Lincolnshire Pride April 2021

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LINCOLNSHIRE

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PRIDE LINCOLNSHIRE

PRIDE

LINCOLNSHIRE’S FINEST MAGAZINE

LINCOLNSHIRE’S FINEST MAGAZINE £4.50

Jason Atherton: Lincolnshire chef

From the county of Lincolnshire to worldwide acclaim...

Wild & Wonderful: Nature in Lincolnshire

Paul Learoyd from the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust on nature in spring...

APRIL

Proof that home is where the heart is

2021

Stately homes, castles and manor houses in Lincolnshire...

FREE ONLINE

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HERITAGE WINDOW SPECIALISTS ENHANCE THE STYLE, VALUE AND APPEARANCE OF YOUR HOME WITH THE VERY LATEST ALUMINIUM, WOOD OR UPVC FLUSH CASEMENT BESPOKE WINDOWS & DOORS UNRIVALLED QUALITY & SPECIFICATION, MANUFACTURED IN THE UK BY CRAFTSMEN

Call our friendly team on 0115 855 6010 hello@hardwickwindows.co.uk • www.hardwickwindows.co.uk SHOWROOM AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING BY APPOINTMENT ONCE LOCKDOWN RESTRICTIONS LIFTED. CALL FOR DETAILS.

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WELCOME

W

e’ve all spent rather enough time in our own homes.

Now, it’s time to venture out again and enjoy other people’s homes instead. And on that theme, we’re this month peeping through the keyholes of the county’s stately homes, manor houses and castles to see how the other half live.

Each property that we’re featuring opens to the public in ordinary circumstances, and though they’ll be opening at some point this season, each is subject to lockdown rules and their own opening dates.

Also this month we’ll meet Her Grace the Duchess of Rutland, Emma Manners, who has been meeting the custodians of some of the UK’s stately homes and sharing experiences of what it’s like to suddenly become responsible for a sprawling and historic country estate.

The Lincolnshire countryside will also be open and this month we’re meeting Chief Executive, Paul Learoyd who identifies a few of the county’s habitats, species to look out for and some of the spring flowers which will be brightening up our new-found freedom.

Elsewhere we’re telling the story of Herbert Ingram, Boston-born founder of the London Illustrated News, father of illustrated journalism and, in a way, the spiritual founder of our profession!

We’ll also enjoy meeting the county’s own celebrity chef, Jason Atherton and we’ll be making the most of seasonal food with our sister company, Yummy.

Best wishes for a wonderful month!

Executive Editor robin@pridemagazines.co.uk 3

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CONTENTS NEWS & EVENTS

FOOD & DRINK

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NEWS The best ‘good news’ stories from across Lincolnshire... including good news for Lincoln Cathedral’s post-Covid recovery.

HIGHLIGHTS 16

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RECIPES & WINE Quality butchery, artichokes and spring asparagus.

HOMES & GARDENS

LINCOLNSHIRE WILDLIFE

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WELCOME HOME A country property in the Lincoln heathland.

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INTERIORS Metallic furnishings and luxury accessories for your home.

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

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GARDENING Fresh air and spring scenes at Market Rasen’s Brightwater.

AT HOME WITH THE DUCHESS Her Grace Emma Rutland grants us unprecedented access to the women behind our impressive stately homes.

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Chief Executive of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust Paul Learoyd on the county’s natural world highlights.

If you’ve spent enough time at home this year, enjoy someone else’s, with a look at our stately homes, manor houses and castles.

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FROM SKEGNESS TO STARDOM Celebrity chef Jason Atherton.

REMEMBERING HERBERT INGRAM The story behind the Boston born founder of pictorial journalism.

LADIES & GENTLEMEN 102 WEDDINGS Lincoln couple Georgia and Charlie celebrate their wedding.

106 FASHION & COSMETICS Texture rich neutral fashions and accessories.

AND FINALLY...

122 MOTORS Mercedes Benz’s E-Class convertible opens for business.

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THE WEALTHIEST PEOPLE IN THE AREA READ PRIDE MAGAZINE

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FREE ONLINE

Pride Magazine is delivered free of charge, via Royal Mail, to high value homes in the county. Our circulation is to homes in the top three council tax bands, which are predominantly worth over £300,000. This guarantees the magazine has an affluent readership commensurate with our content.

The magazine is also sold in supermarkets and newsagents and our in-house distribution team also works hard to hand-deliver the magazine to selected hotels and restaurants, doctors, dentists, executive motor dealerships and golf clubs.

This helps to ensure we have a continued presence, right across our catchment area.

Our titles also have more social media fans than any other local magazine. In addition we have over 30,000 online readers each month who view the magazine free of charge, online, on their tablet, computer, laptop or mobile phone via our website, our app, and via the Readly and Issuu platforms.

If your business would benefit from being showcased to the wealthiest people in the area, please call our friendly sales team on 01529 469977.

Amazing new app out now: You can read our magazines on any device anywhere.

Read Pride Magazine free online at www.pridemagazines.co.uk or by downloading our free iOS and Android App. LEGAL DISCLAIMER By supplying editorial or advertising copy to Pride you accept in full the terms and conditions which can be found online at www.pridemagazines.co.uk.

In the event of an advert or editorial being published incorrectly, where Pride Magazines Ltd admits fault, we will include an advert of equivalent size, or equivalent sized editorial, free of charge to be used in a future edition, at our discretion.

This gesture is accepted as full compensation for the error(s) with no refunds available.

Selected images in our content may be sourced from www.shutterstock.com.

THE PRIDE TEAM Managing Director: Julian Wilkinson.

Sales Director: Zoie Wilkinson.

General Manager: Ian Bagley.

Sales Manager: Charlotte Daubney.

Sales Supervisor: Cydney Dyson.

Executive Editor: Rob Davis.

Illustrator: Jocelyn Lawman.

Customer Care Manager: Mandy Bray.

Web Developer: Joe Proctor.

Administration and Office Managers: Carissa Clay and Sami Millard.

Sales Executives: Grace Mumford.

Pride Magazines, Boston Enterprise Centre, Enterprise Way, Boston, Lincs PE21 7TW

Tel: 01529 469977 Fax: 01529 469978 www.pridemagazines.co.uk | enquiries@pridemagazines.co.uk

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NEWS & EVENTS

Cathedral’s £1m Recovery Fund grant CULTURE RECOVERY FUND TO GIVE CATHEDRAL A HEAD-START IN POST-COVID ERA LINCOLN Lincoln Cathedral has received a Capital Kickstart Fund award of £973,600 from the Government’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund for their project to create a new visitor centre, conserve internationally important sculpture in the Cathedral and improve the visitor experience and setting of the Cathedral, which has been delayed as a result of the pandemic.

This is one of the latest grants, awarded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and builds on over £1 billion awarded to a huge range of cultural and heritage organisations from the Culture Recovery Fund last year.

Ambitious projects at 22 heritage organisations, including Lincoln Cathedral will benefit from £13.5 m in targeted grants allocated

by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to restart planned work that now faces delays or increased costs.

The grant will be used to complete the conversion of The Old Deanery at Lincoln

The Imps are coming...!

THIRD SCULPTURE TRAIL IS SET TO OPEN THIS SUMMER, CAN YOU FIND THEM ALL?

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Cathedral to create a new fully accessible visitor centre, complete with exhibition spaces, a learning centre, shop, café and landscaped gardens.

The project also includes vital conservation work to the

internationally important Gallery of Kings and Romanesque Frieze on the West Front of the Cathedral and the 14th century Exchequergate Arch in the Cathedral Close. n

LINCOLN If you’re ‘Imp-atient’ to get out and about in Lincoln following life under lockdown, don’t panic! Summer will soon be here and with it comes the city’s third sculpture trail, following on from similar knights and barons-themed events, organised by Lincoln BIG and its partners.

The trail was due to be held earlier but was delayed until summer 2021 due to Covid. The Imp Trail will run over a significant period including the summer holidays. All 30 main Trail Imps and five Community Imps will be on display.

“We aim to bring 500,000 visitors and one million social media engagements during the summer of 2020 to show what a great city like ours has to offer,” say organisers.

“The sculptures will form a trail across Lincoln to create a fun, free art gallery and take people on a journey of discovery during the summer of 2020.”

“Lincoln BIG has partnered with Wild in Art, which has supported its earlier trails with its expertise. We are delighted our chosen Charity Partner is St Barnabas Hospice.” n See www.lincolnimptrail.co.uk.

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When locals can venture out and about in Stamford, Grantham and the Deepings once more, the district will be spick and span thanks to SKDC’s Big Clean work.

Two teams of five people toured the district’s 365 square miles with pressure washers, a weed ripper, leaf blower, strimmers and a large sweeper vehicle shared between two teams, tacking weeds, litter and graffiti... a very well done and thank you to you all for your hard work! n SOUTH KESTEVEN

SPILSBY The absolutely brilliant Karl Bird from Spilsby has decided to champion his home county and answer the question ‘why does the world need Lincolnshire?’ with a new nine-part series on the history and contemporary relevance of the county.

Karl attended Spilsby High School and then worked as a singing Redcoat at Butlins before working as a performer on cruise ships with Carnival Cruiseline from 2001 right up

to 2018 before returning to Lincolnshire to care for his mother.

Now working for BBC Lincolnshire as a film reviewer and a self-employed singer, he’s teamed up with his father, Maurice, a former script writer who served as Karl’s cameraman, for a new nine-episode series entitled ‘Why the World Needs Lincolnshire.’ n Karl’s series can be found by searching for him on YouTube, each episode is around 10 minutes long.

Tributes to Joe at 103 REAR GUNNER FORMERLY OF RAF SKELLINGTHORPE AND RAF METHERINGHAM DIES IN LINCOLN AT 103

Joe, bottom middle.

LINCOLN Tributes have been paid to Cecil Joseph Bell, ‘Joe’ who has died in Lincoln, one of just 50 or so Bomber Command veterans who survive today.

Joe served in 106 Squadron in Metheringham and with 61 Squadron in Skellingthorpe, rising to the rank of Warrant Officer. Among his missions, Joe took part in the RAF’s first humanitarian mission, Operation Manna, in the Netherlands, dropping food and supplies over the country in 1945 to prevent the starvation of millions suffering under Nazi occupation. Joe is survived by wife of 72 years Frances. n Visit www.internationalbcc.co.uk.

LOCAL

£12,300,000

KARL BIRD LAUNCHES NINE-PART SERIES

‘Big Clean’ team hard at work in South Kesteven...

LINCOLNSHIRE Lincolnshire County Council is pledging to spend an extra £12.3m in 2021 repairing roads, plus £200,000 for flood response operations and it will provide £12m to support the local economy post-Covid. In addition, public services like adult care, childrens’ services and the fire service will also receive a £555m boost. n

‘Love Lincolnshire!’

NEWS In Brief BOSTON x

A BETTER WELCOME TO THE TOWN FOR BOSTON...

Boston’s town signage is enjoying a renovation thanks to the efforts of Mike Gilbert, Dmitrii and Natalia Buravlev.

Together with the Men’s Shed group, the team has already replaced two of the signs which welcome visitors into Boston, painstakingly recreating and renovating them. Mike’s attention was first drawn to the problem when, pre-Covid, he noticed how shabby the Sleaford Road sign was and decided to ensure their restoration.

Dmitri is a supply chain manager at MetsaWood and recreated then repainted the signs. n 9

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YOUR HOME, OUR VISION

3-4 BEDROOM HOMES FROM £185,000 Surfleet is a popular village location with plenty of amenities and good transport links.

STATION ROAD, SURFLEET, LINCOLNSHIRE PE11 4DG Showhomes open Thursday to Monday 10-5pm book your private viewing on 07935 502728.

01406 490590 • www.ashwoodhomes.co 1 GOODISON ROAD, LINCS GATEWAY BUSINESS PARK, SPALDING, PE12 6FY Please Note: Internal photographs reflect the typical style and finish of properties, but exact specifications and room layouts may vary according to individual plot and development. Help to Buy terms and conditions may apply, please call for further details.

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MILL HOUSE, SCOPWICK, LINCOLN

£1,000,000

Unique Georgian country residence stylishly extended to create a truly stunning family home with excellent equestrian facilities and generously proportioned two-bedroom bungalow. Mill House boasts a vast open plan family kitchen with Aga and log burner to the dining area, formal dining room, snug with woodburning stove, family room and sitting room. To the first floor there is an impressive principal bedroom with luxurious en-suite bathroom, three additional bedrooms, one with en-suite, and a large family bathroom. Set in approximately five acres of well-drained Lincolnshire heathland, there are easily maintained mature gardens, permanent electric stud wire fenced paddocks, an international all-weather arena, Scotts of Thrapston American barn stables and an extensive driveway providing generous parking. Grantham’s high-speed rail network to London Kings Cross (approx 65 mins) is within easy reach.

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THE BURROWS, FRAMPTON, BOSTON

EPC Rating: E

£595,000

Distinctive five-bedroomed country residence offering elegant and light-filled spacious family living in a delightful rural setting. Internal accommodation includes a superb family kitchen/breakfast room with Range oven, elegant dual aspect sitting room with parquet flooring and inset multifuel stove, formal dining room, charming study with double doors onto a large Victorian style garden room and the principal bedroom boasts a luxury en-suite jacuzzi, shower, and dressing area. The secluded lawned garden leads to a large outdoor heated swimming pool and entertaining area, with separate pool room and attached workshop/studio, together with a bespoke children’s tree house, and parking for numerous vehicles. Excellent and soughtafter grammar schools are available in nearby Boston with mainline train services.

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EPC Rating: E

BLACKSMITHS COTTAGE, BOOTHBY GRAFFOE , LINCOLN

OIEO £600,000

Substantial period property stylishly renovated and extended to create an impressive contemporary family home. Internal accommodation includes a large kitchen (with walk-in pantry) opening into the adjacent sunroom with vaulted ceiling and bi-fold doors onto the terrace, impressive formal dining room with feature fireplace/woodburning stove, sitting room and home office. To the first floor there is a principal bedroom with en-suite bathroom and separate dressing room and three further double bedrooms and family bath/shower room. Externally there is a genrous gravelled driveway, a large low-maintenance private garden with a choice of outdoor entertaining spaces, and three outbuildings including a stable block with feed area and storage room. Newark’s high-speed rail network to London Kings Cross (approximately 82 minutes) is located a short distance away.

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EPC Rating: C

HILLSIDE, BEACON LANE, GRANTHAM

£565,000

A distinctive five-bedroom red brick Victorian villa arranged over three floors which effortlessly combines original features with an abundance of light, spacious rooms, and tasteful interior design to create a superb home ideal for large or intergenerational families. Ground floor accommodation includes a superb kitchen/ breakfast room with bespoke hand-built units, formal dining room and a magnificent sitting room with woodburning stove and imposing sandstone surround. Hillside is approached via a long tree-lined driveway, the large gardens and delightful sheltered courtyard offer peace and seclusion yet are within easy walking distance of the historic centre of Grantham with its high-speed rail network to London Kings Cross (approximately 65 minutes) and Nottingham (38 minutes) and two excellent and sought-after Grammar schools.

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EPC Rating: E

Fine & Country Lincolnshire and Grantham, 55 High Street, Navenby, Lincs LN5 0DZ Telephone: 01522 287008 or 01476 247070 Email: lincoln@fineandcountry.com www.fineandcountry.com With offices in over 300 locations worldwide Fine and Country combine the widespread exposure of the international marketplace with national marketing campaigns and local expertise...

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Spilsby Road, Boston

£525,000

Wainfleet Road, Boston £495,000

Halton Holegate

Fantastic four bedroom Grade Two Listed Georgian property, with many original features and a range of outbuildings to include former coach house, stables, multiple garages, games room and a workshop. There are four reception rooms, three en-suites and an attractive mature garden with outdoor kitchen and pizza oven.

Superb four bedroom period property renovated to a high standard to include a beautiful kitchen extension, shower room, en-suite and sash windows.

There is ample parking, an established garden and a detached gym/ sauna suite. NO CHAIN.

Hawthorn House is a beautifully designed property with a high standard of fixtures and fittings throughout and features the most stunning views over the Wolds to the rear.

Situated on a no-through-road, in an idyllic location.

Spilsby Road, Boston

Cannister Lane, Frithville

Sibsey Road, Boston

£445,000

Such a beautifully maintained period property with four reception rooms, five bedrooms over three floors. It enjoys a private mature rear garden, ample off road parking for many vehicles a brand new bespoke sun-lounge and a detached Double Garage. Within a convenient walking distance to schools, hospital and town centre.

£325,000

This lovely Lincolnshire cottage enjoys three double bedrooms, a generous plot and open country fields to the rear. It has been totally renovated throughout within the last 7 years to include an extension, new roof and new doors and windows, as well as a bathroom with free standing bath, beautiful Murdoch Troon kitchen.

£495,000

This five bedroom detached house is filled with character and enjoys a plot of over an acre with an enclosed paddock and stable. It benefits from three reception rooms and is incredibly convenient for Pilgrim Hospital and High School. NO ONWARD CHAIN.

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39B SPILSBY ROAD Boston | Lincolnshire | PE21 9NX

THE LATTICES 49 Sibsey Road | Boston | Lincolnshire | PE21 9QY

• A Secluded and Unique 5 Bedroomed Detached House • Nestled in 0.42 acres of mature gardens Located in Desirable Area • 3-4 Reception Rooms, Large Conservatory/ Sunroom, Balcony to Master Suite • Double Integral Garage

FOR SALE FREEHOLD WITH VACANT POSSESSION

£450,000 Subject To Contract

SANDIWAY Plot 1 | Petwood Oaks | Woodhall Spa | Lincolnshire | LN10 6AH

• A Magnificent Four Bedroomed Detached House House of Architectural Merit • Nestled on the Edge of Parkland in a Select Gated Development • Located in One of the East Midlands most Desirable Villages • Large Family Kitchen with Expansive Dining Area & Separate Lounge • Two En-Suite Bedrooms, Two Further Bedrooms & Family Bathroom • Double Garage and Private Gardens

FOR SALE FREEHOLD WITH VACANT POSSESSION

£650,000 Subject To Contract

• Impressive 4 Bedroomed Detached House Set in 0.4 Acres of Mature Gardens FOR SALE • Characterful House of Architectural Interest Including FREEHOLD WITH Spiral Staircase VACANT POSSESSION • 2 Bathrooms, 2 Principal Reception Rooms, Large Kitchen, Pantry, Garden Room • Integral Tandem Garage/Workshop • Desirable Location, Close to Pilgrim Hospital

£495,000 Subject To Contract No ONWARD Chain

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LINCOLNSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST

ENGAGING with

NATURE The public is ever more mindful of the immediate and urgent need to ensure we look after our planet for future generations. The climate crisis is on a collision course with local efforts to ensure our natural habitats can be enjoyed by our children and grandchildren. On the frontline of work to preserve our habitats, both now and in the future, is the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, and its Chief Executive Paul Learoyd...

Words: Rob Davis.

People are more engaged with conservation than ever, how do our local conservation efforts feed into national and international conservation work?

