Pupils at a Grantham school continue to make better progress than the vast majority of their counterparts at other schools across the country.

The Priory Ruskin Academy has been recognised for its exceptional performance in 2016 by the Schools, Students and Teachers network (SSAT).

The Academy is shown to be in the top 10 per cent of schools nationally for progress.

It is the second consecutive year it has received this accolade.

Headteacher Rachel Wyles said: “I’m so proud that once again Ruskin has been recognised by the SSAT as one of the top performing schools nationally for progress.

“This is a fantastic accolade and a real testament to the dedication of the staff, our students, who take full advantage of the many opportunities afforded to them by the Academy, and the support of parents.”

Sue Williamson, chief executive of SSAT, said: “It’s my great pleasure to commend The Priory Ruskin Academy on their excellent 2016 performance.

“We know how hard teachers work to ensure the success of every child.

“SSAT’s Educational Outcomes award recognises the professionalism, commitment and hard work of the leaders, teachers and students at the Priory Ruskin Academy.”

The award will be presented at a regional celebration event to be held in the summer term which will recognise the work of high-achieving, improving and innovating schools.

Arion Grantham & District Sunday League

Matt Walton Sunday Premier Cup

Semi-final

Nobody Inn 4

FC Genes 7 (aet)

Nobody Inn drew first blood, Moon combing the ball over the top and Fabio notching in.

However, the sides went in level at the break after Hardy rifled in a Genes equaliser.

The game set alight in the second half as Genes raced into a 3-1 lead, with new signing Scott Webb scoring twice.

The Nobods dug deep with Kettle reducing the deficit before a 90th minute bicycle kick from Grundy subsequently sent this semi-final into extra time.

Again, the Nobody Inn took the lead, Huitson nutmegging Winnie and finding the bottom corner.

The second half of extra time saw Tyndall equalise, and then Stafford and Vorley both added to the Genes tally from the penalty spot.

Webb rounded off his hat trick for the illustrious hairdressers, for whom another cup final awaits.

Man of the match was Richard Payne.

Nobody Inn: Fry, Mills, Walton, Briggs, Moon, Grundy, Jackson, Drury, Huitson, Sach, Fabio, Kettle.

An 11-year-old schoolgirl has had her very long locks cut to help a children’s charity.

Anwyn Asken, of Goodliff Road, Grantham, had her hair cut at Blunt in support of The Little Princess Charity. Anwyn’s hair will be donated to the charity which makes wigs for children who have lost their hair through cancer treatment. Anwyn is also raising money for the charity andf has so far raised about £200 out of a target of £500.

Her mother Anita said the family was very proud of her.

Grantham councillor Charmaine Morgan has discussed the situation at Grantham A&E with the Leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Corbyn was visiting Newark where he gave a speech to local Labour Party members and gave his support to the campaign to save Grantham Hospital A&E.

Coun Morgan, chair of SOS Grantham Hospital, and husband John Morgan discussed concerns regarding the loss of emergency care at Grantham and Newark hospitals. A number of people signed the SOS Grantham Hospital petition including Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell at the meeting.

Coun Morgan said: “It’s important to keep focussed on our campaign. Those in Westminster neeď to understand what life is like in rural areas.

“Despite a busy schedule we were delighted he (Mr Corbyn) took the time to listen to us and we were encouraged by the new plans he has for our NHS. We also met Derby campaigners facing cuts to their services as a result of their STP and agreed to work together.”

It’s full speed ahead with preparations for Grantham’s first Steam and County Show, say organisers.

The three-day event takes place Friday, June 2 to Sunday, June 4 on the site that hosts a large Bonfire Night display each year off Belton Lane in Great Gonerby.

While the huge steam machines will naturally take centre stage, the event will also feature a display of classic cars, a variety of trade and charity stands, auto jumble and a funfair.

There will be a licensed bar selling real ales, ciders and much more, plus live entertainment.

The event is the brainchild of Harrison Naylor, who said: “Everything is going brilliantly and we’re getting loads of support from local businesses.”

