Martin Hill

It’s true to say our summer hasn’t really got going this year, and it’s hard to believe that there’s only a couple of weeks to go until schools break up for the six week holidays.

But if you’re looking for something to do, our Lincolnshire County Council heritage sites are offering something for everyone come rain or shine!

So if you’re making plans either for yourself or your family, you don’t need to rely on the weather for a great day out.

Lincolnshire County Council Leader Martin Hill.

Most youngsters love dinosaurs and a fantastic pre-historic experience is promised at The Collection Museum, Lincoln, from Saturday, July 13 until September 8.

Dinosaur Encounter is a thrilling exhibition from London’s Natural History Museum.

With impressive models and animatronics, fossil replicas and even a roaring, snorting full size T-Rex, you’ll be transported back in time to when dinosaurs ruled the land!

Complementing the main exhibition are four exciting fun days providing hands-on opportunities for youngsters.

They include the chance to learn how to be a palaeontologist, find out about Lincolnshire at the time of the Cretaceous period, explore a collection of fossils, and create your own piece of Big Dino Art

This is sure to be a popular attraction, so don’t miss out. For more information, including ticket prices and online bookings, click here.

A whole host of events on a Victorian theme take place during July and August at Lincoln Castle. These include costumed characters in the Victorian Prison recounting their tales, the Victorian Extravaganza including circus acts and fairground rides, and a Victorian Fair with galloping horses, jugglers, fire-breathers and colourful sideshows.

The Castle grounds are set to provide a great outdoor venue for theatrical performances such as Alice in Wonderland and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The summer season finishes with the annual Steampunk Festival over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

See www.lincolncastle.com/events for the full programme and how to book.

While you’re in Lincoln, take the opportunity to visit the nearby Museum of Lincolnshire Life. Further details about their activities can be found online here.

Gainsborough Old Hall is hosting medieval-themed events throughout the summer. See the website here for more information.

If heritage isn’t for you, why not enjoy the coast by going to the North Sea Observatory at Chapel St Leonards or the nature reserve at Gibraltar Point?

Days could be spent visiting some of our lovely villages or historic market towns, or going for walks or cycle rides.

So when you’re planning activities for the summer – remember that you really don’t have to go far to have a great time.

We’re so lucky to live in a county where there’s so much to do!

By Martin Hill Leader of Lincolnshire County Council

Whenever there’s a debate about climate change one of the main messages that comes across is how important it is to protect our planet for future generations.

This was recently brought closer to home when Lincolnshire County Council received a letter from an 11 year-old Lincoln girl. Quite rightly she was asking what we are doing to play our part in creating a more sustainable environment.

I was impressed with her knowledge and the points she raised, especially about saving energy and doing more recycling.

Her enthusiasm prompted me to look in more detail about the action we are taking.

I am proud to say that overall, since 2008, we’ve reduced our carbon footprint by 41%, and we are still working to reduce it even further.

We’ve installed solar panels, LED lighting systems and more-efficient new heating systems in a number of our buildings and schools.

We’re also really proud to have trained 900 local youngsters as Carbon Ambassadors who help us carry out energy audits within their schools.

With regard to looking at ways to increase recycling we are running a food waste trial in parts of Grantham. We are currently monitoring its success to see if it’s a scheme that could work in other parts of the county.

On top of this, as a member of the Lincolnshire Waste Partnership, we regularly promote the importance of domestic recycling especially with regard to putting the right kind of waste in the right bin.

One of our main achievements has been investing in the Energy from Waste plant at North Hykeham.

This creates energy from waste which isn’t recycled or composted – enough power for 26,500 homes. The ash left behind is used in road building and breeze blocks.

We are doing our best to continually reduce the amount of waste which goes in the ground – and for us this is now 92% less than it was 10 years ago.

By the end of this year, the Energy from Waste plant will have processed over 1 million tonnes of waste since it opened in 2013. It will have produced enough energy to power approximately 140,158 homes, 17.4million laptops or 255 million iPhones.

If you would like to see how the plant works for yourself, it has a fully-equipped visitor centre that is open to groups on pre-booked trips.

Find out how the site works through interactive displays, learn about recycling, the re-use of materials and wider resource management issues. To book a visit, email [email protected] or phone 01522 814318.

As you can see from all of this, the council takes environmental issues very seriously and we are committed to building on our achievements for the benefit of all.

Martin Hill OBE is the Conservative Leader of Lincolnshire County Council. A former farmer, Martin was elected to Lincolnshire County Council in 1993, representing Folkingham Rural. He became council leader in 2005 and was later awarded an OBE for services to Lincolnshire. Martin lives in a former pub at Kirby Underwood with wife Janice and their irrepressible Patterdale Terrier, Boris.