West Lindsey News - West Lindsey District Council
West Lindsey News - West Lindsey District Council
West Lindsey News - West Lindsey District Council
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<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>District</strong> <strong>Council</strong><br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong><br />
The magazine for <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> residents Spring 2011<br />
Positive about<br />
young people<br />
Full story on page 5<br />
Market Rasen’s<br />
new Household<br />
Recycling Centre<br />
See back page<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong> 3
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong><br />
When you have finished reading<br />
this magazine please recycle it<br />
2 <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong><br />
is your magazine<br />
Edited by the Communications Team at<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>District</strong> <strong>Council</strong> and produced in<br />
partnership with North Kesteven <strong>District</strong> <strong>Council</strong>.<br />
Each copy costs approximately 11p to produce.<br />
Editorial<br />
Tel: 01427 676512<br />
Email: communicationsteam@west-lindsey.gov.uk<br />
Address: <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>District</strong> <strong>Council</strong>, Guildhall,<br />
Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, DN21 2NA<br />
<strong>Council</strong> Enquiries<br />
Tel: 01427 676676<br />
Typetalk: 18002 01427 676676<br />
Website: www.west-lindsey.gov.uk<br />
Email: customer.services@west-lindsey.gov.uk<br />
Caistor Area Office: Multi-Use Centre, Caistor<br />
LN7 6UB. Tel 01472 859017<br />
Market Rasen Area Office: Adj Festival Hall,<br />
Caistor Road, Market Rasen LN8 3JA<br />
Tel 01673 843263<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong> is the prime source of news<br />
about the <strong>District</strong>. Our magazine is delivered to<br />
every household and includes information which the<br />
authority would have to pay to publish elsewhere.<br />
We welcome your comments about the magazine<br />
– all correspondence should be addressed<br />
to <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong>, Guildhall, Marshall’s<br />
Yard, Gainsborough, Lincs DN21 2NA or email:<br />
communicationsteam@west-lindsey.gov.uk<br />
If you know a resident who does not receive<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong> who would like<br />
to please call 01427 676580.<br />
This magazine is printed on paper from sustainable<br />
forests and for every tree which is harvested two<br />
more are planted.<br />
This document is available<br />
in large print, Braille, audio,<br />
electronic formats such<br />
as CD, or in a different<br />
language.<br />
Good news for<br />
residents!<br />
No increase in council tax for the district<br />
despite reduction in government funding<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>District</strong><br />
<strong>Council</strong> has made a<br />
pledge not to increase<br />
<strong>Council</strong> Tax.<br />
No services run by the council<br />
will be scrapped this year and there<br />
will be no increase in our council<br />
tax levy despite a significant<br />
reduction in cash from the<br />
government.<br />
The news has been welcomed<br />
by residents who already benefit<br />
from paying <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong>’s council<br />
tax bill which is one of the lowest in<br />
the country.<br />
Andrew Morriss, 63, of Walesby,<br />
Market Rasen, attended one of<br />
the budget consultation meetings<br />
across the district, which he<br />
described as ‘well run’.<br />
He added: “As an exercise in<br />
council tax democracy in the district<br />
it was pretty well run.<br />
“It is an achievement that no<br />
services are being scrapped and<br />
council tax is not being increased.<br />
“The fact that <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> is<br />
debt-free put us in a much better<br />
position than other authorities.<br />
“It is very good that we are still<br />
managing to do all the statutory<br />
things we need to and much more.<br />
This is the best outcome for <strong>West</strong><br />
<strong>Lindsey</strong>.”<br />
Deborah Barker of Caistor,<br />
described the workshop as ‘open<br />
and refreshing’.<br />
She said: “I felt the event was<br />
very well organised and I loved<br />
the fact they put all the prices<br />
on services, which was very<br />
informative and was key in making<br />
our decisions.<br />
“It was very democratic and<br />
everyone was able to voice their<br />
opinion. They had not made their<br />
minds up for us – they wanted our<br />
opinions.”<br />
As previously revealed, the<br />
council has to find a staggering<br />
£2.5m over the next two years,<br />
following government spending<br />
cuts, and another £250,000 from<br />
pressures including inflation.<br />
Leader of <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>District</strong><br />
<strong>Council</strong>, Cllr Burt Keimach, said:<br />
Andrew Morriss and Deborah Barker thought the workshops were refreshing
“It is an achievement that no<br />
services are being scrapped<br />
Andrew Morriss, Walesby<br />
“We received the worst district council<br />
settlement on government funding<br />
in Lincolnshire and amongst one of<br />
the worst in the country, but we are<br />
proposing no council tax rise.<br />
“We still have a lot of work to do<br />
but early indications show we will be<br />
able to balance our budget for this<br />
financial year, without impacting on<br />
key services, expensive redundancies<br />
or an increase in council tax.”<br />
The council held a number of<br />
workshops in November, December<br />
and January to involve residents on<br />
how best to tackle the budget.<br />
Cllr Keimach said: “I would like to<br />
thank everyone who took part. We<br />
also had an impressive 733 responses<br />
from the Citizens’ Panel and they were<br />
all broadly in support of the council’s<br />
strategy.<br />
“In particular they wanted to see<br />
more income generation rather than<br />
stopping services to deal with the<br />
shortfall although they agreed that<br />
some services could be rationalised<br />
or provided in another way.<br />
“For example our investment<br />
of £2.9m in kerbside door-to-door<br />
recycling collections means we<br />
should look to reducing provision of<br />
bring sites, to focus on items such as<br />
clothing or books.<br />
Financial Services Manager Russell Stone explains the detail of the budget<br />
“What was surprising was residents<br />
were often more willing to accept<br />
harsher service reductions than the<br />
ones we are suggesting. They also felt<br />
rather than the tax payers paying, the<br />
user should pay for certain services<br />
such as bulky goods collections –<br />
more than 82% supported a user pays<br />
approach.”<br />
His views were echoed by Chief<br />
Executive Manjeet Gill: “We would<br />
not be in this position today if it was<br />
not for the fantastic involvement<br />
from councillors, parishes, residents,<br />
partners, businesses and trade<br />
unions. Everyone has worked<br />
responsibly as a team.”<br />
She also praised ‘entrepreneurial<br />
staff’ working within the authority, who<br />
have been creative in reducing costs<br />
while at the same time improving<br />
performance in many cases.<br />
“We strive to provide a better<br />
service despite financial challenges,<br />
for example we have improved<br />
planning performance and found<br />
efficiency savings of more than<br />
£80,000.<br />
“Another example is the<br />
proposal around CCTV. We are<br />
exploring the possibility of increasing<br />
our CCTV monitoring from 72 hours<br />
to 150 hours and saving £50,000 at<br />
the same time.<br />
“Over 90% of the shortfall has<br />
been found from efficiencies such as<br />
£138,000 from management costs and<br />
similar approaches,” she added.<br />
How would you feel if you lost<br />
your best friend?<br />
The heartache need never happen to you if your pet has a<br />
microchip fitted because then you will always know where he is.<br />
As well as having peace of mind a microchip can save you money.<br />
If your dog strays and ends up being taken to a kennels you will<br />
be charged at least £70 whereas a microchip costs around £20.<br />
To find out more call 01427 676676 or ring your local vet<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong> 3
Scheme keeps winter at bay<br />
Big insulation<br />
reductions for all –<br />
and some get it free!<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> residents can<br />
keep out the cold thanks to<br />
an insulation scheme from<br />
the Home Energy Lincs Partnership.<br />
After snow and freezing<br />
temperatures across the district,<br />
Philip Bavin, 63, of Wragby Road,<br />
Bardney, took up the offer of cavity<br />
wall and roof insulation even though<br />
he thought that at his age he would<br />
not get the work done for free.<br />
“We noticed a difference straight<br />
away. The house stays warmer for<br />
longer and we don’t need to have the<br />
heating on so early,” said Philip.<br />
Mr Bavin saw the details about<br />
the scheme in his local Post Office<br />
and Parish <strong>News</strong>letter. “It was not as<br />
complicated to apply as I thought. The<br />
work was done quickly and they did a<br />
good job,” he added.<br />
Chairman of the Community &<br />
Waste Services Committee, Jackie<br />
Brockway, urged people to use the<br />
scheme to keep their homes warmer<br />
and reduce their carbon footprint.<br />
“After the coldest December in<br />
over 100 years, it’s good that <strong>West</strong><br />
<strong>Lindsey</strong> households are benefitting by<br />
using the HELP insulation scheme.”<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> is an area of high<br />
fuel poverty rates, and insulating<br />
homes keeps heat inside, which<br />
means they will be warmer in winter<br />
and cheaper to heat.<br />
Philip Bavin received<br />
free wall insulation<br />
What’s<br />
on offer?<br />
> Cavity wall insulation and loft<br />
insulation<br />
> It’s free to over 60s or those on<br />
qualifying benefits<br />
> It’s hugely discounted for<br />
everyone else: £49 for cavity<br />
wall insulation and £79 for loft<br />
insulation<br />
> Save around £265 in heating<br />
bills a year by getting both<br />
> Reduce the carbon footprint of<br />
your home<br />
> Apply for HELP by calling the<br />
Energy Saving Trust free on 0800<br />
