF Waddington, where she is still based, for five years.
Francesca with her daughter Grace, 4, and son Adam who is nine-months-old.
Little Lincoln will open in October and contain its own miniature version of the city representing local businesses and children will be able to try out different job roles through roleplay.
This includes a mini Lincolnshire Co-op, Daisy Made ice cream parlour, Bransby Horses, Lindum, New Theatre Royal, Brayford Medical Practice, Tom’s Hairdressers & Barbers, and The Veterinary Hospital.
Each session will last for 90 minutes with three per day seven days a week. Francesca said the prices are still being finalised, but promised they will be “competitive”.
Little Lincoln will also have a cafe which will serve a range of cakes, light lunches and drinks.
Francesca has served for six years in the Royal Air Force, including five as an air traffic assistant at RAF Waddington, where she is still currently based.
Francesca told The Lincolnite: “I’m so excited for everything to come together, it’s been a long time in the making!
“The reason I decided to start this business was after having my son I have really struggled to find somewhere to take both my children which is suitable for both of them, and after speaking to other parents they have also said the same.”
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We are appealing for witnesses after a man in his 40s was found with life-threatening injuries in Lincoln.
We received a report from hospital staff that a man had been brought in by ambulance crews with serious injuries. It be believed he was found by a member of the public at the junction of Ripon Street and Chequers Court in the lower area of Lincoln High Street at around 2.40am on 16 August.
His condition is described as life-threatening, and he remains in hospital. We are attempting to trace next of kin, but have so far been unable to locate them, and would appeal to anyone who believes they might know this man to get in touch.
At this stage we are keeping an open mind about the cause of the injuries and we would like to understand more about the circumstances in which they were sustained.
There may be a number of witnesses who can help our investigation who may have seen the man at around the time he was found injured, or in the hours before. The injured man is described as white, around 5ft 8 inches tall with a slim build, and short brown hair. He was wearing a brown T-shirt, black jeans, and light blue shoes.
We are particularly keen to speak with a man and a woman who we believe were with him around the time he had been found injured. These people are not suspects. We hope that they can provide information about the man’s movements that night, or provide information about how he sustained his injuries.
The woman is described as having red hair and in her mid 30s. The man is described as tall and thin wearing a cap and a black coloured shirt. They left via Monson Street in the direction of the city centre.
We are also keen to see any dashcam, mobile phone footage, doorbell footage, or CCTV of the High Street area between 1am and 3pm on August 17.
If you have information which could help, there are a number of ways to get in touch:
By calling 101 quoting incident 200 of 17 August.
By emailing [email protected] quoting incident 200 of 17 August in the subject line.
If you wish to remain anonymous,
A tanning studio in Lincoln is fighting for its survival after an astronomical hike in electricity prices – which leaves the business in need of more than £50,000 extra cash to afford the bills next year.
Hot Chocolate Tanning Studio is entering its 18th year in business. Situated at Lincoln’s Carlton Centre, the store has been a mainstay for people wanting to use sun beds to top up their tan throughout the year.
There are a total of ten sun beds at the studio, with around 250 people using them during peak weeks in summer months.
The future of the business is now in doubt, and there are genuine fears of closure after an astronomical rise in electricity prices – an essential expense for a company such as this one.
Hot Chocolate Tanning Studio can be found at the Carlton Centre in Lincoln. | Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite
Salon owner Lucy Wilkinson, 43, told The Lincolnite her business is dreading the “new wave” of financial turmoil, after so many struggled to navigate their way through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hot Chocolate currently pays 13p per kilowatt of electricity used, but a new deal with her energy supplier leaves her with a seemingly impossible gap to bridge. From December, her bills will now rise to 55.44p per kilowatt – a near 350% increase.
“It’s been such an emotional rollercoaster, dreading what might happen”, Lucy said. “I just want my business to survive, it’s a big worry.
“We can’t make money elsewhere really because the price of everything else is going up, too. It’s a lot for us to juggle right now.”
To contextualise just how quickly the price of electricity has soared, Hot Chocolate Tanning Studio was quoted a price of 30.7p on May 31 this year. In less than three months that has gone up to 55.44p.
The studio has ten sun beds, and relies on electricity to run them through the day for customers to use. | Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite
Lucy told The Lincolnite that her June electricity bill was £2,500, but when the terms of the new agreement come in, it would have been £8,500.
It comes as energy companies continue to record billions upon billions of pounds in profit, while also warning of price hikes that could leave those most vulnerable in society without the financial means to heat or power their homes.
Lucy said now is the time for her voice to be heard, as she feels it is a case of energy companies “gambling with people’s lives” in light of the consistent price boosts.
An incoming electric bill hike of around 350% leaves Hot Chocolate Tanning Studio on the brink. | Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite
She continues: “Next year I have to find around £55-60,000 just to pay the electricity bill, it’s got to a stage where we don’t know how much longer we have left as a business.
“Around one third of my income now goes on electricity alone, and it is only going to get worse. We will just have to take it month by month as December arrives, and due to being tied to two years of rent payments, we will be forced to pay these rates until we go bust.
“It breaks my heart to see these companies turning over huge profits and then doing this. I found myself thinking surely the government will help soon, surely the prices will drop, but nothing yet.”
While Lucy maintains her positivity, it has become hard to not worry about the future of her business. | Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite
With this large cost hike comes difficult decisions for Lucy. It isn’t just a case of her finances being affected, it is the careers of her seven staff members, as well as the customer base she has worked tirelessly to build up over the years.
She has had to put up the prices of her studio’s services, which could result in driving customers away.
“We’ve had mixed reactions to our increased rates”, Lucy added. “I’ve just had to be 100% honest with them and explain why are prices are going up. We had to act now so we didn’t collapse when business slowed in winter.
“Normally a 5p increase is considered when prices go up, but I’ve been forced to bump it up by 15p – which could be too much for our customers to handle.
“We’re trying to stay positive and we will always ensure we maintain our high standards, but we are a busy salon because a lot of customers like our staff and services.
“If I start losing my lovely, professional staff it won’t be the same place. I don’t know the answers, all I know is that rising costs have already closed so many businesses, and I don’t want us to be next.”
As Prime Minister candidates Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak defend energy company profits and regularly reject windfall tax proposals on major corporations, small local businesses like this one feel the brunt and wonder how they can survive in a British economy on the verge of crisis.
Lucy in communication with the Federation of Small Businesses, as well as the Sunbed Association to try and raise awareness of these rising bills. It is truly desperate times for a business approaching two decades of service in Lincoln.
If you would like to speak to our reporter about the issues highlighted in this article, or to share your story, please email [email protected]
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