The past year has been immensely difficult for everyone. Our whole lives have been turned upside down and the simple things we once took for granted have had to stop.

For me, it has also been one of the busiest and most challenging periods as Chief Executive of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, and we have had some challenging times lately including the coastal flooding in 2013.

However, one thing that I know will stay the same is that nature will need us just as much as ever when all of this is over – the world still faces a climate and ecological crisis.

The climate and ecological crises are inextricably linked. Tackling the climate crisis is one of the biggest challenges that humankind has faced. If we tackle the ecological crisis and let nature recover, we will go a long way towards helping to tackle the climate crisis at the same time.

That’s why our local Wildlife Trusts are all determined to play their part, in every bit of the UK – including here in Lincolnshire – to aid nature’s recovery.

The pandemic has also emphasised something that we have believed for a long time.

The role wildlife plays in our lives has shone through and been a great solace to many.

Nature is good for our health and wellbeing and this needs to be recognised as part of our modern, normally fast-paced way of life.

Lincolnshire was the third of 46 similar trusts to establish themselves across the UK, to what extent to you work alongside other trusts?

Each Wildlife Trust is a separate charity but we work closely from sharing ideas and experiences to working together on large scale projects and campaigns.

This ranges from working with our neighbours at the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust on projects to enhance the wildlife of the Humber Estuary to joining a nationally coordinated campaign against the use of neonicotinoid pesticides.

Our current ambitions for the UK come under the heading ‘30 by 30.’ Our natural world is in trouble and all of the Wildlife Trusts are calling for at least 30% of our land and sea to be connected and protected for nature’s recovery by 2030.

The next ten years must be a time of renewal, of rewilding our lives, of green recovery. We all need nature more than ever and when we succeed in reaching ‘30 by 30’ we’ll have wilder landscapes that store carbon and provide on-your-doorstep nature for people too.

Main: The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust’s Chief Executive Paul Learoyd.

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What does the LWT do in terms of campaigns, events and in maintaining reserves? How important is that work?

Ongoing care and management of the nature reserves is essential – these special places need management to ensure that their wildlife continues to thrive.

Ordinarily we have teams of volunteers that work alongside our wardens but with Covid restrictions we’ve had to put all our voluntary activities on hold.

Usually we run a full programme of events with guided walk on nature reserves and activities for children. Our network of Area Groups organises talks, walks, fundraising and other events. And for children we have Wildlife Watch groups around the county that meet monthly.

Unfortunately, all our events last year had to be cancelled although we have held a few online talks. Hopefully as restrictions ease we will be able to bring back some small scale events with limited numbers. We are looking at the safest way to do this.

What current projects and activities is the LWT involved in?

We’ve some exciting current project like Love Lincs Plants – a project to preserve Lincolnshire’s botanical heritage and inspire and train future botanists – and Dynamic Dunescape which aims to restore sand dunes in the area. >>

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Brown Hare, David Tipling/2020VISION

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LINCOLNSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST

>> What opportunities are there for the public to become involved with helping the Trust?

Hopefully we will soon be able to start up volunteering again in the late spring or early summer months, when opportunities to work with us and enjoy taking part in conservation will be advertised on our website. For now, people can support the work of the Trust by joining us as members.

Alternatively, you can set yourself a challenge and raise funds. For example, writer Trevor Millum of Barrow-upon-Humber has set himself a challenge to write a poem a week for 30 weeks, from February to August, to support the ‘30 by 30’ Campaign. Sponsors have already pledged over £1,400 and are receiving a poem by email each week.

Has wildlife thrived in the last year with fewer people out and about?

During the first lockdown in 2020, numbers of visitors to nature reserves reduced.

Wildlife didn’t have to adapt to the presence of humans. They responded to the relative peace and quiet by moving into new areas and nesting where they wouldn’t usually nest.

For example, skylarks and meadow pipits nest in small hollows lined with grass and leaves on the ground. Instead of being well away from visitors, these nests could have been on the grassy edges of paths.

And those birds which nest in trees and hedges such as yellowhammers and nightingales could be nesting in pathside hedgerows rather than in more secluded locations.

One unexpected consequence of lockdown was the appearance of a pair of cranes at Willow Tree Fen nature reserve.

Paul Learoyd.

The pair successfully reared a chick – the first to be born in Lincolnshire for 400 years.

However, as lockdown was eased, thousands of people headed out to the countryside and to nature reserves. There was a surge in visitor numbers and we’re sad to report, with that came an increase in littering, BBQs and antisocial behaviour.

Across the UK, Wildlife Trusts and others reported a huge increase of damage to reserves and the wildlife that lives there.

These included devastating fires across wild areas where portable BBQs have been used; ground-nesting birds and rare plants have been disturbed and trampled by people and dogs; wild places have been used as outdoor toilets, and for vandalism and littering.

Going Wild this Spring in Lincolnshire... n Cuckoo: Considered to be an early sign of spring, the song of the cuckoo sounds the same as its name. It can be heard in woodlands and grasslands.

Cuckoos famously lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. n Brown Hare: Known for its long, black-tipped ears and fast running – the brown hare can reach speeds of 45mph when evading predators.

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n Skylark: Male skylarks can be spotted rising almost vertically from farmland, grassland, saltmarshes and moorland. They hover effortlessly, singing from a great height, before parachuting back down to earth.

These long and complicated song-flights can last for up to an hour and the birds can reach 300m before descending.

n Common Frog: The common frog varies in colour, from green to brown and even red or yellow. Smooth skin, a dark ‘mask’ behind the eye and long back legs, covered in dark bands. n Great Crested Grebe: On early spring mornings, grebe pairs join together to perform an elegant ritual. Head shaking, bill-dipping, preening and the famous ‘penguin dance!’

Some local Wildlife Trusts are describing antisocial behaviour on site, including abuse directed towards their staff as the worst they have ever known.

What effect will post-lockdown footfall have on overall visitor numbers?

Visitor numbers on our larger nature reserves such as Whisby Nature Park have remained high throughout this more recent lockdown. However, there is still a concern that numbers could rise again, especially as the lifting of restrictions is likely to coincide with warmer weather.

What can we all do to ensure we enjoy the county’s wildlife responsibly?

As a Trust we’ve always worked really hard to maintain the balance between ensuring people can enjoy our sites, whilst preserving them for the plants and animals which live there.

We ask everyone to help us by avoiding creating BBQs or fires; by taking litter home; keeping dogs on short leads and picking up dog mess where dogs are allowed, and parking considerately and so avoiding trampling on sensitive wildflower meadows.

Finally, do smile at our staff and volunteers – we’re here to help you enjoy your visit and we’re there working hard to preserve our wonderful county for future generations! n

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JOIN THE TRUST AND HELP TO LOOK AFTER THE COUNTY...

Join a community of like-minded people striving to protect Lincolnshire’s wildlife and wild places.

“The Trust has worked for over 70 years protecting wildlife and wild places, and educating, influencing and empowering people,” says Paul Learoyd.

“Lincolnshire’s nature is facing unimaginable pressure from habitat loss, development and climate change.”

“By becoming a member you’ll be supporting our work protecting Lincolnshire’s wild places for people, for wildlife and for the future.”

“As a member of Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust you’ll receive our 50 page membership magazine Lapwings three times a year full of wildlife news, events and ways to get involved, plus family members also receive our children's magazine Wildlife Watch, four times a year.”

“You’ll also receive a car sticker, a welcome letter and a map of all our nature reserves - perfect to help find your next wild adventure.”

“We'll also send you an yearly update so you can see how your membership has helped to support nature’s recovery in Lincolnshire.”

Gibraltar Point, Dean Fisher.

n For Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust membership enquiries, call 01507 526667 or email membership@lincstrust.co.uk.

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YOUR WILDLIFE TRUST IN NUMBERS Common Frog, Mark Hamblin/2020VISION.

27,983 People

The number of people who support wildlife and wild places in Lincolnshire as members of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.

8,500 Plants

The number of plants, from 52 species, that were propagated in a single year for habitat restoration across Lincolnshire from seed harvested from Wildlife Trust reserves.

3,877 Hectares

Area of Lincolnshire’s finest countryside are protected and managed as Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust nature reserves.

2,214 Seals

The number of grey seal pups that were born at Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in 2020.

1948 - 2021

Lincolnshire’s Wildlife Trust was the third UK Trust, established in 1948 as a voluntary charitable organisation.

It originated from a committee of the Lincolnshire Naturalists’ Union.

200 Children

Over 200 young people have been trained in the botanical skills of plant identification, collection or plant mounting through the National Lottery Heritage Fund supported Love Lincs Plants project.

100 Reserves

Your local wildlife conservation charity looks after nearly 100 nature reserves, gives wildlife a voice, and inspires people to take action for wildlife.

One Crane Chick

The first crane chick fledged at Willow Tree Fen nature reserve in 2020. It was the first crane to be born in Lincolnshire for 400 years. n

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Robin.

Queen Bumblebee.

1. Wildlife in Your Garden

Watch the spectacle of spring unfolding in your own garden...

“YOU DON’T NEED TO GO FAR to enjoy Lincolnshire’s wildlife,” says Paul. “In fact, in April, your own garden is a hive of activity with the first newly emerging butterflies appearing.”

“In Lincolnshire, species like the reddishorange small tortoiseshell, peacock and angular yellow-green brimstone butterfly will be waking up and seeking out nectar-rich flowers like grape hyacinth or lungwort.”

“The warm temperatures of spring also encourage the queen bumblebee to wake after hibernating in the soil over winter, sustained by energy reserves. She will begin to look for a suitable nesting site and will gather pollen from flowers to form mounds of pollen and wax in which to lay her first brood of eggs.”

“One of the highlights of spring for me is the dawn chorus, and from around 4am, you can usually hear the birds waking up.”

“Each January the RSPB holds its Big Garden Birdwatch which enlists the public to identify and count the number of species in their own garden.”

“The house sparrow, starling and blue tit are the most common species in the UK, and in my own garden, I enjoy watching robins busily searching for food, as well as blackbirds, digging up earthworms and feeding on insects and berries.”

“Another highlight of spring in the garden is the presence of frogs and frog spawn in our ponds. They’ll spend spring breeding in our ponds and can help gardeners to clear out pesky slugs and snails.”

“This month I’ll also look forward to the wilder parts of my garden yielding the last drifts of snowdrops plus aconites, crocus and daffodils, a sure sign that warmer and brighter weather, and long afternoons in the garden are on the way!” n

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Whisby Nature Park in April.

Hedgehog in urban garden.

2. Hedgerows

3. Urban Places

4. Waterways & Coast

“IN LINCOLNSHIRE it seems like every field, garden or home is surrounded by a hedge. These habitats are invaluable for the species which live in and around them.”

“WILDLIFE is sometimes considered the preserve of the countryside, but in fact, our towns and urban enclaves are also rich in native species, most notably the red fox which is a joy or a pest depending on your outlook... and whether you value the sanctity of your wheelie bin.”

“LINCOLNSHIRE is criss-crossed with dykes, drains, rivers, streams and canals; natural but also man-made watercourses.”

Look out for wildlife lurking in hedgerows...

“From scraggy hawthorn bushes to thick bushes tangled with dog rose (which flower from late April or early May), bramble (yielding blackberries, raspberries and other fruit) and honeysuckle with its sweet fragrance, hedges provide nesting and foraging opportunities for a wide range of wildlife.”

“Hedges provide song posts, shelter and nesting opportunities for both woodland and farmland birds such as yellowhammer, whitethroat, blue tit and great tit.”

“We generally caution that as hedgerows also provide a safe environment for nesting birds, the clearance and maintenance of hedgerows really ought to be spared from March until about August.” n

Our towns are teeming with wild animals...

“Foxes will happily rummage through your rubbish and will often venture into gardens to pilfer windfall fruit from your fruit trees.”

“Tawny owls can often be spotted where there are tall mature trees, and are shorter than barn owls, darker in colour and more abundant.”

“Finally, look our for hedgehog which will happily feed on leftover wet dog or cat food. It’s important not to leave bread and milk out for hedgehogs as it can cause severe diarrhoea!” n Top/Right: The Common Darter is one of the most common dragonflies in Lincolnshire.

Drains, rivers & canals attract many species...

“Look out for grey herons and egrets, especially on wetland nature reserves, and for that rare treat the kingfisher, with its blue and copper hues.”

“The county is also home to a number of dragonfly and damselfly species.

The former have different-shaped fore and hind wings, whilst damselflies like the demoiselle have wings of identical size and shape.

The common darter, common hawker and emperor dragonfly are the most common species, and can usually be seen near rivers and canals.”

“Otters are becoming more common in the county and are even being seen in our cities and towns. However, seeing one is still a rare treat.” n 21

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Lincolnshire Wolds, May.

Hedgerow trees at Willoughby Meadow nature reserve by Barrie Wilkinson.

Lapwing in April.

5. Woodlands

6. Farmland

“IN ANCIENT WOODLANDS, as spring gets into its stride, one of our most breathtaking natural spectacles is unfolding. Plants that have lain dormant for months have sprouted leaves and are now sending flowers that colour woodland floors.”

“THE ROLE OF FARMERS as custodians of their land shouldn’t be underestimated, and though they make a living from the land, their contribution to maintaining verges, hedgerows and drainage often helps to look after local wildlife too.”

“Carpets of bluebells with swathes of celandines, wood anemones and wild garlic are the epitome of springtime.

Amongst them are less well-known flowers such as the evocatively named yellow archangel and the strange herb-Paris with its small flower set above a symmetrical whorl of four large leaves.”

“Among the treats to enjoy around farmland is the sight of brown hares zig-zagging across fields, not to mention pheasants, partridges and even deer bounding across the countryside with reckless abandon.”

Our limewoods keep wildflower secrets...

“The flowers are exploiting the brief moment in time when sunlight drenches the woodland floor before the trees have fully unfurled leaves and cast their shade.

The woodlands where these flowers can be seen at their best are the more ancient ones like Lincolnshire’s Limewoods.” n 22

Landowners play a part in helping wildlife...

“Carpets of bluebells with swathes of celandines, wood anemones and wild garlic are the epitome of springtime...”

“Look up to the sky and you’ll also see a Lincolnshire treat in the form of Lapwings, most commonly seen on farmland around the fens and wetland habitats. You’ll hear them, too, thanks to their distinctive ‘peewit’ call!”

“By late spring, cute, fluffy lapwing chicks can be seen venturing out. Other species to look out for include the corn bunting, the yellowhammer and cuckoo.” n

With thanks to Rachel Shaw and Paul Learoyd, Chief Executive of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.

For more information on the county’s 100 nature reserves, see www.lincstrust.org.uk.

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1. Primrose: The primrose’s common name comes from the Latin ‘prima rosa,’ meaning ‘first rose.’ They can flower from as early as December in mild years, appearing all the way through the spring until May. n

4. Bluebell: In April and May, our ancient woodlands are awash with the much-loved, nodding heads of Bluebells. Many bulbs can exist in just one wood, giving rise to the ‘blue carpets’ that are a springtime joy. n

>>

6. Cowslip: Formerly a common plant of traditional hay meadows, and woodlands it has declined in numbers.

The name means ‘cow-slop’ (i.e. cowpat), in reference to its meadow habitat! n

8. Marsh Marigold: The large, golden flowers of marsh-marigold look like the cups of kings, hence its other name: ‘kingcup.’

They favour damp places and grow in ponds, marshes, damp meadows, ditches and woodland. n

2. Cuckooflower: Cuckooflower, also commonly known as ‘Lady’s smock,’ is a pretty, springtime perennial of damp, grassy places.

Its pale pink flowers bloom from April to coincide with the arrival of the first cuckoo. n

10 LOCAL SPRING FLOWERS TO ENJOY Lincolnshire’s verges, hedgerows and woodland are rich in wild flowers, here are our ten favourite species to look out for this spring...

Words: Rachel Shaw.

9. Wood Sorrel: A delicate, small plant of woodlands and hedgerows, Wood Sorrel has distinctive, trefoil leaves and white flowers with purple veins; both fold up at night. n

3. Dog Violet One of our most familiar wild violets common as the ‘county flower’ of Lincolnshire.

Found in woodlands, grasslands and pastures, look for its pansy-like, flowers. n

5. Wood Anemone: The wood anemone is named after the Greek wind god, Anemos, who sent his namesakes, the anemones, in early spring to herald his coming. n

7. Lesser Celandine: Lesser celandine is a common spring flower in woodland and hedgerows, where its flowers can carpet an area between March and May. One of the first spring flowers to bloom, and nectar source for insects. n

10. Wild Garlic: Also known as ramsons, wild garlic has rounded clusters of star-like, white flowers borne on straight green stems.

But perhaps its most distinctive feature is the strong garlicky scent. n 23

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Powers of Attorney: the lasting way to ensure you and your family is protected LASTING Powers of Attorney: should you only consider drawing one up when you’re older, and approaching retirement perhaps? The answer is a firm ‘no’. Here Wilkin Chapman Court of Protection specialist Chantal Ul HaqWeedon explains how important it is to act as soon as possible.

If the last year has taught us anything, it is the uncertainty of life and how events beyond our control can pay a hefty price on ourselves and those we love. The natural course of life is that we grow into adulthood and old age before leaving our legacy for the generations below. Now, perhaps more than ever before, we are aware of how reality can be different.

The need for us all to consider our affairs as soon as possible is essential and in doing so we must look at the necessity of Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) and their importance whatever your age. If you or a loved one is facing life with a disability, or a life-limiting condition that may impact your mental capacity in the future, then acting now can ease legal processes for your family further down the line.

Alternatively, we don’t know what the future holds but we do know that life can change in the blink of an eye – a

sudden illness or an accident can leave a person needing care and unable to manage their financial affairs without help.

The creation of an LPA gives you peace of mind – you will have chosen those who will manage your finances and who can make decisions about your future care. Creating your own LPA can be done at any stage and it is advised to do this as early as possible so it’s in place for a time when it may be required.

Without it, the process by which people can be appointed to manage your affairs is lengthy, more complicated, and expensive. To put this into perspective, it could take family members up to a year to get authority to manage your property and finances.

In comparison, registering an LPA takes just three months at the most, and importantly is half the cost of the alternative.

An experienced solicitor will assist, taking time to ensure their client fully understands the purpose of an LPA in relation to financial matters and future health and care. Clients I have helped have included those living with dementia and disability. I have built relationships with these clients to be confident of their ‘capacity’ to create their own LPAs.

One person was unable to vocalise their wishes to me, but over time it became evident their understanding of, and the ability to use, the written word was good and that is how we proceeded. That avoided any questions over their capacity but also enabled us to progress with an LPA. Similarly, with a client living with a learning disability, I spent time finding different ways to explain the purpose and use of an LPA and was confident about their capacity, avoiding the need for a capacity assessment. Clear notes meant questions of capacity at the time of making the LPA would not be raised in the future.

LPAs can seem ‘far away’ issues to those busy with work, having children, paying a mortgage, or saving for those all-important treats. But they are vital in a world where change is a given.