512 012<br />
The HELP insulation scheme is run by<br />
the Energy Saving Trust in partnership<br />
with Lincolnshire councils.<br />
Would you use a wheelie bin cleaning service?<br />
<br />
We are often asked if the council could provide a service to clean wheelie bins. This is a possibility, but there would have to be a<br />
small charge and we need to find out how many people would be interested. To help us do this fill in the details below (no stamp<br />
required) and return it to: Wheelie Bin Cleaning Survey, Freepost, RRYU-BTEG-REAS, Account No 36, <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>District</strong> <strong>Council</strong>,<br />
Guildhall, Marshall’s Yard, Gainsborough, Lincs DN21 2NA. Or visit www.west-lindsey.gov.uk/bincleaning<br />
Would you be interested in this service?<br />
Yes<br />
No<br />
Do you receive an assisted collection?<br />
Yes<br />
No<br />
Which bins would you require the service for?<br />
Blue (recycling)<br />
Black (general)<br />
Green (garden waste)<br />
How often would you require the service?<br />
Once a fortnight<br />
once a month<br />
Other (please state)………………………………………….<br />
How much would you consider paying to have the service?<br />
(per bin)<br />
£2.50 £3 £3.50 £4<br />
Other (please state) ………………………...................<br />
How often would you prefer to pay for the service?<br />
Quarterly invoiced 6 monthly invoiced<br />
Monthly DD<br />
Age group<br />
17 – 24 25 – 32 33 – 40 41– 49<br />
50 – 58 59 – 65 other<br />
Name ................................................. Address ............................................................................. Tel ................................... Email ........................................<br />
4 <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong>
You’re hired!<br />
New job opportunities on offer as<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> takes on apprentices<br />
Young people across the district<br />
have taken their first step on<br />
the career ladder.<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>District</strong> <strong>Council</strong> has<br />
offered a number of placements for<br />
apprentices and Future Jobs Fund<br />
employees in accountancy, housing<br />
and customer services.<br />
Chairman of the Economic and<br />
Regeneration Committee, Cllr Jeff<br />
Summers, said: “One of the biggest<br />
challenges facing all employers is<br />
how to successfully maintain the<br />
workforce in order to meet the needs<br />
and demands of the community.<br />
“This gives us an opportunity to<br />
provide jobs for young people and<br />
teach them valuable skills and onthe-job<br />
training which means the work<br />
they are doing is real.<br />
“It also gives young people a real<br />
opportunity to gain qualifications,<br />
upskill and take the first step towards<br />
a career.”<br />
Accountancy apprentice, Kat<br />
Miller, 19, of Gainsborough, sent off<br />
more than 50 CVs before working at<br />
the council.<br />
She said: “I was over the moon<br />
when I got the apprenticeship as<br />
this is my first proper job. It means I<br />
Leonie Janzen got her foot in the door<br />
through the housing team<br />
Apprentice Sami Livingstone helps out customer Roger Bennett-Smith<br />
can also study for the Association of<br />
Accountancy Technicians qualification<br />
and get paid.<br />
“Although the apprenticeship<br />
is only for a year – the on-the-job<br />
experience and qualifications will help<br />
me when I need to look for another<br />
position.”<br />
The council is working towards<br />
getting a new quality standard,<br />
Positive about Young People.<br />
This recognises an employer’s<br />
commitment to young people already<br />
in the workplace or as potential<br />
employees.<br />
Sami Livingstone, 17, of<br />
Gainsborough, is a business<br />
administration apprentice. She works<br />
two days in the finance department<br />
and undertakes a further three days’<br />
work with customer services.<br />
Sami said: “The council works<br />
closely with universities and schools<br />
in the area offering work placements.”<br />
Housing Renewal & Community<br />
Safety Manager, Grant Lockett, said:<br />
“We offer work placements to develop<br />
practical skills. We build a portfolio of<br />
work for CVs which works really well.<br />
“We gave a reference to one of the<br />
students and this helped to secure a<br />
part-time job.”<br />
This year three young people<br />
have started work at the council as<br />
part of the FJF. Leonie Janzen, 18,<br />
of Gainsborough struggled to get a<br />
job after achieving a BTEC Level 3<br />
diploma in administration. She said:<br />
“Although I had the qualification, I did<br />
not have any experience and was<br />
struggling for someone to give me a<br />
chance.”<br />
Leonie qualified for the FJF<br />
scheme as she was on Job Seekers<br />
Allowance and she now works in the<br />
housing team.<br />
She said: “I am really glad I have<br />
managed to get my foot in the door.”<br />
Jade Worthington 21, of Fenton,<br />
had problems finding suitable work<br />
because she has problems with her<br />
back. She said: “I am excited about<br />
working at the council as the job is<br />
quite varied and I have not done<br />
anything like this before.”<br />
> Our front cover photo shows<br />
Kat Miller who was over the moon<br />
when she got an apprenticeship.<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong> 5
Good<br />
sports<br />
The number of<br />
people taking part<br />
in sporting activities<br />
in the district has<br />
increased significantly<br />
T<br />
he number of people playing<br />
sport in <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> has<br />
‘significantly increased’ in the<br />
last four years.<br />
Sport take-up in our district has<br />
increased by 5.1% according to<br />
the latest figures released by Sport<br />
England.<br />
We now rank 31st out of 237 local<br />
authority areas – a staggering 135<br />
place increase.<br />
Chairman of the Community<br />
and Waste Services Committee,<br />
Cllr Jackie Brockway, said: “This is<br />
brilliant news and something <strong>West</strong><br />
<strong>Lindsey</strong> should be very proud to be<br />
part of.<br />
“Sports such as cricket, New Age<br />
Kurling and tennis have all grown<br />
in popularity and schools have also<br />
added indoor rowing as an extra<br />
curriculum sport.<br />
“We now need to sustain this<br />
participation and keep pushing<br />
forward to boost these figures even<br />
higher. Funding and original new<br />
projects need to be promoted to keep<br />
this happening.”<br />
An Active People Survey was<br />
carried out by Sports England.<br />
It measured people aged 16 and<br />
over who take part in sport and<br />
physical activity three times a week<br />
or more.<br />
The Lincolnshire Sports<br />
Partnership has been working closely<br />
with the County <strong>Council</strong>, <strong>West</strong><br />
<strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>District</strong> <strong>Council</strong>, School<br />
Sports Partnerships and local sports<br />
clubs and coaches to increase and<br />
sustain participation in sport.<br />
Projects such as Sport Unlimited<br />
have invested £11,228 in sports clubs<br />
and schemes across the district in<br />
2009/2010.<br />
This includes: sports clubs at<br />
Caistor Grammar School, a project<br />
at Scothern Cricket Club, badminton<br />
at De Aston School and rowing at<br />
Queen Elizabeth High School in<br />
Gainsborough.<br />
As a result of this 463 new<br />
participants have taken part in sport<br />
and physical activity.<br />
Chief Executive of Lincolnshire<br />
Sports Partnership, Janet Inman, was<br />
delighted with the findings.<br />
She said: “The results for<br />
Lincolnshire and <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> in<br />
particular have been amazing. The<br />
fact that <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> has jumped<br />
over 100 places to be ranked 31st in<br />
the country is excellent.<br />
“My congratulations go out to all<br />
those helping to develop and deliver<br />
sport across the county; the districts,<br />
community clubs and volunteers, and<br />
the individuals who are taking part in<br />
a wide range of activities and sports<br />
across Lincolnshire.”<br />
Josie Cleary (80) of Saxilby Kurling<br />
Club, welcomed the news.<br />
A fitness class gets into the swing at Nettleton Village Hall<br />
She said ”I have been at the club<br />
for two years. It is ideal for me as<br />
it is in the village. I don’t have any<br />
transport issues. Kurling is also good<br />
for socialising.”<br />
Club chairman John Smithson<br />
added: “The sport is great, it is open<br />
to all ages and it is so popular we now<br />
have a waiting list of people who want<br />
to join.”<br />
Lincolnshire is the highest<br />
performing county in the East<br />
Midlands and is ranked 10th in 2010<br />
out of 29 counties.<br />
How did we achieve this?<br />
• <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> and Lincolnshire<br />
Sports Partnership created the<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> Inclusive Sport<br />
Project thanks to £10,000 of<br />
funding from the Lottery to develop<br />
inclusive sport for all ages,<br />
disabilities and abilities.<br />
• The money was used to pay for<br />
equipment, develop tournaments,<br />
clubs, classes such as Thai Chi<br />
and different types of dance.<br />
• <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> helped promote the<br />
Sport Unlimited project, which<br />
invested £11,228 in clubs and<br />
schemes in 2009/2010.<br />
• Over £100,000 has been invested<br />
into schemes including Fit Kids,<br />
Health Walks, the Inclusive Fitness<br />
Initiative and Free Swimming.<br />
• 22 clubs have received Clubmark<br />
accreditation in the last three<br />
years.<br />
6 <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong>
Stirringstuff!<br />
Cookery lessons boost self-esteem<br />
for district residents<br />
B<br />
udding chefs are finding their<br />
feet around the kitchen and<br />
boosting their confidence.<br />
We’ve teamed up with<br />
Gainsborough College to run a 10-<br />
week cooking course to help residents<br />
make better food choices.<br />
Michael Watkinson, 51, of<br />
Gainsborough, admitted he had not<br />
been eating very well since his wife,<br />
Linda, died three years ago.<br />
He said: “This course was<br />
absolutely brilliant – I’d give it 100%<br />
and recommend it to anyone. I can<br />