Mr Naylor decided to stage the event after a conversation at last year’s Bonfire Night organised by Lincolnshire Fire Aid.

He said: “I’m from a fairground family and have always been part of the steam scene.

“It seemed like a great idea to hold a steam rally in Grantham and I’m hoping it will become an annual event for the town.”

The weekend will kick off with a charity darts tournament on the Friday evening, in aid of Lincolnshire Fire Aid.

The level of interest in the tournament has resulted in an entry of 80 players, with Mr Naylor saying he had to cap the number of entries.

There is a £150 winner’s prize up for grabs, while a cash prize will also go to the runner-up. There will be a raffle and auction on the night to raise further funds.

Interest in the Steam and County Show itself is also gathering pace, with around 14 full sized steam engines already booked for the weekend.

“I’m hoping to have more than 20 altogether,” said Mr Naylor.

In addition, there will be a variety of miniature and stationary engines on show.

Anyone interested in exhibiting, taking a stall or providing an attraction is asked to email granthamsteam@yahoo.com.

There is no charge for charity stalls.

To attract as many people as possible to the event, Mr Naylor says they have deliberately tried to keep admission prices as low as possible.

“We want to get as many there as we can,” he explained. “We’re hoping local people will come along and support the event.”

Admission prices for the steam show are: Weekend camping £25, family day ticket £15, single day ticket £6.00, OAP/junior £2.50.

The owners of a restaurant in Grantham say it is the perfect addition to their existing drinks and bar business.

Karen Adams, owner of the Trickling Tap and cocktail bar Tap and Tonic in Market Place, says opening their restaurant, the Market View, has completed the ‘perfect triangle’ for their business.

Karen, who runs the business with her husband Paul and their son Luke, says the restaurant offers English and French cuisine, bringing something different to the town.

Aptly named, the restaurant has a fine view over the market place and is run by experienced chef Tony Angel.

Karen said: “We wanted to bring a bit of sophistaction to the town, a bit of glamour. We have restored the room with its original features and kept it in the style of the rest of the building.”

The building has been nominated for ‘Best Restoration’ in the Grantham Civic Society awards.

The restaurant is currently open evenings from Tuesday through to Saturday, but it is hoped to open at lunchtimes, serving omelettes and crepes.

Also a themed Game Night will be held on Wednesday, April 19, with a game meal followed by roulette.

Karen said: “It’s the perfect triangle for us. People try our drinks in the bar and then they order them when they eat in the restaurant. They then buy them from the shop. We are getting more and more of that repeat business.”

The restaurant, open just a few months, is enjoying good business, especially at weekends and most of it has come from word of mouth.

Karen added: “We feel the restaurant is a natural progression of what we are doing. There are plenty of restaurants in town but we offer something a bit different. There is quality and it means people no longer go to Stamford or elsewhere. They can have a drink and get a taxi home. It’s a good thing for Grantham.”

For more details on the restaurant including menus and booking information go to www.marketviewrestaurant.co.uk

n See Friday’s Journal (April 7) for a 10 per cent discount on meals at the Market View restaurant.

Another dominant home performance against Rushall Olympic saw Grantham Town secure three more points towards their push for a play-off berth on Saturday.

The Gingerbreads generally had the upper hand throughout in the 2-1 win, with the visitors’ goal only coming in the dying minutes, which made for a twitchy period of added time.

The match got off to a pretty frantic start at a sun-drenched Meres stadium, and a couple of early short back passes to goalkeeper Kieran Preston had hearts in mouths for Town fans.

But Grantham played some good football in the first half, although the game looked to have 0-0 written all over it, with no reward for their efforts by half time.

The heat seemed to be getting to both sides pretty soon after the break, with error after error, but the Gingerbreads injected some excitement back into the afternoon when they deservedly took the lead in the 58th minute.

Danny Meadows put a ball through to Lee Shaw who ran in on goal through a gaping Rushall defence, before slotting past keeper Sam Arnold.

