Alex Colman

Debbie Gutsell’s son Joshua attends Queen’s Park School and is one of over 80 children who will be merged into other local schools

Top musicians from Jamiroquai, the Jools Holland Orchestra and Lilly Allen’s band, amongst others, feature in a fundraising single for a Lincoln charity.

Friends of Queen’s Park School supports one of Lincoln’s special schools which was condemned to closure by Lincolnshire County Council on in December last year.

Queen’s Park School is closing despite over 400 online petitioners. but a charity has been set up to soften the blow to pupils and their families.

The charity single called Helping Hands aims to help achieve a £50,000 target for 2012 to help the children it will no longer accommodate.

You can listen to and buy the single for £2 or more and a proportion of the proceeds will go towards a trip to Euro Disney for the children.

Friends of Queen’s Park School Trustee, Debbie Gutsell, explained how the organisation plans to keep supporting its children and make give them some happy memories.

“The school might be closing but the children are still here and the charity aims to provide equipment they can take with them and make the rest of their time here as great an experience as possible with a trip to Euro Disney giving them a wonderful memory,” said Gutsell.

The song was written and recorded for the children and their families, not only to raise money but also to also raise spirits and help support the idea of community and everyone pulling together.

Some of the impressive names on the credits are Jamiroquai guitarist Rob Harris, a trumpeter from Lily Allen’s band, Jack Birchwood, and a saxophonist from the Jools Holland Orchestra, Derek Nash.

The single’s producer Dave Marks said: “The single contains some of my favourite UK musicians, they are all great players, super professional and also very generous with their time and happy to help out for a good cause.”

Fundraising efforts continue with a Queen’s Park School Charity Ice Ball at the Lawn in Lincoln on April 28.

Local resident Shirl Brader thinks the dead swan should be removed, but it has been left to decompose

— Update on Thursday, March 22: The City of Lincoln Council has removed the decomposing body of the swan and will dispose of it.

Caroline Pritchard, Community Services Manager at the City Council, said: “If a dead animal is not causing any public health risk or blocking a waterway, we prefer to leave it and let nature run its course.

“However, in this instance, the body of the swan has caused some public unease, and now that the body has moved to the riverbank, we will dispose of it.”

A dead swan has been left to decompose for almost a month despite concerned residents contacting the RSPCA and the Environment Agency.

The animal is floating and beginning to rot in the River Witham that feeds into Brayford Pool behind Gaunt Street.

An inspector from the RSPCA attended the scene, but as it was clear the bird had died from natural causes and had been dead for several weeks, they were unable to help.

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: “It is not the RSPCA’s responsibility to remove wild animal carcasses and therefore we would ask people to contact either the local council or the Environment Agency.”

The Environment Agency confirmed they already received reports of the bird but also could not do anything about it.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “It’s always sad to see that a beautiful creature such as a swan has died, but this is part of the natural cycle of life.

“It will allow other creatures and organisms to play their part and complete the swan’s role in the ecology of the river, so as long as it is not causing pollution or a flood risk we will allow nature to take its course.”

Graphic image: the swan left to decompose in the river

The decomposing swan has been floating in the River Witham close to Brayford Pool for almost a month.

Lincoln resident Shirl Brader feels as the bird is close to a well trafficked foot and cycle path leading into the city centre, it should be dealt with.

“Children and parents come by and feed the birds, and its mate for life is probably going backwards and forwards past it so it should be moved,” she explained.

This incident is not related to a swan attack on March 13 which is now being investigated by police.