cook with a lot more variety now.”<br />
Participants are shown how to<br />
make spaghetti bolognaise, pasta<br />
bake, flapjack and many other things.<br />
Student Ellis Walker, 18, of<br />
Gainsborough, wanted to learn how<br />
to cook better before she goes to<br />
university.<br />
She said: “I wanted to learn how to<br />
cook more food from scratch. The first<br />
week we made flapjack and I even<br />
made some more at home. I liked the<br />
course as the recipes are easy.”<br />
Gary Pearce (53) of Gainsborough,<br />
said he was only cooking basic foods<br />
and used a lot of tins and jars.<br />
He added: “I wanted to cook meals<br />
from fresh and make more healthy<br />
options. The grub is really good and<br />
what I don’t eat at home my sister<br />
eats.”<br />
Cookery teacher, Alison Leffler of<br />
Gainsborough College Community<br />
Education Department said feedback<br />
from the courses has been very<br />
positive.<br />
She said: “The lessons are going<br />
really well. It is nice for me when<br />
people come back to classes week<br />
after week and tell me they have<br />
tried some of the recipes. They do<br />
not always like them but the fact they<br />
tried is good.”<br />
Chairman of <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong>’s<br />
Community and Waste Services<br />
Committee, Cllr Jackie Brockway,<br />
was delighted with the success of the<br />
course.<br />
She said: “Allison Leffler puts the<br />
budding chefs through their paces<br />
as she teaches them about healthy<br />
foods and how to cook nutritional<br />
Ellis Walker, tutor Alison Lefflet and<br />
Gary Pearce prepare to cook a spaghetti<br />
bolognaise as part of the course<br />
meals. These clients were all referred<br />
for the course through the health<br />
trainer scheme at the council. I would<br />
like to say a big thank you to health<br />
trainers Debbie Williams and Mandy<br />
Clark for the valuable work they do<br />
and congratulate everyone who took<br />
part in the course.”<br />
If you would like to speak to a health<br />
trainer call:<br />
Tel: 01427 675288<br />
Get in thenetwork<br />
Social networking is set to keep residents, businesses<br />
and organisations in Central Lincolnshire informed<br />
The Central Lincolnshire<br />
Facebook and Twitter pages<br />
hope to inform people of the<br />
process in shaping the development<br />
of the City of Lincoln, North Kesteven<br />
<strong>District</strong> and <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>District</strong><br />
areas over the next 15-20 years.<br />
It will provide a forum for<br />
discussion on the progression of the<br />
new plan for Central Lincolnshire,<br />
and will form a hub of information<br />
throughout the year, both useful and<br />
visual.<br />
The Joint Planning Unit over<br />
the past eight months has been<br />
consulting with residents,<br />
businesses and organisations on<br />
the issues and options within Central<br />
Lincolnshire. Social networking<br />
now provides the opportunity to<br />
consult further and allow more<br />
people to have their say.<br />
If you want to get involved or find out<br />
more visit:<br />
Web: www.facebook.com/<br />
centrallincolnshire<br />
Web: www.twitter.com/talkplanning<br />
Towards a<br />
better future<br />
A six-week consultation on the<br />
issues and options for Central<br />
Lincolnshire proved a success after<br />
467 responses were received.<br />
Responses have been recorded<br />
and analysed and will be used<br />
to inform the next stages in<br />
the preparation of the Central<br />
Lincolnshire Core Strategy. This<br />
will take the form of a draft plan<br />
incorporating preferred options and<br />
indicative policies that will go out to<br />
further public consultation.<br />
Further consultations will take<br />
place later on in the year. Visit<br />
www.west-lindsey.gov/ldf for further<br />
information.<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong> 7
Ready, steady... vote<br />
Make sure of your vote in the first all-out district elections<br />
T<br />
he first-ever all-out elections<br />
which will see all 37 <strong>West</strong><br />
<strong>Lindsey</strong> district councillors<br />
elected on the same day will be held<br />
on Thursday May 5.<br />
Elections for all Town and Parish<br />
<strong>Council</strong>s will be held on the same<br />
day and you will also be able to have<br />
your say in the UK Alternative Vote<br />
Referendum.<br />
Since the inception of <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong><br />
in 1974 elections have been held ‘by<br />
thirds’ which meant that only a third of<br />
the seats were contested three years<br />
out of four.<br />
But now the council has decided<br />
that all elections for the district, town<br />
and parish councils will take place on<br />
the same day once every four years.<br />
In making this decision councillors<br />
said it would reduce confusion and<br />
maximise turnout. It is also anticipated<br />
that a clear vision and priorities can<br />
be developed over a four-year period<br />
without the impact of changes in<br />
political control.<br />
Each elector entitled to vote<br />
will receive a poll card which will<br />
give details of their local polling<br />
station. Polling takes place between<br />
7am and 10pm and the results<br />
will be announced overnight from<br />
approximately 2am onwards.<br />
You can keep up to date with all<br />
developments by logging on to our<br />
website at www.west-lindsey.gov.uk<br />
as we will be publishing the results for<br />
each ward as they are announced.<br />
The current composition of the<br />
council is Conservatives 22, Liberal<br />
Democrats 13, Independents 1 plus<br />
one seat remaining vacant. To gain<br />
overall control of the council, any<br />
group requires a minimum of 19 seats.<br />
In addition to the local elections the<br />
UK Alternative Vote referendum will<br />
also be held. The referendum will give<br />
electors the opportunity to adopt the<br />
Alternative Vote electoral system for<br />
electing Members of Parliament to the<br />
House of Commons.<br />
At present, the UK uses the ‘first<br />
past the post’ system to elect MPs.<br />
Campaigners in the referendum will<br />
explain why they think you should<br />
vote ‘yes’ (to use the ‘alternative vote’<br />
system) or ‘no’ (to continue using the<br />
‘first past the post’ system).<br />
Booklets explaining the referendum<br />
in detail will be issued to every UK<br />
household.<br />
If you would like the opportunity<br />
to speak on behalf of the local<br />
community, help local people and<br />
shape the future of your area, then<br />
consider becoming a candidate at the<br />
elections.<br />
You need to complete a nomination<br />
paper which must be returned before<br />
noon on Monday April 4 2011.<br />
For further information contact<br />
the Elections Office at the Guildhall<br />
in Gainsborough by calling: 01427<br />
676575/6 or email: graham.<br />
spicksley@west-lindsey.gov.uk<br />
Have you got a postal vote?<br />
Anyone on the electoral register<br />
can now have a postal vote. All you<br />
have to do is telephone the Elections<br />
Office on 01427 676575/6 and ask<br />
for an application form which will<br />
then be sent to you. Forms can also<br />
be downloaded from the council’s<br />
website: www.west-lindsey.gov.uk.<br />
The form is easy to complete,<br />
but should any help be necessary,<br />
the election staff will be happy to<br />
assist and advise. Completed<br />
forms need to be returned to the<br />
Elections Office at the Guildhall<br />
in Gainsborough on or before<br />
Thursday April 14 2011.<br />
Your ballot papers will be sent to<br />
you a couple of weeks before the<br />
election for you to cast your vote. You<br />
are assured that postal voting follows<br />
strict secrecy rules and you are<br />
guaranteed that no one else will know<br />
how you have voted.<br />
Those electors who already have<br />
postal voting arrangements in place<br />
do not need to reapply.<br />
Elections will be held on Thursday May 5<br />
8 <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong>
WEST LINDSEY DISTRICT COUNCIL<br />
DISTRICT COUNCIL ELECTIONS<br />
NOTICE OF ELECTION<br />
For the Wards listed below<br />
NOMINATION PAPERS Nomination papers may be obtained from the offices of the Returning Officer,<br />
Guildhall, Marshall’s Yard, Gainsborough, DN21 2NA on Monday – Thursday 9am – 4:30pm and Friday<br />
9am – 4pm (excluding Bank Holidays), who will, at the request of any elector for the Ward, prepare<br />
a nomination paper for signature.<br />
DELIVERY OF THE NOMINATION PAPERS Nomination Papers must be delivered to the Returning Officer,<br />
Guildhall, Marshall’s Yard, Gainsborough, DN21 2NA, on any day on or after the date of this notice, on Monday<br />
to Thursday 9am – 4:30pm and Friday 9am – 4pm (excluding Bank Holidays), but not later than 12 noon on<br />
Monday 4 April 2011.<br />
POLL If the elections are contested, the poll will take place on Thursday 5 May 2011.<br />
ABSENT VOTES (POSTAL AND PROXIES) Electors and their proxies should take note that new applications<br />
for a postal vote or to change or cancel an existing postal vote or proxy appointment must reach the Electoral<br />
Registration Officer by 5pm on Thursday 14 April 2011. Applications for new proxy appointments must reach<br />
the Electoral Registration Officer by 5pm on Thursday 21 April 2011 except in cases where unforeseen illness<br />
or incapacity occurs after that time in which case applications may be made up until 5pm on Thursday 5 May<br />
2011. Application forms are available from the Electoral Registration Officer, Guildhall, Marshall’s Yard,<br />
Gainsborough or by telephoning 01427 676575/6.<br />
Rachel M. North<br />
Returning Officer<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong> 9
PARISH COUNCIL ELECTIONS<br />
NOTICE OF ELECTION<br />
For the Parishes listed below<br />
NOMINATION PAPERS Nomination papers may be obtained from the offices of the Returning Officer,<br />
Guildhall, Marshall’s Yard, Gainsborough, DN21 2NA on Monday – Thursday 9am – 4:30pm and Friday<br />
9am – 4pm (excluding Bank Holidays), who will, at the request of any elector for the Ward, prepare<br />
a nomination paper for signature.<br />
DELIVERY OF THE NOMINATION PAPERS Nomination Papers must be delivered to the Returning Officer, Guildhall,<br />
Marshall’s Yard, Gainsborough, DN21 2NA, on any day on or after the date of this notice, on Monday to Thursday 9am –<br />
4:30pm and Friday 9am – 4pm (excluding Bank Holidays), but not later than 12 noon on Monday 4 April 2011.<br />