For an informal chat with Chantal, please contact her on 01522 515011, email Chantal.Ulhaq-Weedon@ wilkinchapman.co.uk or visit wilkinchapman.co.uk

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LINCOLNSHIRE LANDMARKS

Home is Where THE HEART IS

Proverbially an English person’s home is their castle... sometimes that stands up to a more literal interpretation as is the case with this month’s selection of castles, manor houses and other attractions, ideal for a visit when lockdown is eased, subject to restrictions!

Words: Rob Davis.

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The Home of Robert de Tattershall...

Tattershall Castle is greater than the sum of its parts, which is impressive, as its parts include more than 700,000 bricks!

Thank goodness for Lord Curzon. Were it not for the aristocrat’s intervention, mid-Lincolnshire’s Tattershall Castle would have been dismantled piece by piece and shipped over to America in 1910.

Today the Castle has four towers and six floors, with fine chimneyplaces, heraldic decoration and stained glass windows. It’s largely unfurnished but does contain several pieces of tapestry, and C17th furniture.

Instead, Curzon, the 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston and a former Viceroy of India, responded to an appeal by Reverend Yglesias of Holy Trinity Church and purchased the place then recovered features like the fireplaces which had been torn out, reinstating them and embarking on a complete refurbishment with William Weir, his architect, in 1912.

Work has also continued on The Graffiti Project, which has seen PhD student James Wright studying the graffiti left behind by previous generations to create an alternative social history of the castle. James’s findings will form the centrepiece of a future exhibition at the castle.

He left the Castle to the National Trust upon his death in 1925 and it was given a Grade I listing in 1966. The original building was built in 1231 and was a stone castle or a fortified Manor House, but it was rebuilt by Ralph, 3rd Lord Cromwell, treasurer to Henry VI in the early to mid-15th century.

Below: The view from Tattershall Castle, built as a stone castle or Manor House in 1231 and rebuilt between 1430 and 1450.

At that point it was rebuilt in red bricks, using English Bond, a dark lattice technique for the brickwork with ashlar dressings and a leaded roof.

Tattershall is well-regarded for outdoor events like medieval fairs and family days.

With little time to plan such events for this summer, visitors instead can enjoy walking around the castle and its grounds with the attraction’s audio tour.

In addition, you can enjoy Tattershall’s nature, which includes great crested newts in the castle’s moat, and Egyptian geese; the furthest north in the UK you’ll see them. n See www.nationaltrust.org.uk.

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The English mansion that’s fit for a Queen (or at least... a former Prime Minister’s wife!)

Scunthorpe’s Normanby Hall was created in 1825 for Sir Robert Sheffield, third of the Sheffield Baronetcy. The current Baronet is Sir Reginald Adrian Berkeley Sheffield, 8th Baronet, and his heir apparent is Robert Charles Berkeley Sheffield, who was born in Scunthorpe and is now 37 years old. The wife of the former Prime Minister, Samantha Cameron, is the daughter of the eighth Baronet. Model Cara Delevingne, is the great-great-granddaughter of the sixth Baronet.

See www.normanbyhall.co.uk.

Doddington Hall in Lincoln...

The stately home on the outskirts of Lincoln has a farm shop, and beautiful gardens to enjoy in the spring and summer months...

Lincoln’s Doddington Hall is most accurately known as a prodigy house. The term refers to buildings created by families who were enjoying relatively new-found wealth and wanted to create a dramatic architectural statement to demonstrate their new status, typically during the Tudor, Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. The Doddington Hall estate extends well beyond the five acres of gardens that surround the late-Elizabethan property, Grade I listed (the grounds are Grade II* in status) since 1985.

It was built by Robert Smythson for Thomas Tailor, a registrar to the bishop and lawyer who replaced an earlier building on the site. In 1815 after several owners, the property passed from the Delaval/Gunman family to Lieutenant Colonel George Jarvis in 1829.

Remaining in private ownership today it was restored in the mid 20th century by Laurence Bond and Francis Johnson and is the family home of Claire and James Birch who took over the estate in 2006 and have created a farm shop and retail village on site. n See ww.doddingtonhall.com for more.

Mrs Smith’s Cottage: offering an insight into a bygone age...

It may be modest, in comparison to the other homes featured here, but Hilda Smith’s cottage is also fascinating.

Due to reopen properly following a refurbishment last year, celebrations following the repair and restoration of Hilda Smith’s Navenby cottage had to be put on hold. But this year, when it reopens, you can enjoy an insight into the way we used to live.

Hilda Smith left her property in 1995 and upon her death in May that year, with no surviving relatives, the muchloved member of the community left the cottage to friends and neighbours who decided it should be preserved and opened to the public as a sort of time capsule.

The cottage was built in 1830, and gained a second room a decade or so later. A washroom was another later addition but though Hilda was one of the first in the village to have electricity installed in the 1930s, she resisted running water and mains drainage until 1978. She lived without a washing machine or twin tub, relying instead on a good old fashioned dolly tub and mangle, cooking on a range cooker. In the mid-1970s though Hilda Smith did treat herself to a TV set.

Her cottage is preserved to show how village life was lived, and it’s a fascinating piece of social history. n Mrs Smith’s Cottage is located on East Road, Navenby.

See www.mrssmithscottage.com.

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Gainsborough Old Hall...

Belton House: Where the counsel of the King is kept

A Tudor manor house, visited by Henry VIII Managed by English

Grantham’s National Trust property has links to the abdication crisis of 1938...

For more information see www.nationaltrust.org.uk.

The Carolean-style Belton House was built between 1685 and 1688 by Sir John Brownlow, 3rd Baronet.

In 1984 the property was donated to the National Trust, albeit on the proviso that the present Baron, Edward John Peregrine Cust, 7th Baron Brownlow and his son the Hon., Peregrine Edward Quintin

Cust, can retain private apartments in the property.

During the 1930s Peregrine Cust, 6th Baron Brownlow, an equerry to the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII spent many weekends at the property – possibility with Wallis Simpson – and Brownlow counselled the King during the crisis. n

Heritage, Gainsborough Old Hall was once the country home of Sir Thomas Burgh who had the property constructed in 1460 and was used to entertain King Richard III and King Henry VIII who visited the property on several occasions, including one with his doomed Queen Catherine Howard. n

Gunby Hall: Tennyson’s Haunt of Ancient Peace...

Located in Spilsby, Gunby Hall’s parkland is rich in wildlife, like larks, ascending... which may have given Ralph VaughanWilliams the inspiration for his music... he was, after all, a frequent guest at the house,

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visiting the property to see his cousin Diana MontgomeryMassingberd. Gunby Hall was built in 1700 for Sir William Massingberd, replacing an earlier, smaller manor house owned by the eponymous

Gunby family. It’s set in 100-acres of parkland and adjacent to an eight acre walled garden, and the house itself is Grade I listed comprising over 42 rooms.

Owned by the National Trust

since 1944, the property is leased to custodians on the condition that the occupants open the property’s state rooms and its grounds to the public. n For more on the property, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk.

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The Home of Sir Isaac Newton... and of science!

Sir Isaac Newton’s legacy encompasses the disciplines of maths, physics, astronomy and theology. His Principia, published from 1687 in three parts, was of great influence to future scientists and his three laws of motion remain relevant to modern scientists like Tim Peake (above) who took apple tree saplings from the tree in the grounds of his childhood home, Woolsthorpe Manor, to the International Space Station and brought them back to Grantham to be replanted in the curtilage of the house 2015.

Newton lived in the house until he left Grantham – and King’s School in the town – to attend Trinity College in Cambridge in 1661.

Today, the property has interpretation in the adjacent Science Centre which will bring Newton’s science to life for slightly older children.

Adults meanwhile will enjoy seeing what life was like in the Carolean era. n For more on the property, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk.

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Harlaxton Manor: John of Gaunt’s 14th century hunting lodge...

A Maid of Honour, Made in Grimsthorpe Grimsthorpe’s Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 28th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, was a Maid of Honour for HM The Queen...

One of Lincolnshire’s most beautiful country estates, Grimsthorpe Castle near Bourne nestles within a 3,000 acre estate and the earliest building on the site was thought to have been created by Gilbert de Gant, Earl of Lincoln in the early 13th century.

During the Plantagenet years the owner Lord Lovell was a keen supporter of Richard III and when Henry VII came to the throne, Lovell’s property was confiscated, given to a supporter of the Tudor dynasty, the 11th Baron Willoughby de Eresby. ‘A few barons later’ it was Robert Bertie, 16th Baron, who commissioned Sir John Vanbrugh to remodel the castle and design a baroque front to the house, celebrating his new title Duke of Ancaster & Kesteven.

Ask anyone in Lincolnshire to name a stately home and it’s likely the usual suspects of Burghley, Belvoir and Belton will make the list before Harlaxton Manor is mentioned.

The architect would be best known for Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard, but created a splendid Palladian-fronted façade for Grimsthorpe Castle. Its current occupant is Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 28th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, who served as a Maid of Honour for HM Queen Elizabeth during her coronation in 1953. n

A merry blend of Jacobean, Elizabethan and Baroque architecture, the country house was created on the grounds of an original 14th century hunting lodge owned by the Duke of Lancaster John of Gaunt. In 1619 the Manor was purchased by Sir Daniel de Ligne, before being abandoned in 1780 and subsequently inherited by George Gregory and replaced in 1857 with the current building. Having fallen into disrepair in the 1890s, it was abandoned in 1935, then purchased by Violet Van der Elst, the entrepreneur credited with inventing brushless shaving cream!

Having restored the property and installed electricity, it was requisitioned by the RAF, then after the war, purchased

by The Society of Jesus and eventually leased to Stanford University.

From 1971 the University of Evansville has been using the property as its British campus, also perpetuating the myth held by some Americans that all English people live in a castle...

The property and its gardens are usually open on selected days throughout the summer months. n For more information see www.harlaxton.co.uk.

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The birthplace of Wesley and of Methodism...

John Wesley was born in 1703 in Epworth.. which is just about in Lincolnshire! The 15th child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley his father was an Oxford University graduate and a poet, as well as rector of Epworth. Having studied at Christ Church Oxford, John Wesley was ordained and later returned to Lincolnshire to preach his theology – which came to be known as Methodism – from his father’s grave, breaking away from the Anglican church. Visits to Epworth’s Old Rectory are part of the town’s Wesley Trail. n

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Lord Burghley’s seat of power in Elizabethan England...

Power means money and money means power, as Sir William Cecil, who held the purse strings in Queen Elizabeth’s England was acutely aware!

Below: Burghley House is the ancestral seat of the Cecil family, this state room, The Heaven Room, fresco was created by the artist Verrio.

Sir William Cecil’s Burghley House is an impressive country home indeed, commensurate with the status of the man who was Queen Elizabeth’s Lord High Treasurer.

The building was modelled on Richmond Palace and created between 1555 and 1587.

The property has 35 state rooms on the ground and first floors, 110 rooms in total.

Wood carver Grinling Gibbons contributed to some of the carvings in the property whilst the parkland was transformed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown 200 years later.

Among the impressive treats in store at Burghley House are the stunning frescoes by Verrio. The artist’s Heaven Room is just one of the state rooms in Burghley House and its fresco is regarded as the artist’s greatest masterpiece.

It depicts ‘Gods and Goddesses disporting themselves, as Gods and Goddesses are wont to do…!’ and even features a cameo of the artist at the forge of the cyclops.

He also contributed to the house the Heaven & Hell staircase which took the artist 11 years to complete. It shows the mouth of Hell as the enormous gaping mouth of a cat, with countless souls in torment within.

Death – the jolly old Grim Reaper – plies his sickle among the less fortunate.

The walls were painted by Thomas Stothard a century later. The whole impression is intended to be one of darkness and despair, in complete contrast to the preceding room.

Stothard had to take over from Verrio as the artist was unable to complete it before going blind in 1799.

Latterly, sixth Marquess David Cecil was well-known as an Olympic gold-medal winning athlete, IAAF President and MP. David Cecil won a gold medal at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics and silver in 1932 before going on to become Chairman of the Organising Committee for London’s 1948 Olympics. The story was later retold in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire, with the character Lord Andrew Lindsay based on Burghley. His daughter Lady Victoria Leatham was an antiques expert and as well as an employee of Sotherby’s who appeared often on BBC One’s Antiques Roadshow.

Upon the death of David Cecil in 1982, the marquessate passed to a Canadian uncle.

The current occupant of Burghley House, though, is Lady Victoria’s daughter Miranda Rock, husband Orlando and the couple’s four children. Family life was disrupted a couple of years ago when film crews moved into Burghley House to use the property’s Heaven Room as a backdrop for Windsor Castle in the Netflix series The Crown. n

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HER GRACE THE DUCHESS OF RUTLAND

THE QUEENS of their

CASTLES

A new series of podcasts created by Her Grace the Duchess of Rutland reveals the story behind some of the UK’s finest stately homes. From heritage to housework, stonework to statues, forestry to finances, running a country pile is a vast undertaking, but one that’s tremendously rewarding too…

Words: Rob Davis.

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“It’s a buzz and a burden; delight and drudgery… with a lot of window cleaning thrown in for good measure!” says the Duchess...

WITH GREAT ROMANCE comes even greater responsibility. Not to mention a vast amount of windows to clean. For those of us living in properties possessed of more conventional scale, the idea of moving into a castle seems too surreal to countenance.

But upon her marriage to the 11th Duke of Rutland at the age of 36, Her Grace the Duchess of Rutland, Emma Manners, found herself moving into a property surrounded by 15,000 acres, with 2,500 windows that needed cleaning and no fewer than 356 rooms that necessitate a regular whip round with the hoover and the periodic attention of Mr Sheen.

The Duchess’s excitement must have been tempered by more than a little trepidation as she suddenly became custodian of the Grade I castle in the Vale of Belvoir and its 15,000 associated acres. Management of the estate’s 300 rental properties alone creates a business of significant size.

Meanwhile, the associated responsibilities of heading up the Castle’s weddings and events; overseeing its shooting parties and forestry operations, not to mention developing new revenue streams (such as those from The Engine Yard, the retail village which opened in 2018) all mean that running a country estate is a vast and diverse responsibility.

In the first episode, the Duchess reveals that one of her new butlers was overheard saying to another member of staff early in her tenure as her new responsibility was dawning: “I wonder if we’ve broken her yet!”

Nope. Not a chance. In fact, she remains the queen of the castle, never mind the Duchess, as smart and good-humoured as she is resilient and canny. We assume that butler in question hasn’t enjoyed such longevity in his role and was hoofed out before he could say ‘Will that be all?’

In other words, those expecting living in a castle to constitute a fairy-tale happy ending may in fact be a little dismayed by the ensuing financial responsibility… not to mention the amount of dusting that needs to be done.

That’s not to say, however, that it isn’t a pleasure. It’s just a pleasure tempered with the need to practice considered custodianship in order to preserve the property and its estate for future generations.

“It’s a buzz and a burden; delight and drudgery… with a lot of window cleaning thrown in for good measure!” says Emma.

Ultimately, it’s fascinating, too, and that’s the premise of a new series of podcasts presented by the Duchess which offers an intimate fireside chat with the ladies who run some of the UK’s finest country houses.

The Duchess moved into the property in 2000. She became and remains the UK’s most canny aristocrats and has transformed the estate enormously by sensitively making the most of Belvoir’s opportunities without over-commercialising it or turning it into some kind of fairground.

“The ladies I’ve spoken to report the same feeling of responsibility, the same pleasure and the same determination to preserve their precious properties for our future generations. The recordings offer a real insight into what life is like as the custodian of a stately home.

“The idea came from my eldest daughter Violet. She’s currently studying towards a degree in Business Studies at the University of California in Los Angeles. She was feeling really nostalgic for England and her American friends were all amused and in awe that she lived in a castle back home. Violet insisted that our experiences as a family and the experiences of others in a similar position would make a fascinating series.” >>

Opposite: Her Grace Emma Manners, the Duchess of Rutland has created a series of podcasts in which she interviews aristocratic women about their custodianship of some of the country’s finest stately homes.

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THE DUCHESS OF RUTLAND

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“That was about 18 months ago, and during the first lockdown I began approaching people I knew to invite them to contribute to the series, initially with mixed results.

But once more contributors had heard their peers’ contributions prior to the podcasts’ release – and perhaps identified with their thoughts – more and more women came on board to talk about their role running and preserving stately homes.”

The Duchess now has a series of 10 episodes of her podcast for release from February, each having a duration of 40 minutes with a new episode published once a week. Then, in summer, an additional 10 new episodes – the second series – will also be released, too.

“40 minutes is the length of a TV drama, but cutting into that time is visuals without speech, shots of scenery and so on. By contrast the format of a 40 minute podcast is quite speech-intensive, so there’s a lot of content in each episode. But because the format is a fireside chat in one of the drawing rooms of each property, there’s also a relaxed fireside feel to each episode.”

“That’s nice for the listener but it also allows the ladies who feature in each episode to impart quite a lot of their thoughts and quite a lot of information about the property so compared to the snippets of social media content or the headlines on your phone, they’re quite rich and informative but also quite intimate and friendly.”

“The other element of the series that I’m quite proud of is that they’re honest.

I’d say that three quarters of the ladies we’ve interviewed have married into aristocracy.

When that happens the fairy-tale – living in a castle – becomes a rather more nuanced outcome.”

“I grew up on our family farm in rural Wales and I’m the daughter of a Quaker farmer. I met my future husband, David Manners, the 11th Duke of Rutland, at a dinner party. Having trained as an opera singer at the Guildhall School of Music and having worked as an interior designer, I was then thrust into the role of custodian of one of the nation’s great treasures, a Grade I listed castle with over 350 rooms. Suddenly I was responsible for the day-to-day running of a country estate, quite in addition to the raising of five young children.”

“It sounds exciting – and it is – but there’s no training for the role, nothing to prepare you for the experience. And the to-do list in such a role is as diverse as it is exhaustive.

Country estates are expensive to maintain

and to turn into sustainable operations.

Monetising them is necessary to cover the cost of their upkeep but repairs or renovation of a heritage building can be very complicated.”

“At the same time, you can’t turn a stately home into a funfair. Part of the responsibility is preserving the property or the estate’s character. Equally you want to open the place to visitors to experience and enjoy, but you have to mitigate the effect that hundreds or thousands of people’s footfall could have on the property or its grounds.”

this summer and we hope to open a new Duchess’s Parlour serving afternoon tea, truffles and patisserie.”

“We’re also hoping to be able to offer our yurts and tipis for those seeking a staycation in a really nice setting. And more immediately, in early April subject to lockdown, we’ve been working with our designer Charlotte Lloyd Webber – who works with other properties like Castle Howard – to create a beautiful looking easter egg hunt with a twist; hunting for rubies, not eggs!”

