Guy Owen

Parents will have access to antenatal, postnatal and social services under one roof for the first time at two Lincoln GPs.

The 12 month pilot maternity hub scheme will be located in Birchwood Children’s Centre on Birchwood Avenue.

It is available for parents registered at Birchwood Medical Practice and Woodland Medical Practice.

The hub opens on Monday, December 4 between 1pm and 3pm.

The scheme is part of NHS England’s Maternity Transformation Programme, which aims to ensure women and their babies receive safe and more personal care in their community.

By the end of March, four pilot sites will be spread across the county offering this service.

Tracy Pilcher, senior responsible officer for the Lincolnshire Maternity Transformation Programme and Better Births Lincolnshire, said: “We are delighted to begin the roll-out of our pilot maternity hubs at Birchwood Children’s Centre.

“We’re one of the first areas in the country to do this, certainly in a rural patch like Lincolnshire.

“We found almost total unanimity from mothers that they want their midwife to be with them from the start, during pregnancy, birth and then after birth too.

“Mothers said they hardly ever saw the same professional twice.”

Pantomime season is only days away in Lincoln and one production company had unveiled an extra special effect which they believe is the biggest ever seen in the county.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Drill Hall panto’s production, this year’s Jack and the Beanstalk will include an alternative ‘Golden Goose’ – a Red Arrow simulator.

Dame James Campbell will be in charge of flying the Lincoln-based aircraft.

Speaking to The Lincolnite, ahead of the launch, director of Jamie Marcus Productions, Jamie Marcus, said: : “When we started putting Jack and the Beanstalk together, I just wanted it to be really Lincoln and celebrate everything that aviation brings to Lincolnshire.

“It’s taken 11 months to design, build, paint, finish and light. It’s had to be top secret and we couldn’t let it out until now.

The ‘Golden Goose’ is the company’s biggest ever special effect.

“Of course with Jack and the Beanstalk you have all these other exciting parts such as an animatronic giant, the beanstalk and the cow, but I just wanted that one fantastic special effect, and it’s the biggest one that Lincolnshire has ever seen.”

Asked whether this equipment was expensive, Jamie laughed and added: “Lincoln audiences are worth it, is all I’m going to say!

“It’s our ten-year anniversary and we just wanted it to be fantastic.”

Jack and the Beanstalk starts on December 5 until January 2 and will include 48 shows across the period and tickets can be purchased here.