Lincolnshire this week.

A Lincolnshire mayor has said she will not resign over her bizarre decision to appear at Louth’s Olympic torch celebration dressed as a sausage. Jill Makinson-Sanders who was not at the event in her official capacity, donned the outfit to show her support for the campaign to give our local delicacy protected status. This did not however protect her from incurring the wrath of some locals who accused her of making the town a laughing stock. Resident Kate Levy, one of several residents to have accused Ms Makinson-Sanders of embarrassing the town, said: "Whilst we do want publicity for Louth, we don't want ignominy and notoriety which is what we've got.


"People are laughing at her and not with her."

But traders and other residents have backed Ms Makinson-Sanders.

She said: "We just wanted publicity for Louth being a good food town.

"I've only ever got Louth's best interests at heart so I wouldn't have done anything to damage the town because I don't think like that.

"I'm quite a serious person under all of this."

Talking of the Olympic torch, your correspondent was not exactly flavour of the month last week when our holiday in lovely Norfolk was interrupted at my insistence as I had obtained tickets for Lincolns celebration and didn’t want to miss what I considered a once in a lifetime opportunity. The event got off to a bit of a slow start but soon warmed up, as did the weather which was forecast by the delicious Carol Kirkwood on BBC Breakfast as potentially “torrential downpours”. Fortunately Carol was wrong and the event took place in very warm, sunny if slightly windy conditions and was well worth travelling back up the A17 for. As for Carol, I’ll forgive you, just this once.

Lincolnshire parents were dismayed to hear this week that Glenfield Hospital, Leicestershire and the East Midlands local centre of excellence for children’s surgery services, was to lose it’s congenital heart centre. The centre has looked after many Lincolnshire children and campaigners have vowed to fight on in their bid to keep it open. A spokesman for the charity Heartlink, John Rigby, said: "We're going to take stock, listen to what our reps have to say and be guided by them. We're going to fight to do our very best to keep children's services here.”

The dreadful summer sloshes on unabated and on Friday towns and villages across the county were bracing themselves once again for floods. Staff from the Environment Agency, Met Office and the City Council are in attendance at Emergency Planning HQ in Lincoln. There have been problems in Grantham and Harlaxton and rail services between Nottingham and Skegness as well as the East Coast main line have faced disruption. This Sundays race for life scheduled for the showground has been called off. Ian Reed, from the joint emergency management service, located at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue headquarters in Lincoln, said: "We are getting really up-to-date forecasts but it is a fast-changing situation.

"The data we are getting is still changing but we are expecting up to 60mm of rain in a worst case scenario, but we will monitor that."

The Lawn complex, in Lincoln has only attracted one bid and will now be withdrawn from the market as council leaders decide what to do about it. Leader of the council, Ric Metcalfe, said: "It was a very disappointing response.

"We only had one bid although we did have between 15 and 20 expressions of interest and there were a number of people who had discussions with us.

"We have effectively taken it off the market. It wouldn't be a sensible idea to put it back on the market straight away and I can't put a time period on when that might be possible.

"We have not changed our mind about it being the correct decision to sell The Lawn but there is no reason to put it on the market immediately.

"We have got to reflect on everything that has happened since our decision to sell and we will be reviewing all our options in due course."

That offer came from Jonathan Pass, owner of the adjoining Charlotte House Hotel. "Having only one bid leaves the council in a difficult position and we don't feel we could make a decision based on that," stated Mr Metcalfe.

Mr Pass is still keen on the idea of buying but his offer fell short of the reserve and his plans did not meet the council’s vision for the site. "I am very disappointed and it is a massive missed opportunity for the city," he said.

"Our proposals were to open it up to the people and get more public in and make it fabulous. It is so run down at the moment. We were prepared to put millions of pounds into it to make it a jewel in the crown of Lincoln, but that idea has been snubbed.

"My door is always open, we are still interested in talking about purchasing.

"I have a keen interest in what happens with The Lawn.

"Something needs to happen or we will be left with an iconic building (the conservatory) that will fall apart.

"I stand by my ideas for the site and to transform it for the people of Lincoln – but that is not going to happen at the moment."

Well my lawns going to have to wait too as we all wonder if the county are going to see anything of summer before it’s officially over. Try to keep dry.