And, so, it was all Grantham again going forward and they were rewarded a second time on 70 minutes when skipper Stefan Galinski volleyed in through a gaggle of legs from the edge of the box, leaving Arnold rooted to the spot.

With the wind and a clean sheet seemingly a sure thing, the Gingerbreads were denied the latter when they were caught out in the 89th minute, with Brian Smirkle glancing in a header from a deft cross.

Referee Mr Bell added four minutes to the game but Town held out to claim all three points.

Grantham Town: Preston, Wildin, Storey, Purcicoe, Galinski (c), Meadows, Clifton, Hollingsworth, Dasaolu (Burrows 78), Lee Shaw, Luke Shaw. Subs not used: Curtis, Gibbons, Da Silva Bastos, Martin.

A Grantham businesswoman is planning a Bollywood-themed charity event, and tickets are on sale.

Nesheta Sachania, who runs Pristine in Wharf Road, is organising ‘Bollywood Comes to Grantham’ to raise money for Grantham-based dementia care services.

She explained: “It is something very close to my heart as my mum was 
diagnosed with Alzheimer’s two years ago. Although [my parents] predominantly live in India they will be here for a few months over the summer and at the event.

“I feel like I can’t do much for her but I can make a difference to those affected here in Grantham.

“The Alzheimer’s Society will receive some of the monies raised but the majority will be split between local care homes and voluntary services.”

‘Bollywood Comes to Grantham’ will be held at the Jubilee Church Life Centre, in London Road, on Saturday, May 20.

There will be authentic Indian cuisine, Henna design, traditional goods and Bollywood-style dancing. There is also the chance to be transformed into a Bollywood beauty – this must be pre-booked.

The event is on from 7.30pm until late. Tickets are £30.

To book, or for more information, call Nesheta on 07957 215807.

Mid Lincs Youth League

U14

Great Ponton 13

Skegness Imps 1

Great Ponton were determined to come away with the win and went straight on the attack.

Ted Sweeney-Biffen put the home side ahead after just one minute of play. Barry Harrison followed that up with a second goal a couple of minutes later from a long shot just outside the area.

Skegness never let their heads drop and pulled a goal back to give them a fighting chance.

Ponton, undeterred, went straight back on the attack and it paid off when Harrison lobbed the keeper to score his second of the game. Harrison went on to complete his hat trick with another lob, this time from outside the area.

Skegness tried to fight back but Ponton’s centre half Ben Harvey seemed to get to every ball first and refused them any route through the defence. Harrison’s next shot lacked power and it looked like the Skegness defender was going to clear it from the line, but Jaydon Devine outpaced him and tapped the ball in.

Ponton still did not relax and a free kick from J. Devine was followed up by defender Jack Croft who ran straight through the Skegness defence and slotted the ball into the back of net. Ayden O’Brien was the next player to score after following up a shot that the keeper failed to catch. Bobby McDonald went on a lone run to score just before half time, making it 8-1.

The second half continued as the first half ended, with Ponton straight back on the attack. O’Brien lobbed the keeper to notch his second of the game. Ponton took full advantage of having subs and when they brought Harrison back on to the pitch, he wasted no time and nutmegged the keeper to register his fourth.

Harvey had his game of the season so was put up front for the remainder of the game in the hope that he may score. He took full advantage of this opportunity and, fully supported by his team-mates, he did not just score one goal, but bagged a full hat trick.

Man of the match was Ben Harvey.

Great Ponton: Tilbury, Raitt, Harvey, Wing, Croft, O. Devine, C. Hodgkinson, J. Devine, Sweeney-Biffen (c), Parrish, Harrison, Bilton, O’Brien, McDonald.

Children’s author B B Taylor will be enthralling children of all ages when she reads passages from her popular books at an open day event near Grantham.

The Wild World Animal Education Centre at Long Bennington is holding an Easter Fun Day on Saturday, April 15.

