Menu
Avatar photo

James McArthur

jamesm

James works as an Intern Writer at The Lincolnite. He is currently working toward a certificate in Proofreading and Copy-editing Skills with Chapterhouse Publishing. In his spare time James helps to promote awareness of animal rights issues with the RSPCA and contributes a series of short stories to Village Link Magazine.

August 28, 2012 9.15 am This story is over 152 months old

— 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.

Olive Musson, a long-time resident of the Ermine estate in Lincoln, was awarded the Mayoral Medal for her many years of diligent service to the local community.

For 25 years, Olive has helped to support a variety of volunteer groups in Lincoln and the medal recognises her especially close affiliation with St John the Baptist Parish Church.

Olive said: “I like working within the community; it gives me a sense of purpose and belonging, as well as keeping me active.

“I do not organise many events myself, but people who organise them know that I am always willing and available to help.

“[The Mayoral Medal] is not the reason I volunteer, but it was a great feeling that my work was being recognised.”

Olive continues to work with St John the Baptist Parish Church and helps put on events for the Ermine community to encourage friendship, social interaction and fellowship amongst residents of the estate.

“I really want to try and help build a community here on the Ermine Estate. I really enjoy working with people, so it’s great to be able to work with the Ermine Community Centre and St John the Baptist Church to try and achieve that,” she said.

“It also provides Duke of Edinburgh Award experience for children from St Francis School on the estate, who also come to help.”

Split into two parts, the Ermine estate was originally built in the 1950s on the northern edge of Lincoln, and is currently home to around six thousand people.

Friar Stephen Hoy, Parish Priest at St John the Baptist Parish Church, said: “Refreshments, lunch clubs, church socials; she’s always the first to arrive and the last to leave. She just loves to chat and always welcomes everyone who attends our services at the church.”

Shortlisted for the Jerusalem Trust Prize, St John the Baptist Parish Church will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013 and has launched a new project — involving a handful of local artists — to design a new stain glass window to commemorate the event.

See the Ermine Community Centre website and St John the Baptist Parish Church for more information on events and volunteer schemes in the area.

Photo: Joshua Potter for The Lincolnite

August 27, 2012 9.10 am This story is over 152 months old

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

Andy Payne, the Youth Engagement Manager at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, received his mayoral award from the City of Lincoln for his contributions to safety awareness with the county’s school children and for his many years of service to the Prince’s Trust programme.

The Mayoral Medal recognises Andy’s work with the local community and his efforts to improve the life prospects of many of Lincoln’s disadvantaged young people.

His multi-agency Stay Safe Days have helped to inform youngsters about the impact of anti-social behaviour, internet safety, first aid, and general fire safety – with glowing feedback from students, teachers and other partner agencies.

Commenting on the public response to the Stay Safe scheme, Andy said: “The evaluations from all the days has been extremely positive; from both children and teachers alike, stressing how vital they see these days and it’s a great way of teaching important safety messages.”

“The Stay Safe programme has provided thousands of school children in Lincoln with the knowledge required for their transition to secondary school over the last four years.”

Andy also received the award for his efforts in securing extra funding for the Prince’s Trust Team programme which has enabled the fire service to help even more young people benefit from the scheme.

The first member of Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue to receive the prestigious award, Andy said: “ The medal goes to the whole department and our partner agencies that consistently go that extra mile to give young people the chance at a better life.”

“My job fits very closely with my personal key values and beliefs. It’s all about helping young people to improve themselves. I’m helping youths get the best out of themselves, improving their confidence and teaching them self-respect.”

The Stay Safe programme features 30 minute sessions from the British Red Cross, Lincolnshire Police and Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue; all aimed at covering the important topics like fire safety, water safety and the benefits of making positive life choices.

Fire related fatalities amongst young people in Lincolnshire remains close to the UK national average according to a 2010/2011 monitor report. However, the overall number of incidents has decreased annually since 2000.

He added: “In the future we would like to continue this great partnership, working between agencies, and increase the number of Stay Safe Days which would mean that more children across the county can benefit from them.”

For more information about Stay Safe Days, or the Prince’s Trust Programme, visit the Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue website. Alternatively, contact the Youth Engagement team on 01522 582 296.

Photo: Joshua Potter for The Lincolnite

+ More stories