POLL If the elections are contested, the poll will take place on Thursday 5 May 2011.<br />
ABSENT VOTES (POSTAL AND PROXIES) Electors and their proxies should take note that new applications for a postal<br />
vote or to change or cancel an existing postal vote or proxy appointment must reach the Electoral Registration Officer by<br />
5pm on Thursday 14 April 2011. Applications for new proxy appointments must reach<br />
the Electoral Registration Officer by 5pm on Thursday 21 April 2011 except in cases where unforeseen illness<br />
or incapacity occurs after that time in which case applications may be made up until 5pm on Thursday 5 May 2011.<br />
Application forms are available from the Electoral Registration Officer, Guildhall, Marshall’s Yard,<br />
Gainsborough or by telephoning 01427 676575/6.<br />
Rachel M. North<br />
Returning Officer<br />
10 <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong>
Snow heroes win<br />
special award<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> staff praised<br />
for going the extra mile<br />
during the adverse<br />
weather conditions<br />
The British Red Cross has<br />
praised staff at <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong><br />
for going the extra mile to<br />
support vulnerable people during<br />
December’s severe weather.<br />
Despite heavy snowfall and<br />
freezing temperatures of minus 17<br />
degrees centigrade staff rallied round<br />
to support the charity in helping local<br />
residents.<br />
Senior Service Manager for the<br />
British Red Cross, Edith Wesley,<br />
explained how they took the lead in<br />
directing staff to priority needs in the<br />
area.<br />
She said: “I am delighted to present<br />
this award to <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>District</strong><br />
<strong>Council</strong> – for their innovative help<br />
during the severe weather conditions.<br />
“We received calls from residents<br />
in areas of <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> which were<br />
hard hit, including people who were<br />
alone, had no food or heating and<br />
needed urgent help to get to medical<br />
appointments.<br />
“Between ourselves and the<br />
council we were able to support<br />
residents. It did not matter what time<br />
of the day we called – there was<br />
always someone willing to lend a<br />
helping hand.<br />
“This award is recognition of the<br />
council thinking totally outside the box<br />
and offering to support the Red Cross<br />
and vulnerable people in their area in<br />
a time of crisis.<br />
<strong>Council</strong> worker Paul Redhead clears the snow so a resident can attend a medical appointment<br />
“To me this was a fantastic offer by<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> and has been flagged<br />
up as good practice to be considered<br />
in future emergencies.”<br />
Director of Strategy & Regeneration,<br />
Rachel North, said she was delighted<br />
to receive the award on behalf of the<br />
council. “It recognises our staff’s ability<br />
to be flexible in some of the most<br />
testing circumstances. We offered<br />
extra support to vulnerable residents<br />
by helping to clear pathways to get<br />
them to medical appointments and<br />
delivered food parcels and heating.”<br />
And Mrs North said the award<br />
reflected the <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> community<br />
spirit as a whole: “We made the<br />
From L-R: Director of Strategy & Regeneration Rachel North; Senior Service Manager<br />
for the British Red Cross Edith Wesley; and Lesley Beevers pick up the award<br />
“We made the most of our<br />
resources to help communities<br />
Rachel North,<br />
Director of Strategy & Regeneration<br />
most of our limited resources to help<br />
communities help themselves.<br />
“There were some great examples<br />
of communities working together to<br />
clear snow from their own streets and<br />
checking on their neighbours, which<br />
has to be commended.”<br />
Mrs North said the award was a<br />
credit to the great partnership work<br />
between the <strong>Council</strong>, the British Red<br />
Cross, Lincolnshire County <strong>Council</strong><br />
and Lincolnshire Police.<br />
<strong>Council</strong>lors did their part by rallying<br />
support to help their local wards.<br />
<strong>Council</strong> Leader Cllr Burt Keimach<br />
said: “We had one of the worst winters<br />
in over 100 years. I was delighted to<br />
see councillors out and about helping<br />
the local community.<br />
“Offers of help ranged from using<br />
their own 4x4 vehicles to access<br />
residents, putting out posters to inform<br />
residents of static waste collections or<br />
offering a shopping service for some<br />
of the most vulnerable residents –<br />
a good effort was made by all.<br />
“It was heart-warming to see<br />
communities pulling together to help<br />
themselves – whether it was clearing<br />
the market place in Market Rasen or<br />
helping to check on a neighbour.”<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong> 11
What’s on<br />
Trinity<br />
Street, Gainsborough,<br />
Lincolnshire DN21 2AL<br />
Box Office: 01427 676655<br />
Web: www.trinityarts.co.uk<br />
Monumental films, a drama classic and musical masterpieces will all be seen<br />
at the arts centre for <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> during March<br />
Opening the show on March 2 is<br />
Wildest Dream: Conquest of<br />
Everest (PG). This awe-inspiring<br />
documentary follows Conrad<br />
Anker’s attempt to climb Everest<br />
following the exact route of George<br />
Mallory, the British explorer who<br />
famously quipped ‘because it’s<br />
there’ when he was asked why<br />
he was going to climb the world’s<br />
highest mountain.<br />
Tickets are £4.50 (£3.50<br />
concessions).<br />
Then on Thursday March 3, Hull<br />
Truck present Lady Chatterley’s<br />
Lover by D.H. Lawrence.<br />
Lady Constance Chatterley is<br />
trapped in a loveless marriage.<br />
Injured in battle, her husband<br />
Clifford is unable to satisfy her<br />
desires and so Constance finds<br />
herself drawn towards a man she<br />
meets in the woods. Contains adult<br />
scenes.<br />
Tickets £12 (£10 concessions).<br />
A Buddy Holly Tribute takes to the<br />
Trinity stage on March 4<br />
March 4 sees what is billed as<br />
the longest-running and greatest<br />
Buddy Holly Show on Earth.<br />
Buddy Holly and the Cricketers<br />
have delighted audiences across<br />
the globe for 17 years and the act<br />
is guaranteed to have everyone<br />
singing along to the music and<br />
dancing in the aisles to timeless<br />
hits including That’ll Be The Day,<br />
Peggy Sue, It Doesn’t Matter<br />
Anymore, Raining in my Heart, Oh<br />
Boy! and many more.<br />
Tickets are £12 (£10<br />
concessions).<br />
Also billed for this month are:<br />
March 9: The Way Back (12A).<br />
Based on Slavomir Rawicz’s<br />
acclaimed memoir The Long<br />
Walk, the story follows the<br />
courageous escape of seven<br />
multi-national prisoners from a<br />
Soviet Labour Camp in 1941<br />
and their treacherous journey as<br />
they battle the elements through<br />
Siberia, the Gobi Desert, Tibet and<br />
the Himalayas in search of safety,<br />
refuge and freedom.<br />
Tickets £4.50 (concessions<br />
£3.50).<br />
March 10: The Hoot Comedy<br />
Club with Danny Pensive. City<br />
Life Friday described Pensive as:<br />
‘Paddington Bear meets the loony<br />
at the bus stop.’<br />
Tickets are £5.<br />
March 12: Blue Valentine (15).<br />
The film centres on married couple<br />
Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy<br />
(Michelle Williams) and their<br />
relationship over a number of years<br />
by shifting between different periods.<br />
Tickets £4.50 (£3.50<br />
concessions).<br />
March 16: The King’s Speech<br />
(12A). This is the story of the man<br />
who would become King George VI.<br />
After his brother abdicates, George<br />
‘Bertie’ VI (Colin Firth) reluctantly<br />
assumes the throne. Plagued by<br />
a dreaded nervous stammer and<br />
considered unfit to be King, Bertie<br />
engages the help of an unorthodox<br />
speech therapist named Lionel<br />
Logue (Geoffrey Rush).<br />
Tickets £4.50 (£3.50<br />
concessions).<br />
Escape movie The Way Back is<br />
screened on March 9<br />
March 18: 127 Hours (15). This<br />
is the true story of mountain<br />
climber Aron Ralston’s remarkable<br />
adventure after a fallen boulder<br />
crashes on his arm and traps him<br />
in an isolated canyon in Utah.<br />
Over the next five days Ralston<br />
examines his life and realises he<br />
must save himself by any means<br />
necessary. Tickets £4.50 (£3.50<br />
concessions).<br />
March 19: Rape of Lucrece by<br />
William Shakespeare. Gerald<br />
Logan stars in the first ever stage<br />
12 2 <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>News</strong>
adaption of this work. The Rape<br />
of Lucrece is a brilliant, brutal<br />
narrative poem giving an account<br />
of the terrible crime of rape and its<br />
dreadful consequences for victim<br />
and perpetrator.<br />
Tickets £10 (concessions £8).<br />
March 23: Of Gods and Men<br />
(15). In a monastery perched in<br />
the mountains of North Africa in<br />
the 1990s, eight French Christian<br />
monks live in harmony with their<br />
Muslim brothers. When a crew of<br />
foreign workers is massacred by<br />
an Islamic fundamentalist group,<br />
fear sweeps through the region.<br />
The army offers them protection,<br />
but the monks refuse. Should they<br />
leave?<br />
Tickets £4.50 (£3.50<br />
concessions).<br />
March 25: Tannahill Weavers.<br />
See one of Scotland’s premier<br />
traditional bands whose diverse<br />
Blue Valentine focuses<br />
on marriage on March 12<br />
127 Hours is showing on March 19<br />
repertoire spans the centuries with<br />
fire-driven instrumentals, topical<br />
songs and original ballads and<br />
lullabies. Their music demonstrates<br />
to young and old alike the rich<br />
and varied musical heritage of the<br />
Celtic people.<br />
Tickets £10 (£8 concessions).<br />
March 26 at 2pm: Babbling<br />
Vagabonds present The Buried<br />
Moon. In the darkest corners,<br />
among the wavering tossocks and<br />
the trembling mools, the muddy,<br />
black bogs and the great snags...<br />
The Things dwell.<br />
Tickets £5 (£4 concessions).<br />
March 30 at 12 noon: Lunchtime<br />
Literature. Dr Jane Mackay on<br />
Anna Karenina by Tolstoy. Come<br />
and meet one of Tolstoy’s most<br />
intriguing heroines, the respectably<br />
married Anna who has a<br />