“Against the backdrop of the castle and its “More fundamentally too is the mundane, estate has been the fact that Belvoir Castle day-to-day work. We’ve mentioned that has always been our family home. The small matter of 2,500 windows boys are 16 and 20, and our three to be cleaned, but minor jobs girls are now aged between 22 like keeping on top of the and 26. No matter where dusting and vacuuming they’re studying or working become an enormous unthey always return to a dertaking even with good place that’s a family home At the heart of the 15,000 acre staff such as we have.” as well as a stately home, Belvoir estate, the castle has 350 rooms, and its current iteration and I love it when we’re “All of that responsibility, dates back to 1832. It is Grade I all together, laughing and listed and open to visitors plus a broader need to talking and enjoying a meal subject to relaxation respect the architecture, to of lockdown. around the table. I’ve always promote the history of the proptried to ensure that same sense of erty and celebrate its heritage sudwarmth and family togetherness extends denly all fall to its custodian. I’ve really enjoyed hearing first-hand what has inspired to our visitors’ families too, across the castle, our ladies to follow in the footsteps of all their the Engine Yard and the estate more broadly.”

Belvoir Castle

forebears and take care of their properties.”

“We hear tales of architecture, art and treasures, stories of the upkeep of each of our properties’ grounds and gardens… there have even been a few ghost stories which have come to light during our recording.”

“It’s a very personal series too, which reflects the hard work and dedication that the role necessitates. Not everything I’ve tried to do on the estate and in the castle has been a success. We refurbished The Manners Arms and tried to establish it as a pub, restaurant and 10-bedroom country B&B, but the challenge was enormous and it didn’t go well.

But for every difficulty there’s a success.”

“The project I’m most proud of is the establishment of the Engine Yard in 2018.

It’s now home to 20 businesses, all of which are thriving. It’s also a place that the whole community can enjoy visiting. It’s a real pleasure to spend time there in the summer and I enjoy seeing families and locals enjoying good food, shopping and just spending time in the sunshine, shopping for shrubs and plants to take home and grow.”

“Lockdown has meant the development hasn’t seen as much footfall in 2020, but we’re anticipating that it’ll be really popular

“In the future our children will have the same responsibility as my generation to look after the property and make sure it’s a place for everyone to enjoy. I’ll try to impart all of the knowledge and experience I’ve gained, but they’ll inevitably have their own energy and their own ideas to contribute too.”

“And that’s the wonderful thing about caring for a stately home. It’s also the theme that runs through the podcasts: preserving the past and adapting it for the future, leaving behind something wonderful for future generations.”

“I’m eager to share just what remarkable women are at the helm of the stately homes around the UK and the work they get up to behind those doors as custodians of British heritage. I know all too well the hard work it takes and the work we do day-to-day to achieve and maintain the delicate balance between preservation and transformation.”

n The Duchess of Rutland’s podcast, Duchess, produced in conjunction with One Fine Play, is available from the usual sources, including on streaming service Spotify. For more information on Belvoir Castle see www.belvoircastle.com or www.engineyardbelvoir.com.

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LONDON CAMERA EXCHANGE

Quality & Service IN SHARP FOCUS For anyone keen to take their photography to the next level, or to invest in a rewarding new hobby this spring, London Camera Exchange is the only place to buy camera equipment. For 21 years, the company has had a presence in Lincoln and it’s the only retailer that locals in the know will trust…

Words: Rob Davis.

THERE’S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME to be a photographer. Today’s cameras are fully-featured, intuitive, and they unlock a world of creative possibilities which were previously the preserve of only skilled creative professionals with expensive gear.

Happily, camera technology is now available to all, but with the proliferation of online retailers, grey imports and a dizzying array of products available, it’s increasingly a case of caveat emptor – buyer beware.

That’s why it’s important to have a knowledgeable friend… and there’s nobody more knowledgeable, nor friendlier, than the good folks at Lincoln’s London Camera Exchange on Silver Street.

“There has been a branch of LCE here in Lincoln for 21 years,” says the shop’s manager Jamie Scott. “Technology has of course come on leaps and bounds since then, but what hasn’t changed is our deter-

mination to offer products we know to be good quality and direct our customers only towards products we know will suit them.”

“I’ve worked for the company for over five years and my colleague and Assistant Manager Rob Turner has been here for 16 years. We all have an interest in – and a passion for – photography.”

“We’ve a team here who are strong in terms of product knowledge, but we’re also proud to be approachable and able to offer advice to people with any degree of experience.”

“Whilst we do have professional clients, the majority of our customers are amateur photographers but with a huge range of knowledge, from complete novices to really informed and expert camera users.”

“Happily we can advise anyone on the right camera system, lenses, flash equipment and accessories.”

“We also offer repairs, servicing, we buy and sell both new and pre-owned equipment and we also stock binoculars, telescopes and other optics too.”

“So whether you’re a beginner, looking to make the transition from camera phone photography to a dedicated camera, or you’re looking to transition to new mirrorless camera technology, we can help.”

“Likewise if you’re looking to begin filming your own videos or you just want to discuss a potential purchase to find out whether it’ll suit your needs, we can offer face-to-face advice and help to ensure you get the most from your photography.”

“Best of all, you’ll also enjoy internetcompetitive prices, whilst buying from a local company that also has a reassuring physical presence on the High Street, along with a reputation for being the UK’s largest and most trusted independent photographic equipment retailer.” n

LONDON CAMERA EXCHANGE’S PICK OF THE LATEST CAMERA TECHNOLOGY

1. A new trend in digital photography is mirrorless technology, which makes cameras smaller, lighter (400g) and easier to hold, Canon’s M6 MkII has 32 megapixels and shoots 4k video footage, £1,049 with 15mm-45mm lens. 2. And to take your photography to the next level, master the tricky art of flash with Canon’s fully automatic 470EX-AI robotic flash, which will bounce light intuitively into your shot, £379. 3. For those looking for a modern, full-featured mirrorless camera, Canon’s EOS R6 has a 20.1 megapixel sensor, it’s a full-frame camera with CMOS technology capable of capturing still images at 20fps and 4k video, £2,499. 4. Or, if you’re a keen birdwatcher, the stunning optics of these Hawke Endurance binoculars provide extra-low dispersion glass for maximum clarity and are multi-coated to produce sharp images, £209.99.

For more information on London Camera Exchange’s range of cameras, lenses optics and accessories, visit the retailer on Silver Street six days a week, call 01522 514131 or see www.lcegroup.co.uk.

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HERBERT INGRAM

Remembering

INGRAM

Boston’s most famous son Herbert Ingram founded pictorial journalism and brought water, gas and railway connectivity to Boston. The MP was much beloved by his townfolk who mourned his premature death, but though Ingram is gone, his legacy remains...

Words: Rob Davis.

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IT’S 13TH OCTOBER 1860. The autumn rain is siling down on the platform at Boston train station, on the Boston, Sleaford & Midland Counties railway line which opened just two years before. Despite the weather, 10,000 people have turned out to witness the return of one of Boston’s most famous sons, Herbert Ingram, and to join their townsfolk in mourning his loss. It would be one of the largest funerals the town has ever seen.

The population was heartbroken by the loss of its MP, who had done so much to provide Boston not just with representation in parliament as its Liberal Party politician from 1856 to 1860, but as someone who was pivotal in bringing piped water to the town and helping to develop its gasworks prior to the proliferation of electricity.

But those were just Ingram’s local legacies.

He also pioneered the popularisation of pictorial (i.e.: image-led) journalism, a concept that pre-empted by a number of years tabloid journalism, newsreels and pictorial broadcasts – even picture and video content on social media.

It’s no understatement to suggest that Ingram pre-empted the media in the form we know it today, and whilst his Illustrated London News ceased publication in 2003, the company he founded is still in existence today. But Ingram’s story began far from the austere Gothic Revivalist enclave of Westminster and its palaces – which, at that time, were being rebuilt following a fire in 1836 – and to understand Ingram, we need to look to Boston, not London.

chemist peddling by ‘prescription’ medicines, sold as Victorian miracle panaceas!

Upon completion of his apprenticeship, Ingram moved to London and by the age of 21, was working as a machine printer in the city before returning to Nottingham at 23 years of age to found a business as a printer and newsagent – Ingram, Cooke & Co – in partnership with his well-educated friend and later, brother-in-law, Nathaniel Cooke.

Nathaniel, incidentally, was also the author of a number of chess columns for newspapers and was the designer of a set of chess pieces which became the de facto standard set of playing pieces we know today.

The company predominantly published travel guides and history books, but as a retailer Ingram noted with interested that when newspapers of the day featured illustrations, their sales increased dramatically.

That can partly be explained by the fact that Victorian society was less literate than today, but it resonated particularly with Ingram who was a poor writer. Cooke, by contrast, was highly literate and so the entrepreneurial spirit of Ingram and the literacy and intellect of Cooke would prove ideal for their future business success… but first, they needed capital.

Fortunately, Ingram always devoted a corner of his shop to health pills, perhaps to

acknowledge his gratitude to his old boss Joseph Clark. Ingram & Cooke happened across a supposed descendent of folklore figure Old Tom Parr – who died some 200 years earlier but who was reported to have lived to 152 years of age.

This longevity was credited to the miraculous effects of a vegetable pill created by Boston quack Dr Snaith. Purchasing the recipe, Ingram began to sell Parr’s Life Pills and would use the money from dubious pharmacology to fund their next venture.

Less literate but a great businessman and rather ruthless, Ingram also had a principled belief that topical news should not be the preserve of the wealthy and literate.

With that in mind he returned to London and established Ingram & Cooke at 9 Crane Court in Fleet Street where they would publish the first edition of The Illustrated London News on 14th May 1842. The first edition had 16 pages and 32 illustrations.

With its first editor Frederick William Naylor Bayley (a poet known informally as Omnibus or Alphabet) at the helm, it targeted a broadly middle-class readership and enjoyed immediate success, printing 26,000 copies.

The ILN was a weekly publication from 1842-1972, on sale each Saturday, before being published monthly from 1971-1989; quarterly from 1989-1994 and then finally biannually from 1994-2003. >>

Herbert was born on the town’s Paddock Grove, just off Boston’s West Street, on 27th May 1811, and was the son of butcher Herbert senior, and his wife Jane Ingram, née Wedd. The older Herbert died when his son was young, and the young Ingram was raised in poverty along with his sister, attending the Laughton’s Charity School, which operated in the south-west chapel of St Botolph’s, and the town’s National School on Wormgate and in Pump Square.

Leaving school at the age of 14, Ingram was apprenticed to a printer in the town, Joseph Clark. Well-read and a canny businessman, Clark praised Herbert’s patience, industriousness and determination.

In return Ingram worked hard and took a conscientious interest not just in Clark’s printing business but in his side-line, as a

Above: This is how the London Illustrated News reported the unveiling of Herbert Ingram’s statue in Boston in 1862, proud that its founder draw a crowd to celebrate the life of the town’s MP and philanthropist.

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HERBERT INGRAM

>> Within just a few months of publishing its first edition, the ILN was selling 65,000 copies per edition, and charging high prices for advertising, yielding profits of £12,000 a year (about £950,000 in today’s money).

For context, at the time of Ingram’s death the ILN was selling 300,000 copies a week whereas The Times was selling just 70,000 copies, albeit daily, as a newspaper.

To somewhat state the obvious, central to the ILN’s philosophy was the idea that news should be illustrated, and though photography was invented about 20 years before, and was just establishing itself for the purposes or portraiture, reprographic technology was yet to catch up. The ability to replicate the clarity of a photograph using established printing techniques was somewhat lacking.

To overcome to issue of illustrations, Ingram relied heavily on established wood-engraving artists, persuading them that working for a weekly news publication was not beneath their talents.

Among them was a young John Gilbert, headhunted from Punch magazine, who contributed to the debut edition’s engravings of Queen Victoria’s masked ball, and who would later illustrate Shakespeare’s collections, then contribute 60 portraits to the British National Collections and would be knighted a few decades later. Other artists included Birket Foster who created chocolate box illustrations for Cadbury, and Harrison Weir, who is credited with organising the first cat show in England at the new Crystal Palace and founding the National Cat Club.

Illustrations were created, in reverse, on different wood blocks measuring two or three inches each, allowing multiple artists to work on a single overall image – for instance, for a larger illustration one artist might work on the sky, another on the subject and another still on the background elements.

A double page spread image might have comprised no fewer than 40 blocks joined together to create the final illustration, an endeavour made even trickier following the introduction of colour to the publication with a special Christmas supplement in 1855.

The first edition included coverage of the first Anglo-Afghan war, the Versailles rail accident which cost up to 200 lives, and the presidential election which would see John Tyler become the tenth President of the United States. To promote the new publication, Ingram employed 200 people to walk 48

through the streets of London carrying placards announcing its launch.

The debut was an instant hit and happily its release coincided with the first masked ball at Buckingham Palace, with Queen Victoria appearing in eight of Scott’s illustrations as Philippa, Queen of Edward III ‘in a velvet skirt with a surcoat of brocade, blue and gold, lined with miniver.’ The Queen’s consort Prince Albert appeared as King Edward, wearing a scarlet cloak lined in ermine.

Still today every publishing operation should expect the unexpected, usually on deadline, immediately before publication. And sure enough just before the ILN went to press with its debut edition news reached Fleet Street of a great fire breaking out in Hamburg.

With no images able to be transmitted in that era, Bayley sent a member of his editorial team to the British Museum to source an image of the city. ‘Journalistic license’ was then employed to add in flames, smoke and

“Ingram was undoubtedly willing to use those whose talent he employed to the fullest of their skills, even if he did rarely give them the credit they deserve for their part in his success...” shocked onlookers, proving that even 145 years prior to the invention of Adobe Photoshop, images in the press can’t always be trusted!

The first edition of the publication enjoyed a great response, but the ILN soon proved that it wasn’t averse to publishing hard-hitting stories – nor to criticism of the establishment.

The second edition proved a stark contrast to the joviality of the debut newspaper’s images of the Royal Masked Ball, carrying instead a revealing story about the work of children in mines.

‘At this moment of festivity and enjoyment, when the youthful Sovereign of a mighty empire is happy in the possession of her people’s love and her courtiers’ adulation, we

are reluctant to throw the gloom of reality over the bright and laughing influences of the hour, but […] there is irrational suffering in the mine […] children of the Sovereign […] are tended with all the affection of parental love [whilst] her subjects are, for want of legislative protection, deprived [and conditions are] so revolting to humanity […] that it is hardly possible to approach the subject with patience. We, as a people, have been weighed in the scale and are found wanting.’ Hyperbole I’d be proud of.

The ILN was, in addition, keen to include war reporting as part of its content, sparing readers none of the realities of conflict: the 1848 révolution de février in Paris; the Crimean War of 1853; the US Civil War and latterly the first Boer War in 1880.

Correspondent and illustrator Constantin Guys covered Paris and the Crimea – the latter as one of six members of staff sent to the front line. He and his peers would make rough sketches of battle before returning to the safety of their camp to refine his work.

By the time the Crimean War broke out, one of the earliest war photographers, Roger Fenton, was capturing the explicit horrors of warfare using long-exposure photography which would then provide the source material for the ILN to create its woodblock engravings. Another success of the ILN was its periodic musical supplements including original songs written by members of staff like poet and musician Charles Mackay who penned patriotic songs like ‘England All Over!’ and ‘There’s a land, a dear land!’ or ‘Cheer, boys, cheer!’ and disseminated them exclusively though the publication.

Sales of the ILN swelled to 200,000 copies during its coverage of the Crimean War, and abolition of the penny duty on newspapers in June 1855 – for which, for obvious reasons, Ingram was a strong advocate – created a booming market in which 168 newspapers were launched over the following year.

Ingram was a canny businessman with deep pockets and wasn’t about to let upstart competition encroach on his territory. The ILN swallowed up Lloyd’s Illustrated Paper, The Pictorial Times, The Lady’s Newspaper and The Illustrated Times.

Ingram became the Liberal Candidate for Boston in 1856, telling the people of Boston they needed ‘a representative who is at once the product and the embodiment of the progressive spirit of the age,’ a stirring

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message, it ensured Ingram won by a landslide – 521 votes to 296 – despite criticism in rival papers that his newspapers’ propaganda played a part in ensuring his victory.

Herbert nonetheless made good on his election promises and campaigned for social reform in the House of Commons right up until his death.

Ingram was undoubtedly willing to use those whose talent he employed to the fullest of their skills, even if he did rarely give them the credit they deserve for their part in his success. In his most successful later years, he drank heavily and was intolerably inflexible and grumpy even to his closest and most talented colleagues. Having married Ann, a wealthy farmer’s daughter from Eye near Peterborough, the couple had ten children, of which nine survived.

Herbert Ingram regularly stayed in Boston and in 1851, purchased the patronage of the vicarage of Boston for £1,050 (about £135,000), and invested heavily in its restoration with Nottingham Architect and Gilbert Scott, culminating in new stainedglass windows and with the new baptismal font carved by Augustus Welby Pugin.

Ingram also ensured that children could be educated in the church, recognising that educating young Bostonians could create more entrepreneurs like himself in the future.

A long-standing frustration with his townsfolk was the lack of piped water, and still water was being sold by the bucket from water carts in the Market Place or obtained manually from the public pump in Pump Square, served by two underground cellars that functioned as reservoirs.

Determined to address this deficiency, Ingram created the new Boston Waterworks which were based about 12 miles north of the town in Miningsby, elevated 170ft higher than Boston’s streets, enabling water from the reservoir he created to flow naturally through 12” diameter pipes.

The businessman’s determination that the town should be connected to the booming British railway infrastructure was recognised in 1852 with the Boston, Sleaford and Grantham Branch Line of the Boston, Sleaford & Midland Counties railway created to link to the Great Northern Railway line.

It’s believed that Ingram was also a key investor in Boston Gas Light and Coke Company, which was formed earlier, in 1824 and located near to the town’s Grand Sluice,

remaining until 1949 when it was nationalised.

The public would have no doubt recognised Ingram as a key reason that Boston gained the modern utilities and infrastructure of the age.

Elected again in 1857 and 1859, sadly his tenure as MP and a major benefactor to the town was to be cut short. Whilst on a trip to the New World with son (also called Herbert) to obtain illustrations for the ILN, Ingram took an ill-fated trip on the paddle steamer The Lady Elgin on 8th September 1860.

In the early hours of the morning the ship collided with the schooner Augusta off the coast of Winnetka, tearing off the paddle box and cutting through the cabin. Despite best efforts by Captain Jack Wilson, all 400 passengers on board all died, the boat sinking within half an hour of the collision.

It’s believed that Ingram was struck by one of the stray timbers. His body washed up on the shore of the lake and was recovered, but the younger Herbert’s body was never 49

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HERBERT INGRAM

“Herbert Ingram is buried in the cemetery and a granite obelisk with the face of his son marks his resting place.

Ingram is also remembered by the 1862 Grade II listed statue adjacent to Boston’s St Botolph’s Church...”

recovered and today the obelisk erected to honour Herbert Ingram features a cast of the younger man.

Control of the ILN passed to Ingram’s widow Ann and latterly to his son William in 1874 and Sir Bruce Ingram from 1905. The latter would run the ILN for 63 years before selling the firm to Roy Thomson and then to Sea Containers, becoming part of a luxury travel and lifestyle magazine portfolio.