Visitors of all ages will be able to see at close quarters the centre’s wide range of animals from all over the world, with plenty of Easter-themed craft activities available too. The day will also feature a birds of prey display and some inspirational readings from B B Taylor.

For the Fun Day, the centre will be open from 11am to 4pm and entry is £3 per person.

Built on the outskirts of Long Bennington, on Fen Lane, the Wild World Animal Education Centre has been open for just over a year.

It houses a fascinating collection of more than 100 different species of rare mammals, reptiles, marsupials and bugs. Some of the rarer species at the centre include an Egyptian mongoose, Indian flying foxes and an electric-blue day gecko.

The centre offers hands-on sessions for school groups, giving children the chance to learn more about rare animals and the environment. Education sessions must be booked in advance.

One of the centre’s owners, Dan Sleight, said: “Some of the animals we have are quite unique in this country, which is a big draw.

“B B Taylor has her own birds of prey and will be bringing them along with her. There should be plenty for everyone to see and do on the day.”

He added: “The classroom at the centre is now ready, so we are taking bookings from schools.”

Ultimately it is hoped to create a small zoo on the site, with education key to all developments of the operation.

They chose to set up the centre in Long Bennington because, as Dan explained, ‘the location, building, availability of land and overall feel of this site was just perfect for what we want to do’.

Journal reader Tina Turner sent in this amazing picture of a heron in her back garden.

Tina snapped the large bird after it landed on a fence in the garden in Dysart Road.

Former KGGS student Phoebe Howlett, 24, is about to embark on an incredible journey - to visit every country in the world. The aim is to highlight the ‘invisible’ illness which she suffered and gender equality.

Can you describe the illness and events which led to you deciding to take on the challenge of visiting every country?

It was a slow realisation process for me over the course of two years pretending I was still healthy, looking back now it was so obvious I wasn’t well. I wasn’t ill enough to stop me from doing most things, but I wasn’t well enough to really go for everything like I wanted to. I go into more detail of the individual instances that made me realise how ill I truly was on my website 
(thechanceofchoice.com) but it took six months for doctors to diagnose me with PoTS and M.E., in June 2015. PoTS, or Postural Tachycardia Syndrome, is an abnormality of the functioning of the nervous system. To be diagnosed with PoTS, an individual must experience a heart rate increase of 30bpm while standing – my resting heart rate was 67, while my standing heart rate was 111. M.E., or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis is a chronic fluctuating nervous system condition that causes symptoms affecting almost all body systems, but namely the nervous and immune systems.

My decision to want to travel as much possible however occurred in February 2016. It was the hardest month of my life to date. Along with my M.E. & PoTs, I also had infections in my chest, both eyes, sinus and bladder. I was completely bed bound, my PoTs went through the roof and I woke up one morning with no feeling past my lower thighs. I was paralysed. Laying in the dark to stop my migraine, my insides feeling like they were being crushed and my body feeling like it was spinning thanks to my M.E., I realised I was completely delirious. Days turned into nights, nights turned into days, I didn’t have a clue what was happening while being in constant, numbing pain. But just under a week into it, every ounce of my body and mind halted, I reached the lowest point and vividly remember thinking if there is chance in my life to feel this ill again, I’m done with it all. But on from this awful thought, I then thought of all the things I hadn’t done, all the places I haven’t been.

Reaching that kind of low, the space where you now understand why people commit suicide, also gave me absolute clarity with what I wanted from life. All I wanted was to be able to travel. Once you’ve had an experience like that you just start caring less about how thin you are, or how much money you are set to earn or if people respect you at work. A cliched realisation while I was in agonising pain, but I’m happy I had it.

Why did you want to do this particular challenge?