scandalous affair with the dashing<br />
Count Vronsky.<br />
Tickets £6.50 including a drink.<br />
March 30: Chico and Rita (15).<br />
This beautifully animated classic<br />
love story brims with charm and is<br />
alive with the spirit of Latin jazz.<br />
It all begins on a steamy night in<br />
Havana in 1948 when Chico, a<br />
rising jazz pianist, is entranced by<br />
a beautiful songbird named Rita.<br />
She turns out to be the key to<br />
his success and is the girl of his<br />
dreams.<br />
Tickets £4.50 (£3.50<br />
concessions).<br />
Save on your night out<br />
Enjoying a night out at Trinity<br />
Arts is cheaper than you<br />
might think if you live outside<br />
Gainsborough.<br />
Parking in Gainsborough is<br />
free after 6pm each evening<br />
and all day on Sunday which<br />
is not the case in neighbouring<br />
towns and cities.<br />
So a trip to Gainsborough<br />
will not only be great<br />
entertainment but you’ll be<br />
quids in!<br />
Could you be a<br />
guardian angel?<br />
Could you be a guardian angel?<br />
If live theatre, music and<br />
cinema have you on cloud<br />
nine then you could be just<br />
the person to be a Trinity Arts<br />
Centre Guardian Angel.<br />
Amongst the heavenly benefits<br />
are:<br />
>> £1 off all films<br />
>> Concessionary prices for<br />
most live evening shows<br />
>> Priority booking on selected<br />
events<br />
>> A discount booklet for extra<br />
savings during the year<br />
>> Membership newsletter,<br />
brochures and e-bulletins<br />
>> Discounted room hire for<br />
parties, meetings and<br />
special occasions<br />
>> Free entry to the prize draw<br />
for panto tickets 2011<br />
All for £15 (£10 concessions).<br />
To find out more visit:<br />
Tel: 01427 676655<br />
Web: www.trinityarts.co.uk<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong> <strong>News</strong> 313
Movie magic!<br />
A mobile cinema screen designed to bring the big screen<br />
experience to rural areas has been introduced in the district<br />
The <strong>Council</strong> has teamed<br />
up with Big Country Rural<br />
Cinema Network to produce a<br />
project which is hoped will be a ‘reel’<br />
attraction for movie lovers.<br />
Gainsborough councillor and Trinity<br />
Arts supporter, Cllr Gillian Bardsley,<br />
said: “We are delighted to be able to<br />
offer this fantastic scheme to residents<br />
of <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong>.<br />
“Centre Screen is a scheme that<br />
uses portable cinema equipment to<br />
provide film screenings in alternative<br />
venues, particularly in areas where<br />
cinema might not otherwise be<br />
available, such as rural locations.<br />
“We hope volunteer promoters<br />
will take advantage of this wonderful<br />
opportunity to turn their local venue<br />
into a temporary cinema, so that local<br />
people can enjoy films old and new at<br />
a friendly nearby venue. The benefits<br />
Gainsborough has will now be shared<br />
out across the district.”<br />
Volunteers within the community<br />
select the film, book the venue and set<br />
the price for the tickets and then sell<br />
them. Centre Screen <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong>,<br />
based at the Trinity Arts Centre in<br />
Gainsborough, provides a technician<br />
and the equipment to run the<br />
screening. The screenings cost<br />
£90 and the money returned<br />
to the scheme will help to maintain<br />
the equipment and keep the costs<br />
down.<br />
“We hope volunteer promoters take<br />
advantage of this opportunity so<br />
that local people can enjoy films<br />
Cllr Gillian Bardsley<br />
Any money groups make<br />
from organising raffles or selling<br />
refreshments they get to keep.<br />
Centre Screen comes with<br />
support from the technical staff at<br />
Trinity Arts Centre, a venue with 25<br />
years’ experience in cinema and live<br />
events.<br />
Kevin Dunbar, co-ordinator for<br />
Centre Screen, <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> said:<br />
“This is a new and exciting venture<br />
and it is a great way to bring the<br />
community together.<br />
“Centre Screen works with<br />
voluntary promoters based at<br />
venues as diverse as village halls,<br />
libraries, community centres, schools<br />
and colleges – anywhere that is<br />
a meeting point for local people<br />
and can provide some very basic<br />
facilities.”<br />
The scheme is a partnership with<br />
Big Country Rural Cinema Network<br />
and funded by E.M Media but it is<br />
managed by Centre Screen <strong>West</strong><br />
<strong>Lindsey</strong>. Similar schemes based at<br />
Phoenix Arts in Leicester currently<br />
operate within Leicestershire, Rutland,<br />
Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire.<br />
For more detailed information please<br />
visit: www.centrescreen.net<br />
> To join the scheme or to find out<br />
more information contact: Kevin<br />
Dunbar, Centre Screen Co-ordinator,<br />
Trinity Arts Centre, Trinity Street,<br />
Gainsborough, DN21 2AL, (01427)<br />
675137 alternatively email: kevin.<br />
dunbar@west-lindsey.gov.uk<br />
Pictured above left: Kevin Dunbar<br />
who will soon be producing scenes<br />
like this (centre) at a village hall<br />
near you.<br />
14 <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong>
Thanks for keeping us<br />
off the streets<br />
Teenagers grateful for youth café<br />
Teenagers have thanked the<br />
council for helping to keep their<br />
youth café open.<br />
The Arena Café in Market Rasen<br />
provides a safe place for young<br />
people to meet up instead of hanging<br />
around on the streets.<br />
Figures released by Lincolnshire<br />
Police show the café has helped<br />
to halve the number of anti-social<br />
behaviour incidents in the town since<br />
January 2010 – down from 32 to<br />
just 17.<br />
The Community Safety Unit at<br />
the council has awarded the café a<br />
£15,000 grant to ensure its good work<br />
can carry on.<br />
Leader of <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>District</strong><br />
<strong>Council</strong> and a ward member for<br />
Market Rasen, Cllr Burt Keimach said:<br />
“We are delighted to award this grant<br />
to the youth café, which has had a<br />
significant impact in Market Rasen<br />
– and not only on the anti-social<br />
behaviour figures.<br />
“It has also made a big difference to<br />
the area and gives the young people<br />
a safe place to go on a Friday evening<br />
in the town.<br />
“The council is working<br />
closely with CG Partnerships,<br />
which manages the café, to<br />
look at making its future more<br />
sustainable.”<br />
Jack Rook, 14, has been<br />
going to the café, also known as the<br />
Friday Night Project, since it opened.<br />
He said: “It is somewhere to go<br />
rather than loitering around on the<br />
streets.<br />
“It is not fun for people to see<br />
lots of kids on the street as it can be<br />
intimidating, when they walk past big<br />
groups.<br />
“I am pleased the council has paid<br />
to keep the café open. The fact they<br />
are putting money into the café at all<br />
because of the budget cuts is really<br />
good.”<br />
Mason Dawson, 13, meets up with<br />
his friends in the café. He is also a<br />
member of the Market Rasen Youth<br />
<strong>Council</strong>.<br />
He said: “Before the café opened<br />
there was a lot of vandalism in the<br />
town caused by people<br />
Sam Rea, Youth worker for the Friday Night Project,<br />
chats with young people at the Arena Café<br />
Graffiti artist Luke Brisbane produced his<br />
design with help from James Mayle at<br />
the Friday Night Project’s Urban Extravanganza<br />
because they had nothing<br />
else to do.”<br />
“If I was not at the café I would be<br />
hanging around on the streets with my<br />
friends.<br />
“Now I help out in the tuck<br />
shop, play on the Wii and use the<br />
computers. I am so pleased the<br />
council have given the café a grant to<br />
keep open.”<br />
Young people can use all the<br />
facilities available and youth workers<br />
are on hand to talk to.<br />
CG Partnership Project Worker,<br />
Sam Rea, said the café regularly has<br />
between 20 and 30 young people<br />
attending on a Friday night.<br />
She said: “This grant is fantastic<br />
news. This café really has given<br />
young people an opportunity to say no<br />
to going out drinking with their friends<br />
and has given them an alternative<br />
place to go.<br />
“Last year we engaged with<br />
137 people and almost 80 of them<br />
returned four or more times, which<br />
exceeded our expectations.<br />
“I have definitely noticed a positive<br />
change in behaviour and attitude with<br />
the young people we have at the café<br />
on a Friday night.<br />
“One young person recently<br />
opened up to me and said ‘you and<br />
the Friday Night Project have made<br />
a difference in my life’.”<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong> 15
What’s on <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong><br />
MARCH<br />
5-6: Free entry to Goltho Gardens<br />
as part of Discover Lincolnshire<br />
Weekend. This stunning 4.5 acre<br />
garden was only started in 1998 but<br />
already looks established.<br />
8: Frankenstein Live! at the<br />
Broadbent Theatre<br />
Presented by the Angus & Ross<br />
Theatre Company. This show<br />
has been financially assisted<br />
by Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire<br />
Rural Touring Partnership funded<br />
by the Arts <strong>Council</strong> England & Lincs<br />
County and <strong>District</strong> <strong>Council</strong>s. Tickets<br />
£8 (£6.50 concessions). 7:30pm start.<br />
For more information: 01673 885500.<br />
11-12, 18-19: Dick Whittington in<br />
the Osgodby Village Hall (pictured<br />
above)<br />
Presented by The Osgodby Amateur<br />
Dramatic Society – “The TOADS”, a<br />
thriving drama group. 7.30pm start.<br />
Tickets £6 adults and £3.50 children<br />
(available from Ann Bennett at the<br />
Post Office).<br />
30: Lark Rise to Candleford at the<br />
Broadbent Theatre<br />
Presented by the New Perspectives<br />
Theatre Company. Tickets £8 (£6.50<br />
concessions). 7:30pm start. For more<br />
information 01673 885500.<br />
APRIL<br />
2: Caistor Food Fair at Caistor<br />
Town Hall<br />
Organised in conjunction with Tastes<br />
of Lincolnshire, there will be a large<br />
number of stalls, ranging from highquality<br />
meat and fish, Lincolnshire<br />
cheeses, home made breads, cakes,<br />
preserves and confectionery. 10am<br />
– 4pm. Free admission. For more<br />
