Spreading some free sunshine

Featured in:
June 2016

Lincs FM’s presenters are busy ‘Spreading A Little Sunshine’ at the moment, surprising shoppers, coffee drinkers and visitors to our many tourist attractions, among others.
Since the beginning of April, the team of presenters – Rob Hammond, John Marshall, Andy Fenton and Ross Garrigan – have been out and about across Lincolnshire and Newark and they’ve enjoyed it so much that they’ve pledged to carry on until at least the end of June – meaning even more surprises could be coming your way.

It was the idea of programme manager Sam Heywood, who told Lincolnshire Life: “Although it was a fairly mild winter, it was certainly a very wet one – some were saying among the wettest on record. We decided, therefore, it would be great to do something to help put a smile on our listeners’ faces with spring and summer approaching and decided our Spread A Little Sunshine campaign would do just that. After all, who doesn’t like something for free?”

The idea is to send the presenters out and simply, at random, tap someone on the shoulder and offer to buy whatever it is they were about to spend money on.

So far, John Marshall has spent time at a hairdresser’s in Sleaford, paying for haircuts; Rob Hammond has given away full English breakfasts at Lincoln Castle and the team have also been getting in the coffees for visitors to Pennell’s Garden Centre in Cleethorpes and even bought train tickets for passengers at Spalding Railway Station, much to their surprise.

Everyone’s delighted when they get that tap on the shoulder and see it’s someone in a Lincs FM jacket, armed with a Lincs FM branded Sunflower, though the presenters have found it can sometimes be difficult giving away things for nothing.

John Marshall said: “I went to a children’s play centre in Newark and the plan was to pay for the admission fee of the next family who arrived. The mum turned up with five children and when I told her that it would be free entry, that we were getting it for them, she refused to believe it wasn’t a prank. It took quite some persuading but, in the end, she and the children did get their free day out!”

Plenty more surprise treats are being planned, right across Lincolnshire and Newark, so keep a look out – as the next tap on the shoulder could be for you.



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Food waste collections are coming to parts of Lincolnshire in early 2026 ♻️Here are the key things residents need to know:• New household food waste collections will start rolling out in phases from January and February 2026• If you’re in one of the first areas, you’ll receive food waste caddies and a guidance leaflet delivered to your home• The leaflet explains how the service works, what can go in your caddies, and when collections will start• All food items that are edible and inedible are accepted this includes items such as egg shells, meat bones, tea bags and so much more• The service is part of the Government’s Simpler Recycling changes• Not all areas will start at the same time – check your local district or borough council news channels for confirmed start dates• Food waste should be placed in the kitchen caddy using the supplied liners, then transferred to the outdoor caddy for collection• Collected food waste will be taken to an anaerobic digestion plant, where it will be turned into energy and fertiliser.Look out for your caddy delivery and make sure to keep an eye on local council updates so you know when the service goes live in your area.#LincolnshireRecycles #FoodWaste #Recycling #EnvironmentAct2021 ... See MoreSee Less