The reason I took the challenge to do every country was based again on a few factors. Initially I said I was going to go off and do a year or so travelling and live in Australia. From a lot of people I got ‘oh wow and you’re going by yourself?’ and it shocked me. I have just got over two life damaging illnesses by myself, I have travelled before and frankly it is a walk in the park compared to fighting illnesses like I had. More shockingly I also got, mainly from women: ‘But are you not worried about going as a woman alone?’. I do appreciate that in an emergency that requires physical strength the majority of men will probably be more suitable, but I’ve had illnesses that felt like they were killing me. I’d far rather take that risk of something bad happening to me while I’m doing exactly what I want in my life than not doing it at all because its slightly more dangerous for a woman than a man. Come on girls, it’s the 21stcentury I understand the question but that kind of thinking, when being asked this question is the kind of thinking to stop things changing with gender equality for the better. After having these discussions with these questions included I did some research, if I went to every country in the world it would make me the second woman to do so. I just thought I’ve got nothing to lose setting this challenge, all I wanted to do at the lowest point of my life was travel, so why not?

What do you hope to achieve by completing the challenge?

I remember while I was weighing up whether to create a website for this challenge, I told myself that if I told my story and even one person had a positive reaction, it would already be worth doing. That happened, an old KG student who also suffers with chronic illness messaged me saying how good reading my story was and it felt so great to know it helped, even one person. I just want to do that as much as possible, make people feel happy and better about themselves. I want to inspire as many people as possible who are lucky enough to have the choice to act, people should do what they want as soon as it is feasible, because the opportunity of that choice could be taken away from them in a second. I’ve been to dark places but I am now at the light at the end of the tunnel; others, from the women wanting their own businesses in Nigeria, to the bed bound ME patients, all deserve to feel good about themselves and if my challenge can help that, it’s done what its meant to do.

How long will it take you and what do you see as the most difficult part of the challenge?

I haven’t worked out every individual detail to the journey yet, there are still so many moving parts to it all with charities, sponsorship, ambassadors and endorsors. However depending on how I structure the journey with all these partners it will be between 3 to 5 years. If I get it completed in three years it will also make me the youngest female to complete the challenge.

Is there still a lot of ignorance about ME and ‘invisible illness’ and what needs to be done to correct this?

I think particularly for M.E the stigma is not helped by the fact M.E is still described as chronic fatigue syndrome. In the latest report on Healthcare Investment, Professor Stephen Holgate stated M.E is at least as disabling as multiple sclerosis and congestive heart failure. Yet when you say chronic fatigue you think being tired, and when 250,000 people in the UK alone are effected by something that insinuates a few bad night’s sleep, you have got to ask why it’s not being taken more seriously. It changes peoples entire lives, people are house bound, giving up jobs, losing relationships and in some cases people are 
dying.

Do you have any long-term plans once you have completed the challenge?

At the moment I’m focusing on getting as many followers and subscribers to my website and social media streams that will contain all my pictures, videos and articles of what I get up to visiting every country. I need all the support I can get! I also have lined up visiting schools, colleges and universities giving presentations on what I’m doing to hopefully inspire the younger generation. After this challenge what I would love more than anything to be able to generate enough revenue from my website to spend my time helping charities fight for thelr cause, particularly around female economic empowerment in developing countries. But for now that is just a pipe dream I’ve got 175 countries still to visit!

Grantham volunteers were among those who gathered for a special celebration by Home-Start Lincolnshire.

The local family support charity threw a day of celebration for its 142 county-wide volunteers atWoodhall Spa’s Dower House Hotel which donated the use of a room free of charge for the day.

Grantham volunteers were among those to be recognised for the work they’d done over the year, supporting local families in their times of need.

Between them they supported an incredible 1,536 children and their families across Lincolnshire last year.

CEO Tracey Ruddock welcomed everyone and spoke about the terrific achievements of the organisation in its first year. The main message, however, was one of appreciation for its volunteers in all their diverse roles.

Tracey said: “It has been brilliant to bring so many of our volunteers together today. The support that Home-Start provides to families across the county is only possible because of the time and dedication that our volunteers bring. We are literally nothing without them.”

Volunteers went on to enjoy an engaging training session on ‘Making Every Contact Count’ from Tony Connell, who talked about his own experience of volunteering. Tony summed up a key benefit of Home-Start’s peer-to-peer support system when he expounded the value of the relationship between a volunteer and the family they are supporting.