details contact Caistor Town <strong>Council</strong><br />
on: 01472 851679 or visit caistor.net.<br />
MAY<br />
7-8 and 14-15: <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong><br />
Churches Festival. More than 90<br />
churches are open over the two<br />
weekends from Saxon, Norman to<br />
Victorian gems. Activities throughout<br />
the weekends include: bell ringing,<br />
organ music, kneelers, exhibitions,<br />
arts and crafts, flowers and music.<br />
16-21: Gainsborough Theatre<br />
Company presents Like a Virgin at<br />
the Old Nick<br />
This powerful play with music is a<br />
romp through the bubble-gum years<br />
of teenage life. For more information:<br />
01427 810616.<br />
26: Made in Lincolnshire – The<br />
Industrial Archaeology of the<br />
County at St Andrew’s Centre,<br />
William Street, Saxilby<br />
This comprehensively illustrated talk<br />
by Chris Lester gives an overview of<br />
Lincolnshire’s industrial archaeology.<br />
Runs from 7pm to 9pm. Book in<br />
advance: 01529 461499 or email:<br />
heritage-at-risk@lincsheritage.org.<br />
Would you like your activity<br />
included in the next edition<br />
of <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong>? Email:<br />
communicationsteam@westlindsey.gov.uk<br />
Best foot forward<br />
The seventh Lincolnshire Wolds<br />
Walking Festival is taking place<br />
from Saturday May 21 to Sunday<br />
June 5 and offers a huge range<br />
of over 75 walks in our Area of<br />
Outstanding Natural beauty and<br />
surrounding countryside.<br />
With walks to suit any age,<br />
ability or interest, there really<br />
is something for everyone –<br />
from gentle strolls to the more<br />
energetic long distance walking<br />
and throughout the day into the<br />
evening.<br />
This year for the first time<br />
there’s a Nordic walk taking<br />
place and a walk especially for<br />
dogs – and their owners!<br />
Most of the walks are free of<br />
charge, but some may require<br />
early booking, to ensure a place.<br />
This year there is an exciting<br />
launch event with fun for all<br />
the family at Brackenborough<br />
Hall Coach House Holidays<br />
near Louth and two walks<br />
from Louth will be walking to<br />
Brackenborough to launch the<br />
event.<br />
There’s also a finale taking<br />
place at the delightful village of<br />
Partney, where several walks<br />
will be taking place from Partney<br />
of differing lengths and leaving<br />
times – and all arriving back at<br />
the same time in the afternoon<br />
for the cutting of the Festival<br />
cake!<br />
For further information:<br />
Tel: 01507 609740 (and ask for a free<br />
Wolds Walking Festival brochure)<br />
Web: www.woldswalkingfestival.co.uk<br />
Email: aonb@lincswolds.org.uk<br />
16 <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong>
Great days out in <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong><br />
E<br />
veryone knows that going<br />
to the Lincolnshire Show<br />
is a great day out in <strong>West</strong><br />
<strong>Lindsey</strong>.<br />
And visitors to the council’s stand<br />
at this year’s event on June 22-23<br />
will be able to find out about more<br />
fantastic days out in our district.<br />
We’ve decided to hand over part of<br />
our display space to tourism providers<br />
in our area so that visitors can find out<br />
about some of the great attractions<br />
we have on offer.<br />
Chairman of the organising<br />
committee, Cllr Irmgard Parrott,<br />
explained: “The council is very proud<br />
of the fact that the county’s premier<br />
event is in our district and we know<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> hosts the very best day<br />
out for many miles around. But we<br />
also know that our district has many<br />
other fantastic tourist attractions so<br />
we decided to give two of them the<br />
chance to work with us on the theme<br />
of Great Days Out in <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong>.”<br />
We contacted all tourist businesses<br />
in the area and asked if they wanted<br />
to join us. The names of those<br />
interested went into the hat and the<br />
lucky winners to join us at the Show<br />
are the Gainsborough Model Railway<br />
and Wharton Hall Farm.<br />
Cllr Parrott added: “We are<br />
delighted that these attractions will be<br />
joining us and I am sure that visitors<br />
will soon realise that although they<br />
are enjoying a great day in <strong>West</strong><br />
<strong>Lindsey</strong> at the Show there are lots<br />
more great days out to be had in <strong>West</strong><br />
<strong>Lindsey</strong>.”<br />
The leisure and tourism theme will<br />
be continued when visitors will be<br />
asked to do a spell on a treadmill to<br />
help us Walk the Viking Way in <strong>West</strong><br />
<strong>Lindsey</strong> and Cycle the Sustrans Cycle<br />
Route. The name of everyone who<br />
helps us reach the target distances<br />
will go into a draw and there will be<br />
great prizes for the winners!<br />
The <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> stand at the<br />
Show has proved very popular with<br />
visitors who live in our district and we<br />
are sure that will be the case again<br />
this year.<br />
Cllr Parrott said: “As usual<br />
councillors will be on hand to discuss<br />
issues with residents and answer<br />
questions and staff will be available<br />
to help with general enquiries. If we<br />
cannot deal with any question on the<br />
spot we will take details and make<br />
sure residents get an answer as soon<br />
as possible.”<br />
Last year an Economic Impact<br />
Study carried out on behalf of the<br />
Lincolnshire Agricultural Society<br />
revealed that the Show puts nearly<br />
£12m a year into the economy, with<br />
£8m of that staying in the region.<br />
Howdy partners!<br />
Keep on track at the Lincolnshire show<br />
with the Gainsborough Model Railway<br />
J<br />
oining us at the Show will<br />
be the Gainsborough Model<br />
Railway which has one of the<br />
largest layouts in the country.<br />
Based on the East Coast Main<br />
Line from London Kings Cross to<br />
Leeds Central, the railway covers<br />
2,500 square feet, has more than<br />
1,200 feet of main line track and<br />
needs 10 operators. It also features<br />
150 locomotives, 100 coaches, 200<br />
wagons and vans, 150 pieces of<br />
pointwork, half a mile of trackwork<br />
and nine stations.<br />
As a contrast Wharton Hall Farm<br />
Park is set in 10 acres and includes<br />
a mile long walk around the animal<br />
paddocks. The animals include<br />
sheep, pigs, rabbits and goats and<br />
there are lots of exciting breeds<br />
of animals and birds as well as<br />
rare breeds.<br />
Above: The fantastic Gainsborough Model Railway is one of the largest in the country. Right: Let’s talk to the animals at Wharton Hall Farm Park<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong> 17
Funding for worthy projects<br />
Community groups get a helping hand from councillors’ fund<br />
Cllr Jessie Milne with Lea Village Hall secretary and treasurer May Greenway<br />
and her team who dug deep to find £40,000<br />
S<br />
ports equipment, Wi-fi and<br />
even a new footpath have<br />
been paid for thanks to <strong>West</strong><br />
<strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>District</strong> <strong>Council</strong>.<br />
The <strong>Council</strong>lor Initiative Fund<br />
gives each elected member £1,000 to<br />
spend on projects in their ward. Many<br />
chose to divide their allocated £1,000<br />
between several good causes and<br />
as a result submitted a number of<br />
applications; others allocated their<br />
entire fund to a single project.<br />
Lea Village Hall is just one of many<br />
groups to benefit from the fund. The<br />
group has invested £40,000 to give<br />
the outside of their village hall a much<br />
needed makeover. They received<br />
£1,000 from Cllr Jessie Milne’s<br />
allowance towards the cost.<br />
Cllr Milne said: “It is vitally<br />
important we keep village halls like<br />
this alive because they are the very<br />
lifeblood of rural communities.”<br />
Work to the hall includes urgent<br />
repairs to the drainage system,<br />
paving, trees and retaining walls.<br />
Treasurer and secretary May<br />
Greenway said she was delighted<br />
with the grant: “The management<br />
committee has had to work its socks<br />
off to raise nearly £40,000 from a<br />
variety of sources.”<br />
Nettleham Parish <strong>Council</strong> was<br />
given £1,000 from Cllr Malcolm<br />
Leaning’s allocation, to pay for<br />
printing costs of the Nettleham Design<br />
Plan. He said: “The council is trying<br />
to encourage as many town and<br />
parish councils as possible to have a<br />
parish design plan because it will help<br />
when it comes to making planning<br />
decisions.”<br />
This cash meant the parish council<br />
could print an extra 2,000 copies to<br />
make sure everyone in the village got<br />
a copy.<br />
Willingham Parish <strong>Council</strong> was<br />
given £1,000 towards resurfacing the<br />
cemetery footpath.<br />
Cllr Reg Shore said: “It was such a<br />
big project for a small cemetery and<br />
a small village. Without this cash the<br />
parish council would never have been<br />
able to afford it.<br />
“The money was not just spent on<br />
resurfacing the footpath it also helped<br />
sort out the shrubbery and making<br />
some grave stones safe.<br />
“It was thanks to the parish council,<br />
Hill Holt Wood and money from <strong>West</strong><br />
<strong>Lindsey</strong> that we were able to address<br />
this issue.”<br />
More than 20 children were<br />
treated to a special trip to the<br />
pantomime at the Trinity Arts Centre<br />
in Gainsborough.<br />
Cllr Mel Starkey used part of his<br />
allowance to treat youngsters who<br />
attend Gainsborough Adventure Play<br />
Association to a trip to the Christmas<br />
Pantomime.<br />
Cllrs Malcolm Parish and Di<br />
Rodgers both used parts of their fund<br />
to help Toft Newton Parish <strong>Council</strong>.<br />
They helped to buy sports equipment<br />
and a secure shed to store the<br />
equipment.<br />
Cllr Angela Lawrence allotted half of<br />
her grant to Caistor Town Hall to pay<br />
towards additional free Wi-fi access<br />
for anyone using the Town Hall. The<br />
hall has undergone a makeover thanks<br />
to grants from waste management<br />
company Biffa, Community Lincs and<br />
the town council.<br />
Cllr Alan Caine has given £500 to<br />
Caistor Heritage Trust, with two further<br />
£500 sums coming from Caistor<br />
Development Trust and Renaissance<br />