The ILN was relaunched in 2003 under its last editor, Mark Palmer, before a management buyout in 2007, following which the company’s name endured whilst the title itself folded. Today, ILN is based in Spitalfields and provides marketing services to luxury brands publishing, for example, the contract magazine title sent out free to owners of Aston Martin motor cars. The company also owns and manages the rights to the entire ILN archive.

Back at the rainy railway station, though, Herbert Ingram’s body arrived in the town, having departed on Friday, 14th September 1860, from Toronto, travelling to Liverpool and the Great Western Railway, in the care of his uncle Nathanial Webb.

The train arrived in Boston at 1.50pm the following Thursday and was met by the Rev J Yarbugh, who would conduct Ingram’s funeral before his burial in Boston’s cemetery, created just five years previously in 1855.

Ingram’s funeral finally took place on Thursday 11th October and processed through the town from the house of Nathanial Webb to Liquorpond Street, West Street, Bridge Street and into the Market Place.

10,000 people lined the streets to pay their respects and a procession of 2,000 people included the 1st Lincolnshire Artillery Volunteers, 4th Lincolnshire Rifle Volunteers, the town’s Mayor, magistrates, corporation,

plus its freemasons, odd fellows and foresters, artisans, clergy, and ministers. On that day, too, all of the businesses and shops in Boston’s town centre were closed, and 50 members of staff from the ILN were present.

Herbert Ingram is buried in the cemetery with a memorial to mark his resting place.

Ingram is also remembered by the 1862 Grade II listed statue adjacent to St Botolph’s Church.

The figure was created by Alexander Munro and cast by Elkington on a pink granite plinth, with a figure pouring water to symbolise the businessman bringing water to the town.

In the depiction, Boston’s most famous son still clutches a copy of the ILN he founded and looks over the town’s Market Place satisfied with the legacy that he has left the town, its people and the media more broadly, over 160 years after his death. n

Above: The Chicago Tribune pictured this illustration of the Lady Elgin as it left Winnetka, 16 miles north of Chicago, on its way to Wisconsin. At 1.50am on the 8th September 1860 the ship was struck by another and sank within half an hour. All 400 passengers lost their lives, including Herbert Ingram and his son, also called Herbert.

Opposite: The first edition of the Illustrated London News was published on Saturday May 14th 1842, sold for sixpence and comprising 16 pages and 32 illustrations.

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THE BLACK HORSE GOSBERTON RISEGATE

HOMEMADE, BEAUTIFUL, CLASSICAL DISHES

01775 840 995

www.theblackhorse-gr.co.uk

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CHEF JASON ATHERTON

FROM SKEGNESS TO

STARDOM Jason Atherton was born and raised right here in Lincolnshire, but today, he’s one of the most well-respected and talented chefs in the world. With restaurants around the world, appearances on TV and the publication of recipe books, Jason is the uncompromising chef who has the world at his feet and doesn’t suffer his critics gladly…

Words: Rob Davis.

You don’t mess with Jason. They guy knows his food and his own mind. He’s perhaps the most straight down the line chef and straight down the line businessman you’re likely to meet. We’ll speculate that’s thanks to his upbringing in Lincolnshire, among Yellowbellies who are equally reticent to beat around the bush.

This year is a special one for Jason, as he celebrates ten years of founding his own company.

We’re delighted for him, because he’s reached that well-deserved point in his career where he no longer has to mind his opinions or worry about treading on others’ toes.

Jason was actually born in Sheffield but moved to Skegness with his mum at the age of four, working in the family’s guest house and then taking a job as a teenager giving tourists’ children donkey rides in the summer months, before discovering catering after taking home economics at school… apparently because he fancied a girl in the class! Later he trained at Boston College and then joined the Army Catering Corps.

“I was a ‘donkey boy!’ I did that for three or four seasons. I absolutely hated the Army Catering Corps, I did my basic training but couldn’t get on… I got into some fights!

Between my stepfather and my sergeant, they decided it was time for me to leave.

So I went back to Skegness with my tail between my legs.”

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There, Jason impressed the owner of a local restaurant and so began his career in hospitality.

“He said I was a natural cook. It was the first time someone had ever said I was good at something. He also said that if I was serious about getting better, I should move to London. So that's what I did, and my life just took on another form.”

Jason was suddenly immersed in the London restaurant scene and he worked with names like Pierre Koffmann and Marco Pierre White. He also met the man with whom he’d accomplish great things – Gordon Ramsay – who had also began his career with Marco Pierre White and who opened the first of several restaurants in 1998, culminating in the creation of Maze alongside Jason Atherton in 2005, just four years after Jason joined the company.

Jason worked with Gordon so loyally and in such a senior position that he held a 10% stake in Maze, until he left after a row in March 2010… though he still holds his former business partner in high esteem.

“We fell out over money, that’s it, plain and simple. But he’s an amazing chef and a great guy. We just couldn’t see eye-to-eye on the way the business was being run. It was time to shake hands and move on but I’d be honoured to cook for him again. Life’s just too short.” >>

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JASON ATHERTON

>> In 2011, Jason prepared to open his first restaurant, putting his savings into what would become his own business, Pollen Street Social, at a time when recession was looming and when he and wife Irha were expecting their second child.

“There are people who take risks and there are people who play safe. One thing’s for sure, if you open your own restaurant, then you certainly don’t play safe.”

Nor, it seems do you carry your ego in your apron pocket. By his own admission Jason ‘freaked out’ when he saw the frontage of his restaurant for the first time and noticed that the place had his name above the doors in large letters. “As you grow up,” he says, “You realise it’s not all about that, it’s about giving customers what they want.”

He’s also highly regarded by GQ as one of the UK’s best-dressed chefs and can usually be seen rocking a very slick suit, every bit an exponent of classical gentleman’s style.

Still, you can take the boy out of Lincolnshire, but not Lincolnshire out of the boy, and a spat with Nigella after she commented on a snarky review by one Times food writer led to quite a fierce rebuttal, with a typically Lincolnshire penchant for speaking out in the plainest possible terms against any undue nonsense.

Jason continued to expand his restaurant portfolio both nationally and internationally until reaching his present 16 restaurants worldwide. He also published Maze: The Cookbook in 2008, Gourmet Food for a Fiver in 2010, then Social Suppers, and its follow-up Social Sweets in 2014 and 2015 respectively, and Pollen Street Social in 2018.

TV appearances have included guest spots on BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen, The Great British Menu and Jason hosting The Chef ’s Brigade in 2019, taking a team with ‘raw cooking talent’ and creating a brigade to staff one of Europe’s finest restaurants in just six weeks.

“Although it’s been an incredibly tough period for everyone, lock down life has shown some signs of positivity. It’s provided more time to spend with my family and with our young daughter. I’ve also spent the time supporting our long-standing charity partners, including JDRF, Hospitality Action and The Felix Project.”

“From day one, I launched ‘Social Isolation Kitchen,’ offering daily Instagram cooking tutorials on my channels, as well as launching ‘Jason at Home,’ an online homeware store created with Goodfellows.”

Despite the flawless presentation of his food, Jason rejects the description ‘fine dining,’ instead questioning why all of his food, with carefully chosen ingredients and beautiful presentation, should necessitate that label… surely it should just be considered ‘nice food?’

Pollen Street Social, on the city’s Mayfair, earned a Michelin Star within just six months and has retained it ever since. Next came Esquina and The Study in Singapore, 22 Ships in Hong Kong and two further ventures in London.

“With every income stream turned off, it creates disruption to the entire ecosystem built around my business. I have spent the last year working to secure the business for the future, keeping in regular contact with my team and suppliers and thinking ahead about how to run a business in a socially distanced, post-lockdown world.”

It’s definitely given me time to slow down and put everything into perspective. Before the virus I was working constantly, travelling all over the world, I didn’t stop.”

A gentleman, in addition to everything else though, Jason did write to the chef privately to apologise and he publicly acknowledged that he regretted his comment, remarking that he held her in the highest esteem.

Naturally everyone in the hospitality industry has been dismayed by the previous year’s trade – or lack of same – but Jason says he’s looking forward to reopening his business and that it will encourage the whole industry to redouble their efforts in providing exceptional food and service for customers and ensuring the industry rapidly gets back onto its feet.

“I watched my restaurants close across the globe over a seven-day period; it was very frightening.”

“I think it’s good sometimes to take a step back and give yourself time to analyse, be creative and plan ahead. It’s also been lovely to spend lots of time with my family.”

“I definitely think there will be a new ‘normal’ but we will get into the swing of things again and resume where we left off.

It’s going to be a bumpy ride with lots of hard work but I’m confident the restaurant world will be booming again soon.”

“The thing is,” says Jason, “I love to cook.

A lot of chefs who get to my position taste a bit of success and can’t wait to get out of the kitchen. And that’s a big, fat mistake.

Never forget the kitchen, the restaurant, the customers.”

“It’s not the fear of failure that keeps me going. There’s so much more to be achieved, I reckon. That and simply the joy of cooking for people.” n

For more information on Jason Atherton and his restaurants including Pollen Street Social on London’s Mayfair, see www.pollenstreetsocial.com. Jason’s latest book, Pollen Street Social is available at all good bookshops for £32.99.

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SEASONAL FOOD

THE GREAT TASTE of

TRADITION Now covering the whole of Lincolnshire, Yummy is the online ‘farm shop’ service that enables you to have high quality local food delivered right to your door. Technology meets tradition, yielding quality produce from suppliers like H Dawson & Sons, butchers since 1872...

Words: Rob Davis.

IF YOU CARE about what you eat, care about animal husbandry, and about the environment more broadly, there’s no getting away from the fact that the larger the farm, the less local, and the larger the retailer it supplies, the more likely it is that compromises have been made.

As supply chains to large retailers like supermarkets become more convoluted, and as volume usurps values, we move ever further away from the care and the professionalism of our traditional local butchers.

Supermarkets – especially those offering home delivery – are a convenient compromise, providing shopping under one roof or delivered to your door.

But for those who want to use traditional butchers, bakers and greengrocers, website www.yummy.co.uk can deliver fresh food from local suppliers right to your door... and it’s now available right across Lincolnshire!

Happily, that means every household in our county can now enjoy access to a traditional butcher like H Dawson & Sons and have quality food delivered to the door, blending convenience with quality... and the difference in food, especially meat, is remarkable.

“There has been a butcher’s shop here since 1872, and we’re the third generation of our family to run the business, formerly known as Richardsons, Wilkinsons and Stan Swifts before we became H Dawson & Sons,” say Tim & Philip Dawson.

“We’re unique in the town because we process our animals in our adjacent butchery. It’s unusual these days as most shops just purchase their meat wholesale.”

“But because we control the whole process we’re able to vouch for the quality of our meat. We’re also able to vouch for our standards of animal welfare, ensuring a humane process. And finally, it means we’re able to pass on the savings that come from processing our own meat, in house, to our customers.” >>

Main Image: Tim Dawson and his uncle, Philip Dawson, are the second and third generation of the family at the helm of H Dawson & Sons, a butcher’s shop since 1872.

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“YUMMY: COVERING THE WHOLE OF THE COUNTY!” Fresh local food delivered directly to your doorstep across the whole of Lincolnshire!

Now available across the whole of Lincolnshire, H Dawson & Sons is just one of the Yummy suppliers you can now use to have quality produce delivered right to your door.

The service delivers produce from local butchers, bakers, fruit & veg suppliers, fishmongers and other local food businesses, with shopping delivered straight to your door.

How does it work? Simply visit www.yummy.co.uk and browse through the different products available.

Once you’ve chosen your products from each of our different Yummy partners, you complete one single secure checkout.

Next, we visit each of our partners in turn, collect each of the different products in your order, then pack them safely and deliver them using our fleet of our refrigerated vehicles.

We’ll deliver your Yummy box to your doorstep which means you can enjoy local food, from local suppliers with maximum convenience.

As well as local produce, Yummy has lots of practical groceries too such as milk, butter, honey, and sliced bread. n Discover Yummy now by visiting www.yummy.co.uk... you won’t be disappointed!

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>> “It’s as traditional a model for a butcher’s shop as possible. We’re supplied by just two local farmers (in Wrangle and Coningsby) so we know where our animals come from. We process about 40 pigs each week – a total of around 2,800kg – plus two or three cattle and five or six lambs.”

“About 80% of our produce is sold directly to the consumers, with the remaining 20% to schools, restaurants and other local retail butchers. In-house we also make our own sausages and sausage rolls, chine and haslet but we’re especially well-known for good traditional cuts. And because we process our own meat we can also offer specialist heritage cuts like oxtails and thin ribs.”

“Because we control the process from start to finish we can also ensure our animals don’t experience any distress. That’s not just a matter of being humane, it has a direct effect on the quality of the meat.”

“Panicked animals release ‘stress hormones’ like cortisol and adrenaline, which surge 60

“Nobody invests more knowledge or care in their products than a local butcher. We’ve respect for our animals, for food, and we pride ourselves on providing the highest quality meat...” through the body as an autonomic reaction preparing it for a ‘fight or flight’ response.

Those hormones cause a degradation of natural proteins and fat, which has a negative effect on meat flavour and tenderness.”

“Huge supply chains often have mechanised systems for processing animals which are clunky and noisy, distressing the animals, as they are asphyxiated over several minutes.”

“It’s legal and hygienic but a longer, more stressful process than it needs to be, in order to accommodate volume. That’s why many prefer the approach of a local butcher, because of the more traditional care we take and the resulting better quality of meat.”

“We’re also able to hang our beef, usually for four weeks, to allow its flavour and texture to develop. That’s why our steaks and joints are so incredibly tender, flavoursome and deep in colour compared to what the supermarket consumer has been conditioned to expect.”

“Nobody invests more knowledge and more care in their products than a local butcher.

We’ve respect for our animals, a respect for food and we pride ourselves on providing the highest quality meat. And now, to be able to deliver right to our customers’ doors via Yummy, we’re really happy that tradition can meet technology and we can all enjoy great food in a really convenient way!” n

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SEASONAL FOOD

AS SPUD AS GOLD HOW TO CHOOSE THE PERFECT POTATO Roasted? Boiled? Chipped? Mashed, even?

How do you like your Lincolnshire tates?

My own preference is to give ‘em a good roasting in Lincolnshire rapeseed oil with a sprinkle of sea salt, a generous grind of pepper and a clove of garlic chucked into the roasting tin for good measure.

THIS MONTH YUMMY LAUNCHES ITS NEW BLOG, ‘VOICE FROM THE FIELDS’ TO KEEP YOU IN TOUCH WITH FOOD & FARMING

We all love our potatoes – however they’re prepared – but how often do we give consideration to each variety? Lincolnshire food delivery website Yummy’s potato supplier is Steven Lunn, from J. Lunn & Sons.

Steven’s farm is located in Frithville and mainly grows Maris Piper, Marfona and Stemsters, three very well-known potato varieties for most purposes, Piper for roasting and chipping; Marfona for baking and mashing; Stemster for boiling.

“We grow Piper, Marfona and Stemster on our 20 acres near Boston,” says Steven. “What makes these so special is our soil. Because we’re blessed with a beautiful loam type soil, this is where the taste comes from. Potatoes taste different from different land types.”

“A Piper potato from Boston’s loam soil will taste very different to a Piper grown on the sandy soils of Norfolk, for example.

THE VOICE

FROM THE FIELDS

Piper potatoes are the ideal choice for roasting and chipping, due to their ‘dry matter’ content. They fry really well, too.”

“Marfona (championed by Marks & Spencer since the 1990s) are perfect for baking, due to their smooth texture. We’ve been growing Stemster for the past 25 years, and if you ask me which is the best tasting variety I grow, I’d say Stemster every time!

It’s a brilliant tasting potato and a good all-rounder; it will chip, mash and boil.” n Yummy now sells these three varieties in either a 2kg or 25kg bag, with home delivery; see yummy.co.uk.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Which steak to choose when you’re dining at home...

Fruit and veg varies throughout the year according to the weather, where it’s grown, who grows it and of course the four seasons. That’s why we’re asking one of Yummy’s many fresh produce suppliers, Jonny King of FreshDrop, to be ‘The Voice from the Fields,’ and send us regular reports on what’s happening in the fields and farms of Lincolnshire, working with suppliers and farmers.

Is the weather effecting crop yields?

What’s coming into season? Where is our fresh produce farmed. Who are the farmers driving those tractors and what challenges do they face?

What varieties of fruit and veg will Yummy be supplying and how can you get the best out of them?

All of these questions and more will be answered by Jonny and Yummy’s experts, who will keep all of our customers updated with what’s happening in the farming industry, and how to tease out the best from our fresh produce.

Take a look at www.yummy.co.uk to enjoy regular updates empowering you as a customer to get the best local food on a month-by-month basis before you fill your shopping basket. n www.yummy.co.uk/voice-from-the-fields

1. Rib-Eye Steak...

2. Rump Steak...

3. Fillet Steak...

As its name suggests, rib-eye is cut from the upper rib cage, and they have plenty of fat surrounding them. That fat adds to the flavour even if they require a slightly higher cooking temperature. n £9.31/each from Dawsons.

Rump won’t be as tender as sirloin or fillet, steak but it’s a good compromise between flavour and texture. Ideal if you like a slightly thicker steak and a stronger flavour too. n £6.06/each from Dawsons.

Considered the king of steaks, this is certainly the leanest cut and the fastest to cook with little fat to render. Generally about two inches thick, and better choice for those who like a much juicer steak. n £10.95/each from Dawsons.

Steak advice from Dawson & Son of Boston, order for home delivery at www.yummy.co.uk.

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LINCOLNSHIRE BUTCHERS

QUALITY AND LOCAL With Yummy, you can fall in love with

He’s a keen advocate of supporting

food all over again! Enjoy fresh,

local retailers and food producers, but

high-quality meat, fish, fruit, herbs,

also a fan of the convenience that

vegetables, bread, and other locally

online shopping provides. So now…

sourced food like smoked barbecue

he’s combined the two!

dishes, cakes plus speciality oils and

LINCOLNSHIRE FISHMONGERS

sauces, all sourced from the local

Julian and his team have partnered

shops you already know and love.

with trusted independent butchers

You simply choose your favourite shops and select your items to create one ‘basket’ using our website.

Complete your order, then we’ll pick up all of your products from all of the shops, pack and deliver all of your items together, right to your doorstep.

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LINCOLNSHIRE BAKERS

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like Simpsons Butchers, Carl Dunham Butchers, and Dawsons Butchers, Curtis of Lincoln for butchery and baked goods, smoked barbecue products from The Lincolnshire Smokehouse and of course, Yummy works with local greengrocers and farmers for fresh fruit & vegetables.

Yummy is the idea of Lincolnshire businessman Julian Wilkinson and

Yummy also provides seafood from

owner of Lincolnshire Pride magazine.