He said: “They know you’re there because you want to be, not because you have to be.”

The light lunch laid on by the hotel went down very well, and provided an informal time for volunteers and charity staff alike to mingle and get to know each other a little better in the grounds.

Afterwards, Area Manager Tina Staples explained Home-Start Lincolnshire’s keenly anticipated plans for further volunteer training throughout the year.

Finally, certificates were given out to recognise volunteers’ service - for some as much as 14 years’ incredible support to families in their region. The event was then wound to a close by trustee Phil Sturman, who once again thanked his fellow volunteers for their dedication and service.

Easton Walled Gardens invites you to bring your children along to their new chocolate workshops on Easter Monday.

These mini workshops will be running throughout the day, encouraging children to decorate their own Easter eggs to take home. Children and grown-ups will be welcomed to the coach house where a tutor will be on hand to help the creativity flow.

There are also 12 acres of beautiful gardens to explore, all alive with spring colour.

Children can follow the wren boxes around the garden to solve the puzzle and win a prize, whilst adults can admire the renowned plantsmanship and history of the ancient garden.

Open from 11am to 4pm, garden admission is £7.25 for adults and £3.25 per child. The chocolate workshop is £10 per child and should be booked in advance: www.visiteaston.co.uk/shop

The popular Easter egg hunt and duck race will return to Wyndham Park this weekend.

South Kesteven District Council and Wyndham Park Forum host the fun events from 10am to 12.30pm on Saturday.

Go along to the park for the trail at 10.30am – children aged four to 10 can complete the fun route for a chocolate reward for just £1.

Then at noon, adults and children of any age can enjoy the Grantham Kesteven Rotary Club duck race with ducks racing a length of the River Witham, with entry again just £1 per person.

There will also be a raffle for Easter egg prizes and entry forms can be collected from the gazebo on site on the day. All proceeds will go towards future park events and the Rotary club’s chosen charities.

Cafe Indulgence will be open throughout the event.

SKDC’s executive member Councillor Nick Craft said: “Come down to Wyndham Park for what is set to be a very enjoyable few hours of events during the Easter holidays.

“Thanks as ever go to the HLF and Big Lottery Fund, whose funding has allowed this event to go ahead on a wider scale this year, Wyndham Park Forum and the Grantham Kesteven Rotary Club.”

Sixteen Rivercare volunteers set about cleaning up the River Witham on Saturday, on a beautiful spring morning.

This was the 65th clean-up carried out by the group since its formation in 2004.

During that time, volunteers have collected over 1,000 sacks of rubbish, together with a range of other items weighing in at no less than 12 tonnes.

“What a state the river would be if it wasn’t for the efforts of Rivercare,” said group leader John Knowles.

Twelve sacks were filled with bottles, cans, fast food wrappers and other small items. Larger items included an office chair, two shopping trolleys, three bikes, some scrap metal and a mattress.

John added: “The mattress had obviously been dropped into the river from the white bridge and took a great deal of effort to remove.

“In addition, a vast amount of green material was taken from the weir in Wyndham Park. It was important to clean up the weir in readiness for the {http://www.granthamjournal.co.uk/news/easter-egg-hunt-and-rotary-duck-race-are-on-at-grantham-s-wyndham-park-this-weekend-1-7908144 |Rotary duck race next weekend.”}

Rivercare is supported by Keep Britain Tidy and sponsored by Anglian Water and Sainsbury’s.

The next clean-up will be on Saturday, June 10.

More than 500 bikers rode to The Meres leisure centre yesterday to deliver hundreds of chocolate eggs for local needy children.

A total of 574 bikers gathered at Bottesford before setting off along the A52 to Grantham and The Meres.

Mayor of Grantham Coun Linda Wootten met the bikers at the leisure centre and spent 30 minutes shaking hands with them as they arrived.

Watch the slideshow taken by photographer Toby Roberts.

Rail passengers at Grantham are facing delays of up to two hours after overhead lines were dmaged near Doncaster.