East Midlands. He said: “This will<br />
be used to catalogue the wealth of<br />
heritage material that has come to<br />
light over recent years, both tangible<br />
items and photographic collections<br />
spanning well over a century of<br />
history. This will all be digitised and<br />
available on the internet worldwide.”<br />
For details of all <strong>Council</strong>lor Initiative<br />
projects visit: www.west-lindsey.gov.uk/<br />
initiativefund after April 1.<br />
18 <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong>
Supporting you to<br />
stay at home<br />
A practical ‘hands on’ scheme has been launched following the<br />
council’s successful bid to Lincolnshire Supporting People<br />
A<br />
practical ‘hands on’ scheme<br />
to prevent homelessness<br />
has been launched in <strong>West</strong><br />
<strong>Lindsey</strong> following a successful bid to<br />
Lincolnshire Supporting People.<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>District</strong> <strong>Council</strong> has<br />
set up the Floating Support Service<br />
to help residents find and keep their<br />
accommodation. It is available for<br />
single people and families across the<br />
whole of the district who are homeless<br />
or at risk of becoming homeless.<br />
Chairman of the Economic<br />
Development & Regeneration<br />
Committee, Jeff Summers, said: “We<br />
recognise that for some people having<br />
a roof over their head is not enough<br />
to guarantee they will not end up<br />
homeless.<br />
“We are delighted to provide this<br />
scheme, which will help arm residents<br />
with the skills they need to help them<br />
sustain their own tenancies and live<br />
independently.”<br />
Two new support workers have<br />
joined the council’s Home Options<br />
Team to help deliver the service.<br />
The support workers will be able to<br />
offer help and advice on a number of<br />
areas including:<br />
> Finding accommodation and<br />
establishing tenancies<br />
> Applying for benefits/grants<br />
> Managing money and budgeting<br />
> Accessing furniture from charitable<br />
groups<br />
> Setting up utilities<br />
> Making arrangements with creditors<br />
to manage debts<br />
Housing, Renewal & Community<br />
Safety Service Manager, Grant<br />
Lockett said: “I am delighted to bring<br />
this service into the Home Options<br />
Team which will help us offer a full<br />
support package for residents.<br />
“Floating Support is all about<br />
keeping tenancies by putting in place<br />
Claire Ross (centre) has joined the Housing Team as a Floating Support Worker<br />
measures to prevent homelessness.<br />
We will not only help residents find<br />
a place to live but we will create an<br />
individual support plan to focus on<br />
their needs.<br />
“This could include setting up a<br />
bank account, obtaining furniture or<br />
registering with a GP and dentist.”<br />
The council is already reducing the<br />
number of people who are homeless<br />
in the district and the amount of<br />
temporary accommodation needed.<br />
This is thanks to a greater emphasis<br />
on prevention.<br />
Since April 2010, 98 cases of<br />
homelessness have been prevented<br />
or alternative accommodation found<br />
– thanks to efforts by the councils’<br />
Home Options Team.<br />
The authority helped prevent the<br />
number of people becoming homeless<br />
through mediation, mortgage rescue,<br />
the council’s deposit guarantee<br />
scheme and many more schemes.<br />
Referral forms can be accessed:<br />
Web: www.west-lindsey.gov.uk/housing<br />
Tel: 01427 675676 (Home Options Team)<br />
The Floating Support Service<br />
The Floating Support Service is a<br />
short term housing support service.<br />
Service users will have a project<br />
worker to help them create a support<br />
plan which may include partner<br />
agencies involvement.<br />
Referrals can be made for anyone<br />
in <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> who is at risk of<br />
homelessness and in need of housing<br />
related support.<br />
To access the service people must<br />
be aged 17 or above.<br />
They may be homeless, living in<br />
temporary accommodation, living in<br />
social or privately rented housing or<br />
be owner occupiers.<br />
The floating support scheme<br />
has already helped to enhance the<br />
council’s homelessness prevention<br />
efforts. Since January 2011, 13<br />
households have been signed up onto<br />
the scheme and a number of referrals<br />
to the scheme are being received.<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong> 19
Nettleham Parish<br />
<strong>Council</strong> Chairman<br />
Terry Williams (left)<br />
and district councillor<br />
Malcolm Leaning with<br />
the aqua sacs bought<br />
to protect the village<br />
Working to keep flooding at bay<br />
In the battle to beat flooding, ditch<br />
and dyke owners have been<br />
warned they could face legal action<br />
if they don’t remove obstructions in<br />
their watercourses.<br />
Communities across <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong><br />
are being urged to regularly check<br />
ditches, dykes, rivers and streams<br />
to ensure they are not blocked with<br />
debris that will reduce flow of water.<br />
Chair of the district council’s<br />
Communities and Waste Committee,<br />
Cllr Jackie Brockway, said: “One of<br />
the most frequent causes of flooding<br />
is poorly maintained watercourses.<br />
“Blocked ditches and drains can<br />
lead to serious issues during severe<br />
weather conditions if flow is restricted<br />
and water spills over the top.”<br />
The council is urging residents to<br />
be vigilant and report any potential<br />
problems in their areas to their parish<br />
or town council or local flood warden.<br />
Cllr Brockway added: “The council<br />
does not have the resources to check<br />
all the watercourses in the district,<br />
which is why we rely on the support<br />
of residents and parish and town<br />
councils, who are best placed to<br />
respond swiftly to problems.<br />
“Flood Wardens and local councils<br />
can approach the owners to ask them<br />
to try and solve the problem. If the<br />
works are not undertaken then either<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>District</strong> <strong>Council</strong> or the<br />
drainage boards have legal powers to<br />
ensure the work is done.”<br />
Many parish councils have<br />
appointed flood wardens who regularly<br />
patrol their communities and check on<br />
the condition of local watercourses.<br />
The district council has also set<br />
aside £10,000 to offer grants of £250<br />
to parish councils to be used for flood<br />
prevention. So far only £4,000 of this<br />
fund has been claimed, with the cash<br />
being spent on equipment for the<br />
wardens. Five parish councils have<br />
bought aqua sacs with their grant<br />
money, including Nettleham.<br />
Cllr Malcolm Leaning, who<br />
represents Nettleham, welcomed the<br />
aqua sacs as an alternative to sand<br />
bags.<br />
He said: “Some parish councils,<br />
whilst wanting to be ready for possible<br />
floods, have found problems in<br />
finding substantial storage space for<br />
sand and bags. Nettleham has been<br />
investigating the cost and positioning<br />
of a suitable store for these.<br />
“They have now decided to buy<br />
‘Aqua Sacs’ instead. They contain a<br />
gel which expands on contact with<br />
water and can be re-used and are<br />
much more easily stored.<br />
“The council has bought 100 aqua<br />
sacs. They were able to pay for them<br />
thanks to a £250 grant.”<br />
Chairman of Nettleham Parish<br />
<strong>Council</strong>, Cllr Terry Williams said:<br />
“This is an excellent example of how<br />
the district and parish councils can<br />
work together to produce a practical<br />
solution to a real problem that can<br />
have devastating consequences for<br />
residents who are directly affected.”<br />
If your council has not applied for a<br />
grant visit: www.west-lindsey.gov.<br />
uk/parish/floodgrant<br />
20 <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong>
The Concessionary Bus Pass<br />
Scheme is changing…<br />
Central Government have<br />
decided that from 1st April<br />
2011 responsibility for bus<br />
passes will transfer from<br />
the <strong>District</strong> <strong>Council</strong> to the<br />
County <strong>Council</strong>.<br />
So what does this mean?<br />
• Current bus passes will still remain valid until their expiry date.<br />
• Financial constraints will mean non-continuation of some<br />
discretionary elements such as taxi tokens and rail card contributions.<br />
• The way you apply for a new bus pass will be different. From April<br />
you must apply by post, or alternatively you can present yourself at<br />
City Hall in Lincoln.<br />
• The option for doing pass applications and renewals on-line is also<br />
being developed.<br />
• These options will give you a choice of how to obtain your pass but<br />
please do not apply any earlier than 21 days in advance of the due date.<br />
• Application forms and an information leaflet about the scheme<br />
will be available from Libraries, Local <strong>District</strong> <strong>Council</strong> Offices, other<br />
key access centres and online.<br />
For further information visit: www.lincolnshire.gov.uk<br />
or alternatively contact:<br />
Lincolnshire County <strong>Council</strong><br />
Accessibility & Policy Unit, City Hall<br />
Lincoln, LN1 1DN
Fantastic recycling record!<br />
T<br />
he latest figures from our<br />
recycling department reveal<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> residents are<br />
smashing government targets.<br />
The government has set an<br />
ambitious goal of recycling half our<br />
waste materials by 2020, but together<br />
we’ve achieved that nine years ahead<br />
of schedule.<br />
So far this year 57% of your<br />
materials have been recycled – up<br />
more than 15 percentage points<br />
since the triple bin scheme was<br />
introduced just 18 months ago. And<br />
since wheeled bins were introduced<br />
in 2004/2005 recycling rates have<br />
quintupled!<br />
According to research recently<br />
conducted in our area only 1% of<br />
us now feel recycling is a waste of<br />
time and nearly all of us (98%) are<br />
recycling at least one item.<br />
However, there is still progress to<br />
be made on the range of materials we<br />
recycle. Although the majority of us<br />
say that common items such as paper<br />
(91%) and glass bottles and jars<br />
(89%) are being recycled, only<br />
