James McArthur

— The Mayoral Medals series introduces you to the six inspirational people who won the award this year, chosen by the Right Worshipful Mayor of Lincoln. More stories from this series.

Local musician Josephine Gadd has served under various capacities with the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra for the last 40 years.

She was awarded the medal for her many years of devoted service to the musical ensemble and for her continued efforts to inspire a younger generation of musical talent in the city.

Josephine said: “Having seen some of the very good causes that warrant this medal, I couldn’t imagine that I’d receive it for something that I had done for nearly sixty years. “

“I am very grateful to my parents for giving me the opportunity to learn the violin and also to my husband and family for their support over the many years that I have been playing.  

“My husband, incidentally, bought me the viola for a Christmas present about 20 years ago, so that inspired me to learn to play that instrument.”

Josephine has worked on a variety of musical performances over the years, and much of the proceeds from each performance have gone toward aiding a number of national and local charities. The experience, she said, proved a rewarding creative outlet for her musical ambitions.

“With this orchestra, we strive to bring good music to the public and like myself, attending concerts when quite young (about 10 to 12 years) can hopefully inspire young people to start learning how to play an instrument, which can give a lot of pleasure in later life,” she said.

The Lincoln Symphony Orchestra performs three concerts each year and also helped to raise £92,000 in support of the Help for Heroes organisation back in January 2011, with a special performance in the Epic Centre at Lincolnshire Showground. The group also celebrated its 125th anniversary the same year, hosting a special concert in recognition of the orchestra’s extensive history in Lincoln.

“From this orchestra, four of us formed a string quartet; we played for 10 years, visiting care homes and schools, which we felt was very rewarding. I would like to carry on playing with both orchestras as long as I can, I can’t imagine not doing so,” said Josephine.

She added: “I think the Mayoral Medal tradition is an excellent idea for bringing some very hard-working people to the public eye. Not many people realise what dedication is put into many organisations by most of the recipients and before the scheme began this was often unrecognised. I hope it continues for many years.”

For more information about the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra, including upcoming performances, see their website.

Photo: Joshua Potter for The Lincolnite

— The Mayoral Medals series introduces you to the six inspirational people who won the award this year, chosen by the Right Worshipful Mayor of Lincoln. More stories from this series.

Neil Blow from Lincoln, received the Mayoral Medal this year for his charitable work at the Bridge Centre Food Bank, which is part of a national charity scheme established by the Trussell Group in 2008. It provides emergency food parcels to disadvantaged residents in the local community.

Neil Blow and the other volunteers at the Lincoln Food Bank make food parcels, known as food boxes, for people in Lincoln who are out of work or live on a very low income, many of whom often find themselves without food and no money to spend on basic necessities.

Neil said: “We couldn’t do it without all the people who volunteer at the Food Bank each week, they do all the work.

“I’d like to continue my work at the Food Bank as long as I can, as I enjoy helping people who are in need,” he added.

All the food at the charity is kindly donated by people from the local community, as well as from a number of schools and supermarkets across Lincoln.

Neil, who has worked at the Food Bank for about four years, originally worked with the charity – alongside his wife – from his home in Lincoln. Since its first six months of operating in the city, the Food Bank has helped more than 1,000 people.

“We do get a lot of help from the Lincoln Community Larder but without the Food Bank, life for many people in Lincoln would be very difficult,” said Neil.

The Food Bank scheme produces anywhere between 20 and 30 food boxes every week, depending on demand, and includes three days’ worth of non-perishable food such as tinned vegetables, pasta and rice pudding.

Neil has seen a significant increase in the number of people requesting parcels from the Food Bank recently, including occasions where they have simply run out of food:

“We have a policy in place that if families have received at least three parcels, we refer them to Christians Against Poverty (CAP).”

Set up by the Trussell Group back in 2008, the Food Bank is hosted at The Bridge Centre on Newark Road – in partnership with Lincoln New Life Church – and aims to support people and families who are experiencing financial or emotional problems.

He added: “I think it’s good that Lincoln has the Mayoral Medal tradition, because it recognises those people who volunteer their time and services for free.”

For more information about the Food Bank, including how you can get involved, see the Bridge Church’s website or contact the Bridge church community directly on 01522 530 730.

Photo: Joshua Potter for The Lincolnite