A statement on the National Rail website says: “The overhead electric wires have been damaged near Retford on the line towards Doncaster. As a consequence, journeys between Peterborough and Doncaster are expected to be delayed by up to 120 minutes. Some trains may be able to divert between Newark North Gate and Doncaster, extending journey times.”

Rail operators have apologised to customers and says alternative routes are available.

For more information go to www.nationalrail.co.uk

The trust which runs the town’s hospital has been put back into special measures, but urgent and emergency services at Grantham have been rated ‘good’ overall following a visit to the A&E unit.

The Care Quality Commission has rated United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust as ‘inadequate’ overall, just two years after it came out of special measures.

But it says that following a visit to Grantham A&E in october it found it to be good when it came to being effective, caring, responsive and well-led. However, it did say that in the area of safety it ‘required improvement’.

The visit to the A&E unit came soon after the unit was closed overnight by ULHT in order to transfer staff to its hospitals in Lincoln and Boston which were suffering a ‘staffing crisis’.

CQC visited Lincoln and Boston Pilgrim Hospitals as well as Grantham A&E. It did not inspect any other departments at Grantham.

Chief executive of ULHT Jan Sobieraj said the report was disappointing but on the issue of Grantham A&E he told the Journal: “It’s good but we are not resting on our laurels. The CQC came in as a result of concerns from the public over A&E and we need to make sure that serices are safe and responsive and we are pleased to say that they are.”

Mr Sobieraj repeated that ULHT was determind to re-open Grantham A&E 24 hours a day, but ony when staffing levels made it safe to do so. He said that last year the trust only had 12 middle grade doctors available across its three A&E units. The trust now has 18 doctors but says it needs 21 middle grade doctors to allow it to open Grantham A&E over 24 hours.

Mr Sobieraj says it is not appropriate to compare the 2017 report with the CQC’s last report which also put the trust into special measures as the latest inspection did not cover all hospitals, such as Louth and Skegness, and only looked at A&E in Grantham.

But Mr Sobieraj said he was not hiding from the fact that the report was disappointing. He said: “The safety and quality of patient care is our number one priority. We’re disappointed with some of the findings in the report but we are taking them very seriously. We are sorry to our patients as we know this isn’t good enough.

“The Trust has already improved on many of the areas of concern that have been raised by the CQC, and we have started to see significant improvements since the inspection last October. Immediate action was taken and many issues raised by the CQC have since been resolved. Further actions are planned to ensure improvements are sustained.

“Following the CQC inspection, many of our services were inspected by the GMC in November. They found a positive patient safety culture at the trust, with learners and educators being encouraged to raise concerns and be open and honest with patients when things go wrong.”

Since the CQC inspection in October, ULHT says it has already made progress made in the last six months including significant improvements in identifying and treating sepsis and bringing in additional senior clinicians and management at Pilgrim hospital. It says it has also improved staff awareness and training around caring for patients with mental health problems and major incident planning. It has launched an anti-bullying campaign and is encouraging staff to raise concerns through official channels.

Jan said: “I want to reassure people that we are working hard to make our services safer and ensure they stay that way. I’m pleased the CQC rated 56 per cent of our services as “good” including surgery at Lincoln and Pilgrim hospitals and critical care at Pilgrim hospital. I want to publicly thank our staff, who the CQC found to be caring and treating patients with kindness and respect. It’s also worth noting that some services weren’t rated and these are generally those that were rated good or outstanding at the last inspection.

“We know we still have more work to do, and we have been very open about the long-term challenges we face in making our services safer and sustainable. Our biggest challenges are around our shortages of permanent staff and we struggle to meet some national quality standards.

“We’re working hard to recruit staff locally, nationally and internationally but the reality is we rely on locum and agency staff, and this sometimes affects the quality of our services. ULHT has a five year plan in place to improve long-term quality and safety of our services - our share of Lincolnshire’s STP – and we’re working hard to quicken the pace of these changes.”

