Description

I will certainly be raising my glass to the start of what we all hope will be a much brighter and more positive year.

We began this issue by talking to our ‘Taste of Excellence’ award winners who have each battled to preserve their businesses while they serve their local communities. Their stories reflect how quickly their goods and services were adapted, with innovations which will certainly be important in their plans for this year. They, like us, missed the excitement of our formal Awards Night, which hopefully we will be able to reinstate this year. The section begins on page 53.

Health, both physical and mental, has been in the headlines throughout the pandemic and we always feel some guilt after the indulgences of the festive season – with perhaps quickly forgotten resolutions to lose weight or start a new regime. This month our Wellness supplement focuses on ways to reconnect and regain strength through a range of therapies and services which will boost mood, outlook and energy levels. Read more on page 39 onwards.

Our writers love talking to inspirational county people and Kate Chapman’s feature on Stamford based illustrator Melissa Webb is as uplifting as her Mellow Doodles. Barbara Young met Lincolnshire Police Chief Constable Bill Skelly on the eve of his retirement from the force; globetrotting cameraman David Caine and also visited the home of Lochs & Fens, a county based creative homeware business, run by mother and daughter Polly and Isobel Irvine.

To remind ourselves that spring will not be too far down the road, we have included the winners of the annual Lincolnshire Gardens Trust Photographic Competition. There are glorious shots taken in Lincolnshire gardens open to the public as well as intimate portraits of insects and wildlife. Nature and gardens are wonderfully resilient and therapeutic and I would certainly not have been able to keep a calm head in 2020 without time spent in my own garden.

Finally, I must welcome our new subscribers. There have been many of you this year. Thank you for your support and be assured we will be working hard in our 60th anniversary year to bring you the very best of our great county.

Wishing you a very happy and healthy 2021 from all of the team at Lincolnshire Life.