Ten projects set to change face of town

Following the unveiling of new funding plans, and with modern technology offering innovative opportunities, Scunthorpe is showing its community spirit and looking ahead to a brighter future.
Proposals which represent the largest investment programme in Scunthorpe in generations look set to change the face of the town and surrounding areas.

The town will receive up to £25m which will be used to leverage hundreds of millions of additional funding for the raft of projects designed to revolutionise the area, as well as help create jobs and stronger communities.

Detailed studies are to be pulled together with cash made available from the Government’s Towns Fund.

The 10 projects being developed as part of a major investment programme towards the transformation of Scunthorpe include:
An advanced manufacturing park across 60 acres of land creating hundreds of highly skilled advanced manufacturing and engineering jobs by attracting companies to locate in Scunthorpe.
Taking forward proposals for a new hospital for the region.
The revolution of the town centre to create a clean, modern environment.
Building a new cultural quarter for Scunthorpe in the heart of the town.
Developing a technology business incubator hub in the town centre to help start-ups grow, expand and attract investment while assisting existing businesses to innovate.
A scheme to attract graduates to live and work in the area.
A clean, green energy system which transports low-cost, locally produced heat and electricity into homes and businesses.
Ensuring every home and business in Scunthorpe has access to Gigabit internet
Increasing rail capacity into major cities across the north to enable people to live in North Lincolnshire but access the broader jobs market the cities offer.
An integrated, green transport system which transforms the way people travel across Scunthorpe to ensure commuters can use all modes of transport safely and efficiently included radical changes to public transport and new traffic-free cycle routes.

People from across the region are being encouraged to have their say on what they would like to see through the Government’s My Town campaign, available on the My Town portal.

It follows on from almost £40m which has already been invested in the town centre in recent years and will be led by the public-private partnership Towns Fund Board which is administering the town’s share of a £3.6bn national government scheme designed to rejuvenate towns across the country.

These latest developments come as North Lincolnshire Council is investing more than £5m in community facilities across the area – including places such as Ashby, Barton, Brigg and the Isle of Axholme – and spearheading major infrastructure investment of £31m in the road network across North Lincolnshire.

Rob Waltham, leader, North Lincolnshire Council, said: “We have enjoyed an incredible amount of support from Government, particularly in cash terms and we have been able to invest in the people and places of North Lincolnshire. Now we are in position to really catalyse that.

“We have seen across the last few weeks an incredible response to protect the most vulnerable in North Lincolnshire in response to Covid-19. We must capture that sense of community which has been shown into some of these projects.

“These proposals will be fundamental in helping to grow the economy of North Lincolnshire, they will help people stay safe and well and they will enable the communities to flourish creating wealth and prosperity.

“If ever we needed the wider backing to achieve this and push North Lincolnshire and Scunthorpe further on it is now.”

LOCAL AUTHOR SHARES FREE BOOKS
Local children’s writer Addy Farmer has shared more than 400 free copies of her book A Place Called Home to help entertain families during the coronavirus pandemic.

Addy, who is based in Crowle, was inspired by the community spirit across North Lincolnshire and decided to contribute her own act of kindness.

After recording a video of herself reading the adventure story, she asked if any families in Crowle would enjoy a free copy of the book, via a local Facebook page. The response was overwhelming with other local businesses, including Acorns Child Minding, offering their help to deliver copies.

Addy, who is also chair of the North Lincolnshire Children’s Literacy Trust, explained: “Being a children’s writer is not just about the writing, it’s also about the readers. Part of my work is about being with and inspiring children to enjoy reading. I love visiting schools and working with families to encourage creativity and imagination – it’s about being with people.

“As we follow the government guidance to stay at home, I had to adjust and think how I could help in different ways. For all of us and especially for children, reading and stories can be an incredible comfort and source of creativity.

“I’ve felt inspired and encouraged by the wonderful sense of community here in Crowle.”

North Lincolnshire Council has supported the effort by creating activity packs to accompany the story, which children’s centres have delivered to families.

Copies of the book have been also gifted to schools to create their own home learning packs using the activity resources provided.

BUSINESSES TEAM UP TO HELP KEY WORKER WEDDINGS
North Lincolnshire based video production company, KNOW and wedding photographer James Revitt from Flawless Photography have teamed up to support deserving key workers by giving away £9,000 worth of wedding packages to two couples during the coronavirus crisis.

Pete Hewes, creative director at KNOW, who founded the company with his cousin Luke Drewery in 2012, said: “We wanted to use our skills in a way to give something back and thought we could offer something through our old wedding brand, The Cine Collective. We recently retired from wedding cinematography, however we decided to come out of wedding retirement and teamed up with James from Flawless Photography.

“We heard stories of weddings being cancelled and NHS workers struggling financially with rebooking so we wanted to step in and help relieve them of the financial pressures of paying a photographer and videographer – two of the biggest expenses at a wedding. This way their memories are captured forever by a team of professionals.

“Originally we were going to give one package away. However, we received more than 100 nominations and it was really difficult to choose.

“Reading through them all had us in tears but there were two nominations that really stood out. One was a paediatric nurse who was going above and beyond outside of her comfort zone in an adult intensive care ward and also her husband-to-be is in the RAF coordinating supplies of PPE. The other nomination was a cancer nurse who has volunteered in a Covid-19 ward to help out. She regularly takes time to Skype her cancer patients to offer them support.”

CAMPAIGN CALLS FOR FOSTER CARERS
North Lincolnshire Council recently launched a campaign to recruit new foster carers to provide safe and loving homes for children who can’t be cared for by their families.

During last month’s Foster Care Fortnight, the council’s ‘This is Fostering’ campaign helped to raise awareness of how foster care transforms the lives of children and young people.

Cllr David Rose, Cabinet member for Children, Families and Culture, said: “During this challenging time it is definitely business as usual for the Fostering Team as they find new ways of working to ensure vulnerable children are cared for. They are still recruiting foster carers by contacting people through virtual means rather than face-to-face.

“If you could help a child feel loved, safe and help them develop, we would love to hear from you. Even if you are unsure as to whether fostering is right for you, the Fostering Team will be happy to answer your questions and help you find out if fostering is for you.

“Fostering is a big commitment, but one that is massively rewarding. You can truly change a child’s life by fostering. Foster carers are needed to care for children of a range of ages, siblings and children with a variety of needs. There is no such thing as a typical foster carer, we have foster carers in their 20s and 70s.

“At North Lincolnshire Council we are very proud to provide an Ofsted rated, ‘outstanding’ fostering service for our children and young people.

“If you have ever thought about fostering, get in touch.”

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