East Lincolnshire Seafood and

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THE LINCOLNSHIRE SMOKEHOUSE

LINCOLNSHIRE FARMERS & GREENGROCERS

CURTIS OF LINCOLN, BAKERS & BUTCHERS

LINCOLNSHIRE FOOD... DELIVERED! Chapmans of Grimsby, locally made

We will try to source local produce

cheese from Lymn Bank Farm, and

where possible, though sadly our

delicious cakes and teatime treats

efforts to source a Lincolnshire

from Posh Nosh, Myers Bakery and

banana grower have not borne fruit –

Hawkens Gingerbread as well as jam

literally or figuratively – so we’ll also

from Jenny’s Jams of Lincoln.

look a little further where necessary,

We will add more shops over the forthcoming months. If you are food producer or restaurant in Lincolnshire

to keep the quality of our produce high, our prices competitive, and our range comprehensive!

why not get involved? Yummy

Enquiries

provides the amazing convenience

If you’d like to get in touch, please

of home delivery from local shops

email us at enquiries@yummy.co.uk.

with one single doorstep delivery.

We’re rolling out Yummy across the

SHOP NOW AT

WWW.YUMMY.CO.UK

United Kingdom, starting with Lincolnshire and then the rest of the UK, prioritising local independent retailers, food producers and farmers.

OR CALL 0800 122 39 39 BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 9AM TO 5PM, MON-FRI AND OUR FRIENDLY TEAM CAN TAKE YOUR ORDER AND CREDIT/DEBIT CARD PAYMENT. OUR WEBSITE IS REALLY EASY TO USE, SO WHY NOT GIVE IT A GO!

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In the KITCHEN The perfect alternative to a Sunday roast for spring.

Just five ingredients, this has little preparation time but it will seriously deliver on flavour...!

BRITISH ASPARAGUS & SPRING LAMB TRAY BAKE Preparation Time: Five minutes. Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes. Serves Two. 250g white potatoes • 4 lamb chops • 2 tbsp olive oil A few sprigs of rosemary • 250g British asparagus • 260g frozen peas Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees. Place a medium pan of water onto boil while you chop your potatoes into 3-4cm chunks.

Add the potatoes to boiling water and cook for 10 minutes, then drain. Place a large frying pan on the heat and add a 1tbsp of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the lamb chops and sear on all sides until browned.

Place the potatoes into a medium sized oven tray and nestle the lamb chops in amongst them.

Add the rosemary, asparagus spears and peas and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.

Roast in the oven for 10 minutes until the asparagus is cooked and the potatoes are crispy. Serve immediately. n

Recipes: www.britishasparagus.com.

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In the KITCHEN Fresh, flavoursome and light, this super spring dish is a cinch to prepare and will happily cook away whilst you entertain your dinner guests...

ROASTED COD, LEMON & ARTICHOKES Preparation Time: 10 minutes. Cooking Time: 40 minutes. Serves Four.

500g new potatoes, halved • 250g artichoke hearts • Four fresh cod fillets, weighing approx 150g-200g per person Olive oil • Lemon juice • Salt and pepper to season • Pitted olives, optional • Fresh rosemary, chopped, optional.

Preheat your oven to 230°c, gas mark eight, then slice the new potatoes and artichokes, adding the olives if you’re using them.

Season with salt and pepper, add a light drizzle of olive oil, then spread on a greaseproof paper lined baking tray or oven dish and bake for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

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Meanwhile, brush the fish with olive oil and season to taste.

Remove the vegetables from the oven and place the fish on top of the vegetables.

Bake for a further 10 minutes until the vegetables are brown then squeeze a little lemon juice over the fish and serve with lemon wedges. n

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EAT THE SEASONS

Artichoke Lasagne Serves: Eight.

Preparation Time: 30 Minutes.

Cooking Time: One and a half hours.

Rapeseed oil 300g artichoke hearts, chopped and marinated Lasagne sheets 300g chopped spinach One onion, diced 800g tomato based sauce or Passata Two cloves garlic 420ml good vegetable stock 350g mozzarella, grated Feta cheese, crumbled to top.

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Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas 4. Spray a 20x30cm or similar sized baking dish with rapeseed oil.

Drizzle a large frying pan with oil and heat over medium-high heat. Sauté onion and garlic for three minutes or until it’s tender-crisp. Stir in the vegetable stock and rosemary; bring to the boil. Stir in artichoke hearts and spinach; reduce heat, cover and simmer five minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce.

Spread about a quarter of the artichoke mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish; top with three lasagne sheets. Sprinkle over a quarter of the mozzarella. Repeat this layering process twice more, ending with artichoke mixture and mozzarella cheese.

Now, sprinkle crumbled feta on top Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 further minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. n

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THREE

WAYS WITH GLOBE ARTICHOKES

Artichoke Crostini A sophisticated starter in just ten minutes - boil or steam your artichokes or, by way of a shortcut, use tinned artichokes, and place in a blender or food processor with garlic, a bit of olive oil and grated Parmesan. Snip a few chives in too, then pulse to a chunky paste.

Serve on warm sourdough bread.

On a Pizza Make a posh pizza, with a homemade pizza base.

Smothered the base in a good quality tomato sauce or passata, smooth on some pesto, and scatter on grilled artichoke hearts. Cover with mozzarella and drizzle over a little of the artichoke oil from your pan.

With Pasta Boil spaghetti in salted water.

Whilst it cooks, mix lemon juice, olive oil and pesto together. Drain the pasta then return to the pan with the lemon mix, artichoke hearts and rocket.

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Wine of the Month

Gin-spired by Norma Jean...

This month’s recommended gin just wants to be loved by you!

Maree d’Ione Organic Fiano

The perfect pink tipple for spring and summer with a touch of 1950s and early 1960s glam.

Pink in appearance, this Marilyn Monroe Gin is a floral and delicate creation distilled with Japanese cherry blossom, hibiscus, rose and pink grapefruit. The bottle design features iconic images of Marilyn Monroe including the legendary ‘white dress’ photo.

Zesty, floral to the fore, this pink gin delivers well-balanced notes and a long, smooth finish, pairing well with most tonic.

£25.99 / 2.5l / 12.5% ABV

£35 / 70cl / 40% ABV www.burleighsgin.com

The Wine Cellar THIS MONTH WE CELEBRATE MALBEC DAY, A NEW LOCAL GIN INSPIRED BY MARILYN MONROE, AND A DELICIOUS SWEET RUM WITH BANANA AND PINEAPPLE... GREAT SPRING TREATS! WORLD MALBEC DAY: Celebrate on 17th April with these three magnificent Malbecs!

1. Our first option is a round, smooth Malbec from one of the oldest wineries in Mendoza.

Notes of plum, ripe cherry, with the perfect hint of spice, great with a Saturday evening steak, £10.49 / 75cl / 14% ABV

2. This mid-range Malbec enjoys fragrant violets, blueberry fruit and lots of floral hints on its palate.

Coffee and its toasty oak-barrel derived maturity creates a complex, mature and great expression of the Malbec grape, £10.49 / 75cl / 14% ABV.

Remember how terrible boxed wines were? Well, the box is back but the quality is much improved, hence this recommendation.

From the slopes of Puglia using Fiano grapes, this organic wine is really dry, fragrant and floral, with hints of mango and pineapple.

It is extremely well-balanced, with a crisp and refreshing acidity and layered deep notes of exotic fruits, ideal for summer days in the garden or barbecues!

Available from Waitrose Cellar.

The Aaaar-tisan Distillery’s Bounty Ahoy there landlubbers, if ye be after pirate-strength rum this spring, Lincolnshire based Bottomley Distillers has created this 40% golden rum, spiced with cinnamon and ginger then sweetened with banana and pineapple.

The company will be releasing an over proof version soon too, but for now, Rumcat marks the spot like an enormous ‘X’ in the sand if you’re looking for a sweet summer tipple, £35 / 70cl / 40% ABV, bottomleydistillers.co.uk

3. And by way of a finale, we present this epic Zuccardi Aluvional Altamira, silky, full-bodied with great structure and a nice long finish, £55 / 75cl / 15% ABV.

n Our featured wines are available from

the best local independent wine merchants, supermarkets and online, prices are RRP and may vary from those stated.

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HOMES & INTERIORS

MORNING HAS

BROKEN

Imagine waking up in the morning and looking out over open countryside and beautiful heathland. Imagine, too, a family property that’s spacious, versatile and well-maintained, ready to just move into. Imagine no more. Mill House is a Georgian property its new owners will fall in love with at first sight...

Words: Rob Davis.

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MORNING HAS BROKEN in the village of Scopwick, and the owner of this month’s property, Mill House, has just finished her piano lesson – performing the above – having used the spare time that lockdown has provided to rekindle her musical talent.

The family have lived in the property for 16 years, but with the children now grown up and having left home, mum and dad have decided to relocate up north, reluctantly putting their property on the market.

“I’ve worked as an equestrian trainer for a number of years and when we purchased the house we added a couple of acres to the curtilage to create five acres in total.”

Main/Right: The heart of the home is a beautiful modern living kitchen incorporating a sitting room and beautiful views of the open countryside thanks to French doors.

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“It’s an outstanding place to live and work, really peaceful with some breathtaking views over the heathland that looks north towards Lincoln. The land drains really well too, so it’s great for riding horses and there’s a great cross-country bank as well as an all-weather dressage arena measuring 60m x 25m.”

“The property is actually a bit of a ‘two for one,’ with a self-contained cottage, Millcott, to the rear of the property...”

“The house itself is really versatile too.

It’s classically Georgian in its proportions, but deceptively spacious as it extends much further back than its frontage suggests.

We extended the kitchen at the back of the property about five years ago, and created a new living kitchen with a sitting room area and a space for family dining.”

“To the ground floor there are four additional reception rooms and there’s a good-sized utility room for family clutter. Meanwhile, upstairs there’s an en suite to the master bedroom and to the second bedroom as well as a family bathroom.”

“It’s the room we spend all of our time in now and with an Aga muti-fuel stove and underfloor heating as well as French doors it’s a lovely comfortable space all year round.”

The property is actually a bit of a ‘two for one,’ with a self-contained cottage, Millcott, to the rear of the property. This secondary property was used by the family for multi-generational living and is more substantial than an ordinary annexe, with a

large lounge and two bedrooms both with en suite bathrooms.

“Mum loved living there. She had her independence but was still very much a part of the family, she had a guest bedroom and en-suite so friends could visit and was able to enjoy her pretty garden year-round from the comfort of the conservatory.”

The property’s next owners will also benefit from the fact that both Mill House and Millcott are immaculately presented.

Wiring and plumbing has been updated, there are new heritage windows and soffits.

The kitchen was created by a local joiner and is finished in two-tone Farrow & Ball Old English White and Downpipe, with a fouroven Aga, an Aga US-style fridge freezer plus integrated dishwasher and microwave.

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>> “We’re right on the Blankney Estate, which is an amazing place to enjoy the countryside. The garden faces south-east and is very private and easy to maintain with mature trees and shrubs giving year-round interest. It’s surrounded by fields and woodland, so we often see deer and pheasants, and it’s great to know that, as the land belongs to the Estate, it will never be built on.”

“The space that the house and its grounds provide have also made it a really good family home. Our children have been able to grow up with the freedom to roam in complete safety and we’ve enjoyed entertaining friends and family, even large gatherings of maybe fifty or sixty guests, thanks to its size, the ground floor layout flowing out through the bi-fold doors onto the garden, two large Above: The sitting room is one of five reception rooms in the house. Left: One of the property’s four bedrooms.

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terraces, and masses of parking thanks to the huge driveway. Perhaps the ‘icing on the cake’ is the fact that, now the A15 ring road is complete, our regular trips to Waitrose or into Lincoln are a breeze!”

“It’s been an amazing property but with a move closer to our grown-up children, reducing the number of horses we have and the availability of Millcott as mum has moved out, we’re now finding that the time is right for us to relocate back to my native Yorkshire.”

“We really wish we could just pick up the property and take it with us. It’s been an outstanding family home, practical and really beautiful with Georgian style and no Grade II listing which has made it easy for us to extend and improve it.”

“Its location near to Lincoln and to lots of great equestrian facilities, too, has been really convenient. We’ve been really happy here and we want its next owners to love the place as much as we have done!” n

MILL HOUSE SCOPWICK Location: Lincoln 15 minutes, A15 four miles; A1 20 miles.

Style: Georgian country residence, unlisted and improved following an impressive renovation.

Guide Price: OIEO £1,000,000.

Find Out More: Fine & Country, Navenby, Lincoln LN5 0DZ. Tel: 01522 287008, or see www.fineandcountry.com.

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KITCHENS • BEDROOMS • BOOT ROOMS • STUDIES INDIVIDUALLY MADE FREE STANDING FURNITURE

Call 07534 808903 richwood-cabinetmakers@hotmail.com BRING RICHWOOD INTO THE HEART OF YOUR HOME

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HOME FURNISHINGS

All That Glitters is

GOLD Soft gold helps to balance out the coolness of grey tones, proving that when it comes to choosing fabrics and soft furnishings for your home, all that glitters is gold...

This Spread: Clarke & Clarke Edgworth fabrics, bedding Belgravia ochre/charcoal; duvet Windsor ochre and chambray, pillows Breton and Windsor.

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HOMES & INTERIORS

Top Left: Harlequin Momentum including Kienze and Trattino rug. Top Right: Harlequin Demoiselle cushion and throw.

Above: Sanderson Sycamore, curtains in Mustard Seed Weave, wallpaper Little Thistles in Ecru.

Opposite: Jane Churchill fabrics, sofa in Foxtrot Ivory; cushions in Indra Gold, Tamara Silver/Gold and Zephy Gold.

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HOMES & INTERIORS

Above: W Morris Strawberry Thief bedding in Pebble, £120 for double duvet cover. Opposite Top Left: Botanist Collection, Clarke & Clarke.

Opposite Top Right: Clarke & Clarke Origins fabric. Opposite Bottom: Clarke & Clarke Natura linen look fabric with metallic and satin effects.

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Lincolnshire Suppliers: Aitch Interiors: 01522 810961, www.aitchinteriors.co.uk. Anelise Home: 01522 530400, www.anelisehome.co.uk.

Delcor: 01780 762579, www.delcor.co.uk. Richard Sutton Interiors: 01472 268377, richardsuttondesigninteriors.com.

Sack Store: 01205 310101, www.sackstore.co.uk. Stevensons: 01472 233111, www.stevensonsgroup.co.uk. n

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UNSURPASSED QUALITY, AFFORDABLE CRAFTSMANSHIP Bespoke Kitchens, Bedrooms and Bathrooms - full project management and free quotations

Peter Jackson Cabinet Makers Ltd Devereux Way, Horncastle LN9 6AU

Tel: 01507 527113

W: www.peterjacksoncabinets.co.uk E: info@peterjacksoncabinets.co.uk

PJCabinetMakers

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STEVENSONS OF GRIMSBY

Comfort with Luxury

INDOORS & OUTSIDE Main Image: Westbridge Malabar sofa and animal print footstool.

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Thanks to some superb new design-led ranges, we’re happier than ever to recommend a visit to Grimsby’s Stevensons as soon as lockdown allows, and in the meantime you can enjoy a taste of the retailers’ furniture and accessories on their website...

WE’VE ALL SPENT MORE TIME in our homes and gardens recently. And this spring, though there are hints that lockdown will be eased – at least, at the time we write this – it’s looking like the gradual easing of restrictions will still see us spending more than the usual amount of time at home this spring and summer.

At least, then, let’s all be comfortable. With fewer people spending money on international holidays, and more time at home, many have invested their holiday budget in their home instead.

That means design-led retailers like Grimsbybased furniture and accessories specialists Stevensons have had to work extra hard to find the latest products to introduce cohesive style into your home whatever room you’re seeking to refresh. What’s more, as an independent retailer, Stevensons can bring not only the best

Above: Outdoor furniture too!

Stone Grey Antigua.

quality products, the family business can also provide the best customer service too.

“We’re based in Grimsby and have been around for over 110 years,” says Stevensons’ Georgia Redding. “As a company that’s still family owned we’ve an ethos of providing the service that we’d hope to receive ourselves.”

“In a world where the internet sometimes dominates retail, we want to give our customers the best of both worlds. Whilst we’re enjoying great online presence, especially with our accessories, we’re also keen to maintain a physical presence in the town with two stores and five floors or sofas, chairs and tables for your living room, dining room and study, plus beds and mattresses for bedrooms too.”

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“Stevensons also has an independent bed shop with two floors of beds, mattresses and bedroom furniture... the largest selection in the area with advice that’s second to none!”

Find Out More: All of the products featured here are available from Stevensons of Grimsby. 143-151 Cleethorpe Road, Grimsby DN31 3AY. Call 01472 233111 or see www.stevensonsgroup.co.uk or www.stevensonshome.co.uk.

Open Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm and Sun 11am-4pm, subject to lockdown.

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it’s absolutely right for them so our customers can make sure they’re making an investment in quality and an investment in something they’ll enjoy having in their home for years to come.”

“We think there’s an ideal point in the market where you pay for quality, invest in something what’s made to last, but still doesn’t carry an unnecessary premium for its design or brand.

As well as a focus on quality, we’re always keen to champion British designers and makers so we’ve plenty of products created right here in the UK from British sofa brand Spink & Edgar to fabrics from names like GP & J Baker.”

“The idea is that we look after our suppliers, look after our customers and build relationships with each, based on trust and

quality, ensuring that we can offer customers those larger items that are an important investment in quality, but also accessories and finishing touches to really turn a house into a home.

“We’ve great new ranges and a new area called The Living Room which is dedicated to our most sought-after ranges. Plus, we provide the reassurance of a family firm ensuring quality products at great prices; we don’t think you’ll find a better experience anywhere in the area!”

“With products for your outdoor spaces – terraces and gardens – as well as your living rooms and dining rooms, bedrooms and studies, we’re proud to have been looking after our customers for many years, and will do the same for many years to come too!” n

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EIGHT OF THE BEST

Living Room Accessories FROM A RUSTIC LOOK TO URBAN LUXE, STEVENSONS HAS A RANGE OF BEAUTIFUL ACCESSORIES FROM MIRRORS AND PHOTO FRAMES TO THROWS, CUSHIONS, CLOCKS AND LIGHTING...

Trinket Bowls

Gold Hammered Bowls, set of two in gold, 38cm x 38cm, £79.99/pair.

Candle Holder

Antler-design holder for pillar candle, pewter-colour, 24cm wide, 34cm tall, £95.95.

Metal Wall Clock

Statement clock 120cm wide, cut-out horary design in antique grey and bronze £179.99.

Antique Effect Clock

Antique-look black and metal clock, 60cm wide with Roman numerals, £179.99

Leopard Cushion

Stunning and subtle leopard metallic velvet cushion, 45cm x 45cm, £29.99.

Vivaldi Cushion

William Morris 1800s style print cushion with heritage feel, 58cm with pad, £39.95.

Toucan Lamp

Showstopping lamp with toucan motif and 40cm blue silk shade, £184.99.

Silver Twist Lamp

Sand-moulded Indian lamp with twisted design and silk shade 28cm tall, £194.99.

SOFAS & CHAIRS AT STEVENSONS OF GRIMSBY

Are you sitting comfortably?