a small per cent say we are recycling<br />
electronic equipment, which contains<br />
precious<br />
materials.<br />
More materials<br />
than you might<br />
think can be<br />
recycled in <strong>West</strong><br />
<strong>Lindsey</strong>, both<br />
at the kerbside<br />
and at your<br />
local household<br />
recycling centre.<br />
Once<br />
collected and<br />
sorted, recycled<br />
materials can become valuable new<br />
items.<br />
For example, waste textiles<br />
can be used to create mattresses,<br />
glass bottles can be turned into<br />
sand for golf courses and just<br />
one unwanted toaster can create<br />
25 steel cans.<br />
<br />
Your Recycling Guide<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>District</strong> <strong>Council</strong><br />
Your BLUE Bin<br />
One of the best ways<br />
that you can help make<br />
sure the environment is<br />
protected for future<br />
generations is to recycle as much as<br />
possible in your blue bin. We accept<br />
all items listed on this page.<br />
Please wash, and where possible,<br />
squash items and place them loose<br />
in your blue bin.<br />
Squashing and flattening will help you<br />
get more items in your bin and help us<br />
carry more items in our collection<br />
vehicle. This will reduce the number of<br />
journeys to the recycling plant and so<br />
cut carbon emissions.<br />
REMEMBER:<br />
SQUASH IT THIN, GET MORE IN!<br />
Glass<br />
✔ Bottles & Jars<br />
Metal<br />
✔ Aerosols ✔ Drinks<br />
cans<br />
✔ Aluminium<br />
foil (clean) ✔ Food tins<br />
✔ Sweet and biscuit tins<br />
Paper & Cardboard<br />
All types including:<br />
✔ <strong>News</strong>papers ✔ Egg boxes<br />
& Magazines<br />
✔<br />
✔ Catalogues<br />
& Junk mail<br />
✔ Cereal<br />
boxes<br />
✔ Corrugated<br />
cardboard<br />
plastic bottles<br />
All types including:<br />
✔ Detergent<br />
✔ Drinks<br />
✔ Household<br />
cleaner<br />
✔ Shampoo<br />
Pizza<br />
boxes<br />
✔ Tissue boxes<br />
✔ Toilet roll<br />
tubes<br />
✔ Telephone<br />
directories<br />
✔ Plastic<br />
milk<br />
bottles<br />
✔ Ready meal<br />
trays<br />
Garden waste<br />
WHAT CAN GO IN YOUR GREEN BIN<br />
YES PLEASE ✔<br />
✔ Grass Cuttings<br />
✔ Hedge and shrub clippings<br />
✔ Leaves, twigs and bark<br />
✔ Plants, flowers and weeds<br />
✔ Windfall fruit<br />
✔ Small branches<br />
✔ Sawdust<br />
✔ Bedding from vegetarian<br />
animals<br />
NO THANK YOU<br />
✘ Stones or rubble<br />
✘ Plastic sacks of garden waste<br />
✘ Food waste<br />
(no vegetable peelings)<br />
✘ Woody material more<br />
than 5cm<br />
✘ Quantites of soil<br />
✘ Animal waste<br />
✘ Japanese Knotweed<br />
✘<br />
Your GREEN Bin<br />
What should you<br />
do with your<br />
peelings and cores?<br />
Government regulations mean that<br />
we cannot collect these in your green<br />
bin at this time, but home composting<br />
is a great way to prevent unavoidable<br />
food waste such as peelings, cores<br />
and teabags ending up in landfill and<br />
can do wonders for the garden.<br />
Remember that<br />
kitchen waste can<br />
be composted at<br />
home by using<br />
reduced price<br />
composters.<br />
Tel 0845 130 6090<br />
to place your order.<br />
IMPORTANT<br />
We will not empty your green bin if it<br />
contains items other than those listed<br />
as the compost site won’t accept them.<br />
4<br />
www.west-lindsey.gov.uk/recycling<br />
www.west-lindsey.gov.uk/recycling<br />
5<br />
22 <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong>
Recycling is WEEEly easy<br />
T<br />
o mark the opening of ‘The<br />
Rasens’ Household Waste<br />
Recycling Centre (see<br />
back page) we’re encouraging<br />
householders to recycle small<br />
electrical items at their local<br />
household waste recycling centre<br />
instead of throwing them away.<br />
According to the latest figures, 154<br />
million items of small waste electronic<br />
and electrical equipment (WEEE)<br />
such as electric toothbrushes,<br />
toasters and mobile phones were<br />
bought in the UK last year, equating<br />
to around 22kgs per household, but<br />
only around 14% were recycled.<br />
Research suggests a common<br />
reason for this is because people<br />
tend to recycle old large electrical<br />
items such as fridges and washing<br />
machines when buying replacements,<br />
but for smaller items, like kettles,<br />
cameras and toasters, one-third<br />
(34%) say they throw them out with<br />
the household rubbish.<br />
In fact it is estimated that over<br />
100 tonnes of WEEE still end up in<br />
household bins in <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> every<br />
year. In addition, many householders<br />
put off throwing away their WEEE<br />
because they are unsure of what to<br />
do with it.<br />
Small electricals such as old<br />
kettles and mobile phones may not<br />
be top of the spring cleaning list,<br />
but research shows on average we<br />
all have at least three unwanted<br />
electronic items cluttering up the<br />
home – and that’s before digging<br />
around in the cupboards.<br />
However, householders can<br />
recycle their waste electricals all<br />
year round at HWRCs in Lincolnshire<br />
and the facilities in North Lincs also<br />
accept small WEEE for recycling. See<br />
www.west-lindsey.gov.uk/HWRC for<br />
a full list of sites and opening times.<br />
Or you can find your nearest drop off<br />
point using our postcode locator at<br />
www.dontbinitbringit.org.<br />
Alternatively, if the item is in<br />
working order a charity may be able<br />
to sell it and raise money for a good<br />
cause. Some, such as the British<br />
Heart Foundation, even offer a free<br />
collection service, for more details<br />
see www.west-lindsey.gov.uk/<br />
charityshops.<br />
Identifying which small electrical<br />
and electronic items can be recycled<br />
is simple. If it has a mains cable, or<br />
uses replaceable batteries, or needs<br />
charging, or has the crossed-out<br />
wheelie bin logo on it, it can be taken<br />
to a HWRC.<br />
Examples include hairdryers,<br />
curling tongs, food mixers, lamps,<br />
batteries, energy saving light bulbs<br />
and fluorescent tubes.<br />
Old gadgets new homes<br />
A<br />
re you considering springcleaning<br />
your home but<br />
dreading the waste and hassle<br />
involved in clearing out your attic<br />
or garage?<br />
What if you could find someone<br />
willing to take those old appliances,<br />
gadgets and off-cuts away and give<br />
them a new lease of life, all at the<br />
click of a mouse?<br />
Online swap-shop www.<br />
dontdumpthat.com saves valuable<br />
resources by offering a quick and<br />
easy way for people to give away<br />
unwanted possessions or search for<br />
something they could put to good use.<br />
The Lincolnshire-based online<br />
forum is just one of a growing number<br />
in the district dedicated to preventing<br />
waste; it’s also a notion we should<br />
all consider before we bin anything,<br />
suggests <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong>’s Recycling.<br />
Team Leader Steve Leary.<br />
“Recycling breaks things down<br />
to manufacture new products.<br />
Our kerbside collection scheme<br />
and growing number of Household<br />
Waste Recycling Centres are<br />
designed to make it as easy<br />
as possible for residents to do<br />
their bit – but if there’s still life<br />
in an item, it should be re-used.<br />
This reduces landfill and processing<br />
costs.”<br />
It’s estimated that £5.6bn pounds<br />
worth of good quality usable<br />
household items are thrown away in<br />
the UK every year.<br />
One man’s junk is another man’s<br />
treasure as the saying goes!<br />
Tips for de-cluttering<br />
Log on at:<br />
www.dontdumpthat.org.uk<br />
www.freecycle.org<br />
www.freegle.org.uk<br />
Join the forums and submit any<br />
item that could be re-used<br />
Don’t be afraid to submit broken<br />
items – somebody might know<br />
how to fix it.<br />
Think about charity shops<br />
and advertising in your local<br />
newspaper.<br />
<strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong> 23
New recycling centre for<br />
the Market Rasen area<br />
Latest recycling facility set to reduce amount of waste sent to landfill<br />
Lincolnshire County <strong>Council</strong><br />
is pleased to announce<br />
the completion of its<br />
latest Household Waste Recycling<br />
Centre (HWRC) at Gallamore Lane in<br />
Market Rasen.<br />
‘The Rasens’ recycling centre<br />
will allow local residents to deposit<br />
up to 35 different types of waste<br />
for recycling or final disposal to a<br />
separate location. The facility will<br />
also help to reduce the amount of<br />
waste being sent to landfill ahead of<br />
an increase in landfill tax and multimillion<br />
pound EU fines for excess<br />
landfill levels.<br />
There are currently 12 Household<br />
Waste Recycling Centres operated by<br />
Lincolnshire County <strong>Council</strong> across<br />
the county. The existing policy is<br />
to provide a recycling centre within<br />
a seven-mile radius for 90% of the<br />
county’s population. Market Rasen<br />
and its surrounding area currently<br />
represents a significant gap in that<br />
policy. However, the construction<br />
of the new HWRC on Gallamore<br />
Lane Industrial Estate will add<br />
approximately 12,000 Lincolnshire<br />
residents to the total who are within<br />
the 7-mile radius criteria.<br />
Around 5,000 tonnes of waste is<br />
expected to enter the site per year<br />
and will help Lincolnshire to maintain<br />
its excellent record as one of the<br />
nation’s top recyclers.<br />
The types of material accepted at<br />
the site include:<br />
> Green waste such as grass cuttings/<br />
hedge clippings<br />
> Electrical goods<br />
> Textiles<br />
> Small batteries<br />
> Wood including MDF<br />
> Plastics<br />
> Cardboard<br />
> Car batteries<br />
> Engine oil<br />
> Tetrapaks (drinks cartons)<br />
> Cooking oil<br />
Modern compaction equipment<br />
will enable up to three times more<br />
material to be stored in some of<br />
the containers. This creates<br />
financial and environmental savings<br />
through a reduction in the number<br />
of haulage trips.<br />
‘The Rasens’ will be opened on<br />
4 March 2011 and will operate on<br />
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays<br />
including Bank Holidays. The site<br />
opening hours will be 8am to 4pm.<br />
For further information:<br />
Tel: 01522 782070<br />
Web: www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/waste<br />
24 <strong>West</strong> <strong>Lindsey</strong> <strong>News</strong>