Dean Fathers, chair of ULHT said: “The Trust Board is fully committed to delivering high-quality care for patients. I’d like to echo the CQC’s praise for our caring staff who treat patients with dignity, compassion and respect. We have a very detailed plan in place to address all the areas for improvement raised by the CQC, which have addressed many of the issues already. With the support from NHS Improvement and our partners in Lincolnshire I’m confident we can make long-term improvements for the benefit of all our patients.”

Jeff Worrall, Delivery and Improvement Director at NHS Improvement, said: “Patients will be reassured that the trust has been rated ‘good’ for caring. Ensuring that improvement is sustainable from this point onwards is our primary focus.

“The trust has already demonstrated once that it can make positive changes. We will be working closely with the team to make sure those changes are lasting ones.

“We have already put an improvement director and programme of support in place in response to the concerns raised and will be working alongside trust staff to address the specific areas outlined in the report.”

CQC said it found deterioration across a number of services resulting in the trust being rated inadequate overall. It said an unannounced inspection was also carried out on 19 December at Pilgrim Hospital’s emergency department following information of concern highlighted to the commission.

The Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, said: “Having seen improvements to patient care previously, we are disappointed that our latest inspection of United Hospitals Lincolnshire NHS Trust found these improvements had not been sustained and there had been an overall deterioration in quality and patient safety.

“For this reason, we have recommended that the trust should re-enter special measures so that it can receive support at the highest level to deliver all the necessary improvements. The focus of the improvement plan must be to ensure that patients receive safe, high quality and compassionate care at all times.

“In particular, there must be significant improvements in the quality and safety of patient care, leadership and managerial oversight of quality and performance and effective implementation of the existing governance arrangements consistently across all of the services.

“Further improvement is required to ensure the trust is able to manage risk effectively, and cope with patient demand and flow across its services in a timely and sustainable way. I note, for example, that there were significant delays in patients receiving their follow up outpatient appointment across several specialities with more than 3,000 appointments being overdue by more than six weeks.

“We raised a number of issues with the trust that needed urgent attention at the time of the inspection. We were impressed with the response by the Chief Nurse who sought opportunities to learn from other trusts to improve patient care.

“We will continue to monitor the trust and will return to check on the progress it must make. NHS Improvement will be working closely with the trust to ensure full support is available to make the improvements needed.”

Inspectors found there were ongoing delays in patients being able to access treatment and care, with growing numbers of patients having to wait too long for their outpatient appointments or inpatient treatments. Arrangements to respond to emergencies and major incidents were not sufficiently robust.

Patients had been unable to access services in a timely way for an initial assessment, diagnosis or treatment, including when cancer was suspected. During 2016 the trust failed to meet the majority of the national standards for the cancer referral to treatment targets.

In addition, inspectors found low levels of staff satisfaction coupled with high levels of stress and work overload. Some staff told us they did not feel respected, valued or appreciated and many reported they did not feel comfortable raising concerns.

CQC found poor leadership and oversight in a number of services and at a senior level within the trust. There were weaknesses in the governance framework to support the delivery of the trust’s vision and strategy and inspectors were not assured that the board were sufficiently cited on risks. Inspectors were not assured that all incidents were reported or investigated in a timely way.

In addition, whilst it was isolated to a small number of wards at Pilgrim Hospital, inspectors were not assured that all staff understood the trust values because they observed care being delivered that was not respectful or compassionate.

However, inspectors saw improvement across some services. For example, governance arrangements in the maternity service had been strengthened significantly over the past two years. Inspectors also observed good care across several services including services for children and young people, critical care, surgery and urgent and emergency services at Grantham Hospital, all of which were rated Good overall.

Grantham Canal Society is running boat trips on Easter Sunday and Monday.

The trips will be run between 10.30am and 4pm each day, starting from the Carpenter’s Shop Canal Depot, near the Dirty Duck pub, Woolsthorpe by Belvoir. Adults £3, children £2.

Visit www.granthamcanal.org for more information.