Andrew Abbott's Blog

Thursday 23 February 2012

Lincolnshire this week.

Classic car fans have given a helping hand to the RSPCA by donating the proceeds from shows and raffles. Boston Classic Car Club donated £750 to the East Winch Wildlife Centre. The Butterfly Hospice also received £750.

Staying on the subject of Boston and local MP Mark Simmonds is in the naughty corner having failed to declare an interest when speaking in favour of the NHS reforms. The member for Boston and Skegness is paid £50000 a year as a strategic adviser to Circle Healthcare. He is parliamentary private secretary to Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman. The MP had to apologise to the House of Commons. That £50000 must have slipped his mind as it does when you’re busy.

84000 trees will be planted at Somerby Hill, Grantham to mark the Queens Diamond Jubilee. The wood will eventually cover 70 hectares and the first 2000 saplings were planted by troops based in Lincolnshire. The work is being supervised by the Woodland Trust.

Two second world war bombs have been detonated by the Ministry of Defence after being unearthed at the former RAF Manby site. Anglian Water workers made the surprise discovery on Monday.

Natureland, Skegness is hosting a rare visitor, a North Atlantic Puffin. The exhausted visitor is of a breed that can normally be found at this time of year off the Scottish coast. They then migrate to the Norfolk coast and the Wash in March. The bird was found in a distressed state on the beach. Staff at Natureland are hunting out the smallest sprats they can find to feed the Puffin in the hope it can be strong enough to be released and make its way down to join its colony in a few weeks time.

In a sure sign that spring can’t come too soon as our brains are getting addled due to lack of sunlight a Folkingham woman is looking for volunteers to take part in a world record attempt. Lorraine Wise is looking for 300 superheroes to dress up as Superman and take part in a three minute dance, the Rutland and Stamford Mercury report. The nonsense is in a good cause though as money will be raised for Lives First Responders. The record is 282 Supermen, set in Barcelona in 2010. The downside is the dance is to, you guessed it, “Superman” by Black Lace. Cringeworthy.

Lincolns tourism profile is to be boosted by a television marketing campaign centred on a new logo featuring the city’s fleur de lys emblem according to new group Visit Lincoln Partnership. The city already attracts £130 million by way of tourists and the partnership want to increase this by 5% year on year to get nearer to heritage tourism’s big hitters York and Bath. Emma Tatlow of Visit Lincoln said:-

"People don't know where we are or why they should come to the city, so this new branding is a way to represent Lincoln to visitors and potential investors,"

This was backed up by Phil Hamlyn Williams, Lincoln Cathedral Chief Executive:_

"I am very excited by the new branding. We'll be able to speak with a much clearer voice to draw people in.

Staying in Lincoln and the Brayford Pools harbourmaster, Keith van Bergen reckons the historic water feature should be re named Lincoln Harbour. Well it is in Lincoln and it is a harbour. Mr van Bergen’s suggestion was raised at a meeting of the Brayford Business Forum. He told Lincolnshire Echo:-

"I said at the meeting quite clearly that I personally would love to see it renamed as Lincoln Harbour.

He’s unlikely to get his wish though:-

"Renaming the Brayford Pool as Lincoln Harbour is an interesting idea but I doubt the name will ever change because of its history," said City Councillor Neil Murray, representing Carholme Ward and a member of the Brayford Trust. No doubt you have just checked your calendar. Yes it is still February and not April the first!

Whatever floats your boat have a good one this weekend.

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