Stevensons of Grimsby provides both larger items for your living room, dining room, bedroom or study, as well as finishing touches for your home.

for instance, fixed or cushion backs; different colours of fabric and leather, different feet or castor options.”

“We’re proud to support the British furniture industry and work with designers and makers in areas like Nottinghamshire and Lancashire.”

“Being able to see and feel the quality of your next sofa’s material, and being able to discuss your option is where an independent retailer is a better option than purchasing from an online retailer.”

“Our most popular brands include Westbridge and Spink & Edgar, and many of our brands have different options to enable you choose from,

“What’s more, we can be surprisingly competitive against internet prices, and we can offer substantially better service with delivery anywhere in Lincolnshire.” n

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Crafting bespoke hardwood conservatories and orangeries, roof lights & timber windows...

MORRISS & SHAW LUXURY GARDEN HOUSES

Based in Sleaford, so for a free, no obligation design consultation and an initial discussion of your project call 01529 300609

w w w. m o r r i s s a n d s h a w g a r d e n h o u s e s . c o m 92

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Home Interiors Studio

Interior design for reception rooms, bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms Plus: Finishing touches from lighting to mirrors to bedding & home decor

Anelise Home, 140 Burton Road, Lincoln, LN1 3LW

01522 530400 • www.anelisehome.co.uk

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LINCOLNSHIRE GARDENING

BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL With restrictions due to be relaxed, cast off cabin fever and enjoy a visit to one of Lincolnshire’s most impressive gardens. Located near Market Rasen, Brightwater Gardens is a spectacular site thanks to the talent and hard work of Chris Neave and Jonathan Cartwright ...

Words: Rob Davis.

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LINCOLNSHIRE GARDENING

GARDENS ARE GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH. And with lockdown due to be eased as Pride goes to press, there are few better places to enjoy fresh air than high up in the Wolds, on the escarpment upon which this month’s featured garden, Saxby-based Brightwater Garden, sits.

Someone who knows first hand the benefits of fresh air and the outdoor life is Chris Neave.

When we call, he’s battling the last ravages of you-know-what, but says that each day he’s getting stronger and feeling better.

Time and tide wait for no man, and neither do gardens, which is why, at a time when there’s a great deal to do in the garden anyway, there’s even more work building up given that Chris has had a few weeks taking it easy to recover.

He’s going easy on himself, but still getting back into the swing of things and with partner Jonathan Cartwright the two have ensured the garden is still looking great ready to open (hopefully and cautiously) to visitors for its 21st year. The eight acre site surrounds a 1930s bungalow build by Chris’s great aunt Annie.

He’s the fourth generation to live in the property and upon gaining his HND in Amenity Horticulture Landscape Design & Recreation, became a commercial landscaper before embarking on a complete renovation of the Brightwater Gardens site. >>

Above: Chris Neave & Jonathan Cartwright, the owners and curators of Brightwater Gardens.

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IN THE GARDEN IN APRIL...

Jobs to complete and guide for spring planting and sowing n Wash and Brush Up: Give your greenhouse a little attention now. Scrubbing it with hot soapy water will rid yourself of the pests and diseases which will ravage vulnerable young plants... n Soil Hygiene: Likewise, good soil hygiene will help your summer borders to thrive. Dig in some compost or well-rotted manure, or use a good fertiliser. n Deadheading Bulbs: Deadheading spring plants but leaving the foliage in place will enable daffodils or tulips to die back naturally at the end of spring. n Mulching Around Shrubs: It’s a good idea to dig in some mulch around perennials, trees and shrubs and cut away dead foliage on perennials and ornamental grasses to keep them looking neat. n Look After Your Lawn: Now is the time to sow seeds for your lawn or to lay turf.

Applying a nitrogen-based fertiliser to your lawn will give it a boost, and you can brush away worm casts, neaten up edges and aerate compacted areas. Mow your lawn little and often. Also, ensure you have your mower serviced and sharpened in preparation for a busy season. n Sow Hardys & Perennials: You can also begin to sow hardy annuals like marigolds, poppies, nigella and so on this month. Sow perennials like hollyhocks, delphiniums, echinaceas. Plant out sweet peas and plant summer bulbs like eucomis, crinums and acidanthera. n The Vegetable Garden: Try direct sowing some new salad leaves, carrots, peas, beetroot, spinach and chard.

Sow quick growing half-hardy annuals, like pumpkins, sweetcorn, basil and French beans. Plant maincrop potatoes and tomatoes too.

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LINCOLNSHIRE GARDENING

“Chris & Jonathan has created rooms in the garden and have worked hard to ensure that there’s also all-year round visitor interest and different gardening themes across the site...”

>> It’s the ideal place to take visitors the county who scoff at Lincolnshire as being ‘flat and boring.’ The south-west facing slope is a lofty 21 metres above sea level, with a mix of clay and sandy soils.

Chris and Jonathan have created ‘rooms’ in the garden and have worked hard to ensure that as well as reflecting their aesthetic abilities across the field of garden design, there’s also all-year round visitor interest and different gardening themes across the site.

“Broadly the garden is divided into two parts,” says Chris. “There’s a formal garden with a solar garden, which takes its name from the solar panels which contribute to the site’s sustainability. It’s been created with tender perennials including asters and follows the theme of heat and sunshine.”

“The Upper Terrace and Urn Garden is planted with salvias and peonies for high summer interest, but earlier in the season there’s lots of interest and colour in the Dutch Garden too with its tulips, hyacinths, and agapanthus a little later in the season.

The long terrace is also a classic border with many shrub roses, plus perennials and peonies.”

“The other three acres of the garden is a more naturalistic area, created in about 2006. We dug out 2,000 tonnes of soil to create a wildlife pond and created a damp valley with gunneras and ferns.”

“The Prairie Borders are planted with asters, wild grasses, and salvia with views over the open countryside. We’ve also been conscious to leave areas of wildflower meadows to ensure we can be faithful to our remit of working with the environment.”

“This month we’ll enjoy the welcome sight of 150,000 snowdrops and about 40,000 crocus. There’s always colour and interest in the garden, so we’re always worth a visit but this season in particular, as we all venture out into the spring sunshine and feel well again, there’s no better place to be than here!” n n Subject to lockdown restrictions, we recommend a visit to Brightwater Gardens at Saxby near Market Rasen LN8 2DA. Call 01673 878820 or see www.brightwatergardens.co.uk.

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Plant Now, Enjoy Later

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REAP WHAT YOU SOW THIS SEASON AS WE PRESENT YOUR APRIL MANIFESTO FOR ENSURING ALL YEAR ROUND INTEREST 1. Snowdrops: Lift and divide or direct sow this winter wunderkind to provide cheerful garden interest next year.

2. Wildflower Mixes: Direct sow a wildflower seed mix to attract bees and butterflies, leave it unmown or at least mow paths through it.

3. Sweet Peas: Plant from March to May as seeds, or plant out plug plants and ensure their height is supported.

4. Summer Flowering Bulbs: Plant summer flowering bulbs like gladiolus, lilies and ranunculus.

5. Herbaceous Perennials: Plant herbaceous perennials like delphiniums for charming cottage garden borders.

6. Roses: Bare root roses should be planted in March.

7. Poppies: Sow hardy annual like poppies & cornflowers.

8. Forced Bulbs: Plant out hyacinths & daffodils. n

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SURFACE DRESSING AND ROAD REPAIRS WE REPAIR AND RESURFACE CAR PARKS, ACCESS ROADS, DRIVES, TRACKS, FORECOURTS

RURAL PROPERTY, HOTELS, PRIVATE ESTATES, GOLF COURSES, HOLIDAY PARKS ATTRACTIONS. FARMS AND EQUINE.

Call now for a FREE, strictly no obligation quote on:

08000 141452 or see www.tarchip.co.uk

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WEDDINGS

NOW OR NEVER MARRIED FOREVER! For Lincoln couple Georgia and Charlie, wedding planning was subject to constant interference from the nefarious Covid. The couple decided it was a case of ‘now or never’ and had a scaled back but absolutely magnificent day in the heart of Lincoln...

Wedding Photographer: Luke Flisher of Flisher Photography, 07411 065101, www.flisherphotography.co.uk.

Everything works out for the best. That’s the conclusion of Georgia and Charlie, this month’s featured couple, who live in the centre of Lincoln.

“We met at the age of seventeen and eighteen so we’ve been together for just under nine years,” says Georgia. “We eventually moved in together and were keen to move on to the next stage of our lives, marrying and then starting a family.”

WEDDING SUPPLIERS

“With the news that weddings could go ahead for a smaller number of people we began looking around for another venue – The Walled Garden was beautiful but it was also really large. We had discounted Doddington Hall despite the fact that it was on our doorstep because we thought it might be too expensive, but with a smaller number of guests it suddenly suited what had become a wedding for 30 guests.”

“Getting married seemed simple, but actually proved a bit more complicated, and our eventual wedding date was a bit of a third attempt, having postponed or altered our plans a couple of times due to Covid.

Mind you, even the proposal itself didn’t go entirely to plan...!”

“Charlie is the sort of guy that wants to get everything just right, so he enlisted his mum and his two sisters’ help to choose the perfect engagement ring. He found one on a shopping trip with his mum and wanted to check it was perfect – which of course it was, because he chose it – but unfortunately, as he took a photo of it on his phone and sent it to his sisters, he didn’t realise that I was also a member of the group chat and he ended up sending the picture to me too, which came as a surprise.”

“I was at work at the time and ended up jumping for joy, I was so happy but poor Charlie was mortified! It didn’t spoil the proposal for me at all, I was overjoyed but I did feel sorry for him!”

“Charlie acted quickly with his proper proposal, and took us out for a romantic supper, where he asked properly. We got back to find that the house had been decorated with candles and rose petals, and there was a bottle of Champagne waiting for us so we could celebrate our official engagement!”

“We went to see lots of venues and had settled on The Walled Garden in Nottingham.

We were due to marry in April 2020 and with just three weeks to go until the wedding, we were forced to cancel it. We had just returned from our stag and hen parties and we had favours, for 75 people, ready to go, so we were really disappointed, but the venue was really understanding.”

Wedding Ceremony & Reception: Doddington Hall, 01522 694308, www.doddingtonhall.com.

Wedding Dress: Mori Lee at La Belle Bridal Boutique, 01623 554476, www.labellebridalboutique.co.uk.

Makeup: Hannah Atter at Muse Studio www.muse9.co.

Hair: Hannah Taylor, 07534 284702, www.hannahtaylorhair.com.

Wedding Cake: Ruby Lou’s Cakes, 07890 688464, rubylouscakeco.co.uk.

Wedding Photographer: Luke Flisher of Flisher Photography, 07411 065101, www.flisherphotography.co.uk. n

“Covid, however, wasn’t quite done messing up our wedding plans just yet and just two weeks before the day, we were really disappointed that the permitted number of guests at a wedding was changed from 30 to just 15. It meant we had to made some really brutal changes to our guest list and disappoint some friends and family.”

“They all understood but it wasnt nice, and it meant we couldn’t have people like our beautiful flower girl, my niece or even a best man. We had considered putting off the wedding but we reasoned that the day was about us, and that our lovely family and friends would understand the circumstances.

It also felt like our life was on hold, waiting for the day to go ahead, when we really wanted to move on with the next stages of our life... also I say with tongue in cheek, I’d been watching what I’d been eating all through lockdown to make sure my dress would still fit... frankly I was becoming tired of all that!” >> 103

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- WEDDINGS -

>> “We decided to go ahead and we’re so glad we did. Doddington Hall was actually a really great venue for the style of wedding.

We married in the Coach House and enjoyed an afternoon tea, with all four of my grandparents there too.”

“We were able to use The Barns at Doddington for our bridal morning preparations and the whole day had a lovely relaxed and intimate feel. Our other suppliers were amazing too. Our cake supplier was able to box up cakes for guests who wouldn’t be there and Hannah Kate our flower supplier did an amazing job of creating some lovely wedding flowers with pink roses.”

“I loved my wedding dress, a Mori Lee fit-and-flare dress from La Belle Boutique, my hair and makeup professionals were really good and Charlie looked amazing in his suit, which he chose from Coneys in Lincoln.”

“We were really lucky with Luke Flisher our photographer too, as our original photographer couldn’t photograph our wedding when we had rearranged. Luke stepped in as a favour to them. He was absolutely amazing; really good at communication through all the disruption and so creative and lovely to work with!”

“Of course we weren’t able to have a honeymoon, so we had to be a bit creative.

We hired a hot tub for our garden, we chose some lovely Champagne and toasted our wedding day with an ‘at home-eymoon!’”

“We plan to have a big party for family and friends once we’re able to arrange it, but actually to say the day was subject to such disruption during our wedding planning, we ended up having an amazing enjoyable day and, in the end, we wouldn’t have changed a thing! Besides, when we do have a party for family and friends, I’ll be able to get dressed up and wear my dress all over again... who else gets to have two weddings?!?” n Wedding Photographer: Luke Flisher of Flisher Photography, 07411 065101, www.flisherphotography.co.uk.

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S I T UA T I O N S VA C A N T A T P R I D E M A G A Z I N E S

OFFICE MANAGER REQUIRED

EXPERIENCED SENIOR OFFICE MANAGER Basic Salary: £30,000 - OTE £42,000 Location: Boston Enterprise Centre, Endeavour Park, Boston, Lincolnshire, PE21 7TW Full Time, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. No weekend work.

About us Lincolnshire Pride Magazine is the number one magazine in the county, ensuring the highest quality editorial and photographs for our affluent readership. UKbride is the number one wedding website in the UK. Yummy is our new business, delivering fresh local food to homes in Lincolnshire.

Duties Include: • Credit control for UKbride and Pride • Running a small administration team • Invoice, payroll and general administration • Managing cash flow • Liaising with our accountants

• Friendly and professional team • Excellent and modern, air-conditioned offices • Workplace pension • Yummy food at wholesale prices

Salary Basic salary £30,000 plus commission (through credit control). Basic salary is based on your experience in telesales. A minimum of 5 years of experience is required in credit control, Sage, Excel and running a small office.

The Ideal Candidate: • You must be confident and determined • Have excellent communication skills • You should be accurate and methodical • You must be hard working and self-motivated

To Apply If you’re the ideal candidate then send in your CV today to our Managing Director, Julian Wilkinson julian@pridemagazines.co.uk with a cover letter.

The Role Due to retirement Pride Magazines has a full time position for a Senior Office Manager. You will run a small admin team and have successful credit control skills. You will be responsible for ensuring accurate administration of our three businesses, Pride Magazines, UKbride and Yummy.

Benefits: • Five weeks holiday per year plus bank holidays (32 days) • No weekend work, no early starts or late finishes • Staff are looked after very well, in terms of morale, training and especially salary and commission

We ask that you put your full effort in when you are at work and help to develop our businesses.

More info www.pridemagazines.co.uk www.ukbride.co.uk www.yummy.co.uk Pride Magazines Boston Enterprise Centre Endeavour Park, Boston, Lincolnshire PE21 7TW

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NEUTRAL TERRITORY Update your wardrobe with seasonal heroes from The White Company on Stamford’s High Street, offering everything from classic knits to crisp linens all with classic style...

This Page: Linen sleeveless tiered dress, £110; Christys’ Panama Hat, £89.

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Ray print wrap midi-dress, £139; classic leather Superga trainers £70.

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Washed-satin dipped-hem skirt, £110; Batwing jumper with cashmere, £98.

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Relaxed linen shirt, £95; Brompton Boyfriend jeans, £89.

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Cotton rich textured stitch jumper, £129; Stretch wide leg trouser, £119.

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FASHION

Top/Left: Relaxed linen shirt, £95; Chelsea straight-leg jeans £89. Top/Right: Relaxed utility jacket with linen, £149; organic cotton scoop-neck t-shirt £35; organic cotton Shoreditch crop jeans £89. Bottom/Left: Tencel jumpsuit with linen £149; Veja Rio Branco trainers £105. Bottom/Right: Ribbed button-through cardigan, £69; Drapey culottes, £119; Teva Original Universal sandals, £55.

The White Company is based on High Street, Stamford. Call 01780 769192 or see www.thewhitecompany.com.

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London Tote, in Marmalade Pebble, £650.

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LUXURY ACCESSORIES

Margot Bag in Marmalade Pebble, £495.

Hat Box Deep Shine Cornflower Small Croc, £495.

Midi London in Marmalade Pebble, £550.

STYLE? IN THE BAG!

London Tote in Cornflower Pebble, £650.

Lottie Purse in Marmalade Pebble, £160.

Spring 2021 sees a new collection of bags and fresh shades from Aspinal. Their two flagship new season colours are Cornflower and Marmalade, but these designs are also available in the brand’s classic shades too...

01428 648 180, www.aspinaloflondon.com

Camera ‘A’ Bag Cornflower Pebble, £275.

Midi Mayfair Deep Shine Cornflower Small Croc, £595.

Camera Backpack in Marmalade Pebble, £395.

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Purveyors of Luxury Eyewear Since 1979

The NIFTIES collection in stock now.

43/44 Wrawby Street, Brigg, North Lincolnshire DN20 8BS Tel: 01652 653595. Web: www.obriensopticians.co.uk Call for an appointment or pop in to view our latest designer eyewear.

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SPRING COSMETICS

Spring Fresh THIS MONTH WE’VE THE FINEST FRAGRANCES AND LUXURY COSMETICS TO ENSURE YOU LOOK AND FEEL FRESH ALL SEASON LONG...

1. A pop star that’ll bring colour to your eyes...

Clinique’s Lid Pop eyeshadow is a modern pop of sheer, yet vibrant, shadow for eyes.

Silky eye shadow delivers an instant pop of colour for a virtually powderless look, Lid Pop builds and blends easily to a beautifully customisable level of intensity. Sensitive formula suitable for contact lens wearers and delicate eyes. £16/2g.

2. By any other name...

Dior Prestige La Lotion in Essence de Rose fragrance is your morning and night beauty secret. Fresh and silky, it combines the power of an essence with the comfort of a milky lotion, moisturising the skin and providing a protective veil all day long, £72/150ml.

3. Prime your lashes...

Chanel’s La Base is as its name suggests, the company’s new mascara base designed to layer underneath your preferred mascara brand, strengthening lashes and enhancing volume whilst intensifying colour, £28/6g.

5. A private ritual for relaxation in your home...

Enjoy a ritual of relaxation with these gorgeous fragrance diffusers.

Fill your room with tranquil vibes and the calming effects of the Oriental Vetiver luxurious reeds from Private Collection. Based on an aromatic fragrance comprising spicy accents of cardamom, galbanum plus blossoms, cedarwood and vetiver. £44.50/450ml.

6. An everlasting love affair with Clarins...

Everlasting Cushion from Clarins is a life-changing foundation. Part liquid, part compact, it’s a refreshing, water-based formula offering flawless radiant results from morning to night, with a 10-hour humidity and dehydration resistant guarantee. With triple protection against pollution, free radical damage and UV rays, this refillable compact protects your skin whilst giving you a buildable coverage, £32/13ml.

4. Forever and always...

Dior’s powder puffs are designed for use with Dior Forever Cushion Powder or your preferred brand of loose powder for smooth application with a subtle, velvety finish.

Sold in pairs, £5/two.

n All our beauty products are available from local independent stockists unless otherwise stated, please note that prices stated are RRP and may vary.

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HOLISTIC HEALTH

You Are What You Eat...

Kicking off her regular series on well-being, gut health and menopause, Health & Menopause Coach Ali Hutchinson shares how the foods we eat effect our overall health, our gut health, our immune system and our hormones…

Words: Ali Hutchinson.

WE’VE ALL HEARD IT. ‘You are what you eat.’

But what exactly does that mean? If you’re eating a diet that’s rich in fruits and vegetables, healthy whole foods – those foods that were once living or growing – you’ll soon be boosting your health in many different ways.

I often teach clients how to become food label readers, as many items marketed as ‘healthy,’ ‘free from,’ or ‘low fat/sugar,’ and so on, contain all sorts of things you’d never associate with a healthy diet.

Our ancestors had it right when they ate seasonally and off the land. If we could get back to a diet that removed a lot of the commonly available processed foods, we’d all be a lot healthier.

One of the big things you can do immediately to improve your health is to stack some healthy habits on top of each other. So for instance, I bet you have a habit of brushing your teeth twice a day?

Simply placing a glass of water by your toothbrush to drink first thing in the morning is a start.

It’s simple to do and the benefits are measurable in terms of how you feel, how hydrated you are and your cognitive performance.

When I work with a client I start with their gut because understanding someone’s gut is central to understanding their health.

Our gut provides a number of functions from extracting energy from our food to producing more than 20 hormones influencing everything from mood to appetite, and accounting for most of our immune system.

I choose 30 different fruits and vegetables to add to my diet each week and try not to have the same five or six veg continually – carrot, onion, peas, cucumber, tomatoes, pepper, broccoli seem to be the average choices in most supermarket shopping baskets and ideally we need to change that!

One of the things I love to work on is creating meal plans for clients that enable them to easily incorporate more fruits and vegetables even if they’re not eating an entirely plant-based diet.

It is made up of over 100 million neurons (as many as in the brain of a domestic cat) and extends throughout our digestive system from our throat to our rectum.

And more fruits and vegetables doesn’t mean boring; I love adding herbs and spices cooking them in different ways and using them as main dishes as well as side dishes.

I’ve found that a first step in treating many common gut related issues can be a change in diet and, as with hormone disruption in menopause, this can be a first step in helping you to feel better.

I challenge you to do a count this coming week – I’m hoping you’re surprised at how many you eat... not how few! And let me know. Please feel free to email me using the links below.

I love to check how many fruits and vegetables clients are eating in a week and where possible encourage eating more to support the gut microbiome; the window to our overall health.

Next month we’ll talk pre- and pro-biotics, supplements and fermented foods and how they support your gut and your overall health... and I’d love it if you have traditional fermented recipes you’d like to share! n

Find Out More: If you’re struggling with gut issues, weight loss or weight management, energy levels, menopause or would just like a body MOT I’d love to hear from you. Through the blog www.ali-hutchinson.co.uk you can book a free discovery call to find out how I could help you on the path to a brighter future or ring: 07973 843020 or email: hello@ali-hutchinson.co.uk to book a consultation.

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DENTAL HEALTH CENTRE

Going the Extra Smile

Smiles all round at Grantham’s Dental Health Centre, as staff and patients alike enjoy first class treatment and a relaxed, friendly environment.

Patient-turned-Dental Associate Kelly Chambers reveals how she liked the experience so much she decided to make it her career!

PROFESSIONAL. REASSURING. Those are among the reasons Grantham’s Kelly Chambers found going to her dentist a stress-free experience. And when she was deliberating over her future career in healthcare, her experiences led her to seek a career with the team she already knew and trusted.

“I knew I wanted to pursue a career in healthcare and that I wanted to help people, I just wasn’t sure where,” says Kelly. “But the Dental Health Centre has just the approach to patient care I wanted to provide, and when I began working as a dental nurse I discovered it was a great role in which to make a difference to patients’ lives.”

“Beyond the technical side of the work, a large part of the responsibility is giving people a professional experience and making them feel comfortable. The importance of that is never underestimated at the practice.”

“Returning after a five year course in Nottingham, I joined the practice as a Dental Associate and I work alongside a great team, and for a practice that’s forward-thinking and makes the most of technology and innovation.”

your teeth, comfortably, with practically invisible aligners in as little as six months.”

“One of the things I’ve come to understand in my career is that a smile isn’t just cosmetic.”

“It can provide a massive confidence boost, and as a practice we’re happy to be able to promote and encourage health and hygiene first, but then to also provide a range of treatments and procedures that can make a real difference to people’s lives, encouraging them to be happy and confident with their smile.”

“Because there are so many technologies and procedures available to us, and because some patients historically may not have felt comfortable being in a dentist’s chair, we also make a great effort in providing a thorough and personal consultation prior to suggesting and treatments.”

“Our patient care co-ordinator can talk through your options and explain every option with absolutely no obligation. This enables patients to understand their treatment options and it inspires a sense of confidence.”

“For instance our Cerec machine can take a 3D scan of the inside of your mouth and can mill a crown for your teeth. For the patient, that means your crown can be created whilst you wait in a single appointment, with sub-millimetre accuracy.”

“Specialising in the Invisalign system, implants and cosmetic dentistry like crowns and veneers, our expertise speaks for itself but not as clearly as the satisfaction that our patients express with the results of their treatment and the service they receive.”

“More recently we’ve really found our Invisalign teeth alignment has proven popular. I think word has spread about how it’s possible to straighten

“We measure our success in the smiles of our patients, and only when they smile with confidence can we also do the same.” n

Find Out More: The Dental Health Centre is based on Avenue Road, Grantham NG31 6TA. For a free, no obligation smile consultation call 01476 594480 or see www.dentalhealthcentre.co.uk.

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ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A NEW DENTIST...?

Here are five reasons you might be overdue a visit...

1

2

3

4

5

YOU HAVE BAD BREATH

YOUR TEETH ARE YELLOWING

YOUR GUMS BLEED WHEN BRUSHING

YOU HAVE TOOTH PAIN

YOU HAVE DIABETES OR ARE AT RISK

If you have any concerns about your teeth, make an appointment to see one of our dentists today.

01476 847 885 Avenue Road, Grantham, NG31 6TA www.dentalhealthcentre.co.uk

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MOTORS

AN OPEN

INVITATION It’s an impressive-looking sports car that you can use every day.

Graceful, powerful and with just enough practicality, the Mercedes E-Class is the soft top that’s hard to ignore...

Words: Rob Davis.

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. It’s the Mercedes E-Class Convertible. Also available as a coupé, if you prefer to have a roof over your head. Pull up in this and you’ll see a few admiring glances and head nods. It’s a car as pretty as roofless Aston Martins, Porsche Boxters and Bentley Continentals, yet its price of just over £50,000 means the car undercuts its rivals by often quite significant margins whilst remaining equally stylish and still carrying a premium badge.

Whilst it’s unexpected to describe a car like this as practical, the car’s four-seat layout, and its 385 litre boot (for comparison a Ford Focus, has 341 litre boot) also mean you won’t struggle for passenger or luggage space.

Likewise, there are more powerful engines in the range, but the 2.0V4 diesel reaches 60mph in a hardly sluggish 7.8 seconds and 142mph where legal.

With a fuel economy figure of 45mpg, it’ll prove frugal day-to-day on A-roads and not overpowered when you want to drive gently around town.

What’s more, the E-Class convertible is underneath its unique body style, Mercedes Benz’s mid-size executive motor, meaning that underneath its smart looks is a car that’s designed to melt away motorway miles and present its driver with the latest technology plus all the associated creature comforts. >>

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Open for Business: Soft tops for summertime...

Porsche Boxster £45,935: The Porsche 718 – AKA Boxster – is the sister car of the coupé Cayman. Its base price makes it look like somewhat of a bargain, but you’ll swell the price significantly with the addition of parking sensors, parking camera, cruise control, climate control or keyless entry... all of the stuff you’d expect as standard from a car in the mid-£40k price band. Luxury isn’t really the point though; the Boxster is probably the sweetest handling car on the UK, and its 2.0 engine sprints to 60mph in 5.1 seconds. n

Jaguar F-Type P300, £59,990: Another two-seater, like the Boxster, the Jaguar F-Type’s 2.0 turbo engine affords a 5.7 second sprint. It’s meaner looking than the Boxster and much better equipped with parking aids, cameras, climate and navigation plus lots of other goodies all included. The entry level F-Type represents better value than its more expensive versions, but if you’re a keen driver and have access to a closed track, the flagship 5.0V8 supercharged F-Type is a monster, with 575ps on tap and an ability to race to 60mph in just 3.2 seconds. n

>> Compared to a sparsely-appointed – and two seater – Porsche Boxster, the E-Class is lavishly equipped, with a 360° parking camera, keyless entry and powered boot, heated leather seats with electric adjustment, sat nav with voice control, plus cruise control, climate control, power hood and power windows.

Morgan Plus Four £43,389: Our third suggestion is a motoring wildcard, but one that’ll bring a smile to your face every time you see it in the garage. The modern Morgan still has an ash frame but breaks from tradition by offering a 2.0V4 BMW engine, the option of an eight speed gearbox, air conditioning and Bluetooth.

Power steering is standard and there’s a range of different colours, hides, veneers and wheels to style your Morgan to your taste and fulfil that sense of individuality! n

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Step up to Premium Plus and you’ll gain an upgraded stereo and memory adjustment for the seats; we’d save the £2,645 upgrade price and instead fit the £1,695 Driving Assistance package, for adaptive cruise, and other technologies to make driving safer and more relaxing.

In conjunction with Mercedes’s excellent nine-speed gearbox, you’ll enjoy relaxed cruising and a great drive, albeit more on

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“The Mercedes Benz E-Class is a sweet car that’s stylish enough for summer, practical enough to use day-to-day and decent value, a car you’ll love to drive all summer long...” straight fast roads rather than twisty backroads. Unusually the E-Class’s engine – badged E220d here – is diesel, which used to be unheard of in sports cars, but its blend of torque and efficiency are a good fit.

Should you crave more power, there’s a more powerful E300d with 4Matic all wheel drive, plus a 2.0 petrol engine and diesel or petrol 3.0V6 engines with 4Matic.

The V6 are creamy, but the entry level engine should prove enough for most drivers even if it isn’t the quietest.

It’s possible to invest a great deal more in a summer convertible – indeed, Bentley’s Continental or a Porsche 911 convertible with a few options will incur a six-figure price tag. By contrast, the E-Class is a sweet car that’s stylish enough for summer, practical enough to use day-to-day and decent value.

Pick one of the nice cheerful colours like this Patagonia Red with beige leather and you’ve a pretty, powerful and practical car you’ll love all summer long. n

MERCEDES BENZ E-CLASS E220D Price: £50,015. (On sale now).

Drivetrain: 2.0V4 diesel, 194hp, 143 kW, nine speed automatic gearbox.

Performance: 0-62 mph: 7.8 seconds. Top Speed: 142mph.

Economy: 21mpg, 284g/km CO2.

Equipment: Leather upholstery, power hood, heated seats, satellite navigation, climate, cruise. n

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MOTORS

THE FAST & THE

FURIOUS

If we asked you to name a fast executive saloon, the usual suspects would be BMW’s M5, Audi’s RS6 and Mercedes Benz’s AMG E-Class. But now, there’s a new challenger to the throne, from up and coming electric car brand Tesla, which is enjoying great success in the sales charts in particular with its Model 3; the C-Class, A4, 3-Series challenger.

brands and commands a premium which reflects its cutting edge technology.

Its larger sibling has had slightly longer to make its way up the sales charts, but it’s also competing with some desirable executive

One criticism the company has faced is the blandness of its vehicle interiors. With most controls consigned to an iPad style display,

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For the first time in the company’s history, Tesla has facelifted a vehicle; the Model S. That’s especially relevant because this was the car on which Tesla’s subsequent models were based and so gives a clue as to what it got right and what the company feels it needs to correct going forward.

there’s not very much going on style-wise in the cabin, and so for this updated vehicle, the Model S has lighter leather upholstery and nice warm wood trim options.

The iPad interface has been oriented horizontally and perhaps the zaniest change is the aircraft yoke style steering wheel.

It all suggests that the company is trying even harder to carve out a niche for its cars and remain individual amid more plug-in and electric competitors from conventional brands like Mercedes.

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Tesla has updated its Model S super saloon to bring furious performance to the four-door masses.

Can it tempt loyal purchasers of BMW’s M5 and Mercedes Benz’s AMG models?

Elon Musk certainly hopes so and plans to make Tesla the ‘thinking person’s’ sports car...

Words: Rob Davis.

Undoubtedly what nobody needed was a Model S with more power... and yet... the flagship Plaid+ is good for 520 miles of range, plus 60mph in less than two seconds.

Just take that in; a sub-two second 0-60mph time, and a top speed in excess of 200mph.

The car will top out at £131,000 and breach 1,100hp, making it insanely quick, very expensive, but still relatively eco-friendly given its zero-emissions and liberation from a conventional internal combustion engine.

In terms of practicality, the Tesla has a large 840 litre boot and storage in the space that would be occupied by the car’s engine. No transmission tunnel plus that minimalist interior provides a spacious interior too.

Arguably the biggest issue facing Tesla is its lack of heritage in the executive car market.

But with its purchase price offset by the chance to enjoy guilt-free motoring and freedom from the petrol pumps, the Model S is truly a sports saloon for a new age. n

TESLA MODEL S Price: £131,000 (S Plaid+).

Drivetrain: 1,000bhp, 1,100hp electric with 520 mile range, all rear wheel drive.

Performance: 60mph in 1.9 seconds, 100mph.

Equipment: Adaptive cruise, heated seats, navigation n 127

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Get Away From It All Once Covid and Brexit are done and dusted, beat the ensuing rush to get away from it all and explore Great Britain in this stylish and luxurious motorhome. Then, once you’re au fait with life on the road here, you can enjoy it on the continent too...!

THESE FOLK LOOK HAPPY. And so they should. Lockdown has been lifted and they’re finally free to take that holiday they missed out on last year. But where to go?

In each case, there’s a GD spec and QD spec, each of which sleep four adults, or the Plus, which sleeps two and has a large dining area located to the rear of the vehicle.

The chances are national travel will prove easier than international travel – at least initially – once the twin perils of Covid and Brexit are reconciled. So, why not embark on an exploration of Great Britain in a new motorhome, enjoying the best of British and familiarising yourself with the vehicle before you take it abroad? And what better vehicle could there be in which to go on the road than the Frankia Platin...

If you’re haunted by memories of Carry on Camping-style childhood experiences, you’ll be impressed with the level of comfort afforded, both in terms of accommodation and on the road. Solar-powered electricity booster, 24” TV, shower and toilet, underfloor heating and air conditioning are all standard, and the kitchen has a refrigerator, hob and sink.

Most motorhomes sacrifice their style for their practicality, and whilst bluff in its appearance, Platin is among the better looking examples on the market.

There are six different versions, based on either an 8m long 7900 chassis or a 8.6m 8400 chassis.

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Frankia Platin Price: £170,780 Engine: 3.0, 190hp.

Interior: 2m headroom, bathroom with ceramic toilet, sink and shower.

Kitchenette with sensor tap and coffee machine, fridge, oven and hob.

1.6m queen-size bed. n

The Platin’s Mercedes coachbuilding also provides a seven-speed automatic gearbox, cruise control, air con, sat nav and DAB radio as standard for car-like luxury.

A wise person once said it’s better to travel than to arrive... but with the Platin, you can arrive with no unpacking, and begin enjoyong your UK-break straight away! n

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MOTORS

Flying Cars Land SCI-FI MEETS REALITY AS THE FIRST FLYING CAR CONCEPTS TOUCH DOWN

AIRSPEEDER Well that’s one way to beat the traffic... George Jetson’s flying car could soon become a reality with the third Airspeeder prototypes being revealed. Initially they’re intended to perform in a racing series but it’s hoped that the technology and the spectacle will lead to a new generation of eVTOL (electric, vertical take-off and landing) vehicles.

The 129bhp vehicles can achieve 124mph, with carbonfibre fuselages. Eight rotors aid stability and provider greater redundancy in the case of mechanical failure, whilst the single-seater configurator could be modified in the future to accommodate. a passenger. Experts predict that the flying car sector will be worth $1.5tr by 2035.

Anyway, must fly... n

You know it makes sense...

THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS THREE-WHEEL VAN GOES UNDER THE HAMMER IN ONLINE AUCTION THIS MONTH

Build your own Porsche 911... with a small caveat!

LEGO I’ve always fancied building my own kit car.

Alas, my mechanical skills fall way short of my ambitions in that respect.

However, I think even I could manage to create this Porsche 911. It’s a new special edition set by Lego, with no fewer than 1,458 pieces. On sale now for £130, it measures 35.5cm by 10.8cm by 16cm, and faithfully recreates a Turbo or Targa 911 complete with 2+2 interior with sculpted front sports seats, and tilting front seats, gearstick, handbrake and functional steering. n

AUCTIONS Fast, stylish and desirable... this 1972 Reliant Regal Supervan III is none of the above, and yet it’s expected to achieve a huge price at auction this month. The van is one of six vehicles used during the filming of the series Only Fools & Horses, and was driven by both David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst. Its top speed is a meagre 55mph, but you probably wouldn’t want to go faster than that. The van has, however, been used by its current owner for the last six year and has new tyres and brakes.

The van goes to auction on Saturday 27th March. n See www.silverstoneauctions.com.

MOTORING

NEWS In Brief

ELECTRIC MOTORING

ELECTRIC CAR SALES SET TO OVERTAKE CONVENTIONAL ENGINES BY 2025...

According to the latest analysis from Auto Trader, the sale of new electric vehicles (EVs) could overtake petrol and diesel sales by as early as 2025, whilst alternatively fuelled vehicles (AFV) more broadly, could pass them even earlier, in 2024.

The analysis indicates that by 2025, EVs will account for around 10% of the total British car population, and alternative fuel vehicles around 18%.

By the time the government’s ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars comes into effect in 2030, they’re likely to represent as much as 30% and 40% respectively.

After the ban on internal combustion engine (ICE) sales in 2030 and then hybrid sales in 2035, it’s likely that, if assuming typical scrappage rates and exclude the exception of classic or collector cars, ICE vehicles will almost disappear from the roads by the mid-2040s.

Last month saw more electric cars sold than diesel engined ones for the first time in history. n 129

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The Directory To advertise here call our friendly team on 01529 469977

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FLAT ROOFS?

WE’VE GOT THEM COVERED

Specialising in all flat roofing work, from garage roofs to conservatory conversions.

We can replace old conservatory roofing – too hot in the summer, to cold in the winter – with a fully insulated roof and skylight system for comfort and an improved appearance Commercial & Domestic Roof Repairs Guttering, Fascias & Soffits Conservatories and Balconies

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