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Issue 3

May/June 2010

Sally Porter and Eco-Dev hit the runway with the RAF's finest 10

Take to the skies

The magazine for NKDC staff

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atnkis your magazineAtNK is produced by the NKDC Communications Team for all Council officers and is available in electronic or print format. The cost of producing the magazine is offset by advertising from local businesses.

If you or your team would like to appear in the next edition please contact: Communications@ n-kesteven.gov.uk 2467 Communications Team North Kesteven District Council District Council Offices Kesteven Street Sleaford Lincolnshire NG34 7EF

Printed by:

The views and advertisements within this magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of their employing authority or their organisation.

Printed on 100% Recycled Paper

insideCatch up with the SustainNK team 4

Deb Chessum is running for life 5

Gardening tips from Sarah Golembiewski 8

Eco-Dev's Sally Porter is taking to the skies 10

Archeology and building control — things that go bump in the trench 12

What's on guide 13

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In early March a single weekend saw the trium-phant production of the annual council tax bills — all 46,981 of them.

Congratulations to all those involved in getting the bills out: including IT, Mike Carr, Andrew Ever-ard and June Pitt —

as well as their teams.All those involved have

worked amazingly long and hard hours to get the bills done.

Team work gets Council Tax bills out on time

Congratulations to Alan Newton and Fred McGregor, who recently received their Long

Service Awards.Alan started at NKDC

in 1984 as Housing Repairs Assistant based

in Lincoln and went on to take on a variety of roles until he became Building Surveyor in 2008.

Fred McGregor started at NK as a joiner in 1984, carrying out repairs to Council properties.

Long Service Awards for staffOfficers commended by NKDC Chairman

Congrats! Congratulations to Customer Services' Charlotte Dexter, who has passed her driving test.

Chairman Cllr Fred Ambridge and Alan Newton

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13News

Empty Homes Team speaks out

On 27 April Luke Taylor and Sophie Coles spoke at the annual Capita Empty Homes conference in London about the Lincolnshire sub-regional empty homes project.

The project is a partnership between Boston, Lincoln, North Kesteven, South Holland and West Lindsey, and is concerned with bringing privately owned empty homes back into use.

The conference was chaired by David Ireland, Chief Executive of the Empty Homes Agency. It was attended by officers from councils all over the country as well as professionals from housing associations.

The request to speak, and the reception received at the conference, demonstrated NK’s ability as part of the sub regional group to be at innovative.

Housing conference

It’s awards season

at NK with glittering gongs set to be handed out left, right and centre

People of the MonthMarch: Luke Sims. He project managed the first straw-built Council houses at Waddington, a significant project with national interest, delivered to time and budget. He also appears to have secured a new name — Luke Straw-walker?!

Team of the MonthMarch: Revenues Team. Despite the recession and economic downturn, the team finished the financial year having collected 99.3% of Council Tax, and 99.8% of business rates. A brilliant performance.

Congratulations to everyone — yet more evidence of the

commitment to the cause of so many people at

NKDC.IAN FYTCHE

Chief Executive

'Smell of success'

Beware, the following information may change your life and shake you out of your apathetic slumber!

There are much more exciting things afoot than you may ever have foreseen

as the life-changing, must-have, can’t live-without revolutionary, far-out experience that is a new Performance Management System comes to an office near you...

New Performance Management System afoot

Performance in the spotlight

The Communications Team has been shortlisted as 'District Communications Team of the Year' in a national award.

The team have been named as finalists in the LGComms Awards — the national awards for local government communications — just one of five Councils nationwide.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Leeds on 27 May.

Comms Team shortlisted for major award

News

Up to 17 tonnes of carbon could be saved from the atmosphere as a result of NKDC making changes to its office lighting.

Daylight and movement sensors have been fitted to the lights in the older Lafford Terrace section of the Sleaford office complex.

The £14,275 installation could pay for itself in under

four years if it achieves a 60% reduction — cutting £3,800 off the current annual £6,334 lighting bill for this part of the offices and reducing carbon emissions by 16.733kg.

This innovation is the latest in a series of pioneering projects to reduce the Council’s carbon footprint and financial outlay.

Lighting the way to more savings

Stuart and Bonnie enjoy some tea with a friend

Green tea for Stuart

Green tea is now the order of the day for arboricultural technician Stuart Kidd after his eco-driving skills won him a super efficient kettle.

Stuart achieved the highest score on the driving simulator at SustainNK’s successful first Green Day.

And to make his victory all the sweeter Sustainability Co-ordination Officer Bonnie Fricker made him a cup of tea with the new appliance when she handed it over.

Stuart perfected his

technique for driving efficiently — which includes maximising engine braking, gear changes at optimum revs and a steady speed — with a second go on the Energy Saving Trust’s simulator.

This pipped joint second-placed Bonnie and Russ Shortland and was streets ahead of Communications Manager Pip Batty who managed to crash her car into a McDonalds’s Drive-Thru to score 4.1.

Successes at NK's first Green Day

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Health Trainer Deb Chessum has just completed the London Marathon — for a very special cause

News

Run for your life

“I developed an interest in jogging when I was younger due to the

fact that my dad was a regular runner and marathon runner.

I completed my first marathon in 2000, raising money for the CORAM family — a charity helping disadvantaged children in London. In 2003 I ran again, this time I ran for the cardiomyopathy association. A few weeks after this marathon, our daughter became very ill. We were advised to get her to the Pilgrim Hospital as soon as possible. We were told she had Meningitis. It was then established that she had Bacterial Meningitis.

After 10 days in hospital she was allowed home and had to return regularly to be tested.

During the time she was ill we had guidance

from the Meningitis Research Foundation and I decided I would like to raise money for this charity. I managed to get into the Marathon again in 2006 and 2007, both times running for the Meningitis Research Foundation. I was also due to run London 2008 but my husband Wayne was diagnosed

with a brain tumour and four weeks before the race he was rushed to Nottingham Queens Medical Hospital for surgery — lucky family I hear you say! Wayne made a brilliant recovery and so I was training again.

I took part in London in 2009. This year's marathon was by far my best yet. Over the years we have had support and help from family and friends to raise money. We have raised over £16,000.

The feeling of completing the London Marathon is one I find difficult to describe, emotional,

proud, excited, tired. People often ask me how I manage to

keep running marathons, but I only need to take

one look at my daughter and my husband to get the inspiration and

motivation to keep going and to realise what an incredibly lucky lady I am.

Feature

To mark the completion of the project ahead of their tenancy

and official opening, NKDC opened the doors to allow the public to tour the two three-bedroom properties.

Over the four days almost 200 visitors took a look, including many

villagers and neighbours in Brumby Crescent, scores from all parts of the county and a few who had travelled across the country to seek inspiration.

And all found that the Council had certainly not been clutching at straws by leading the way in the £285,000

Visitors from far and wide were blown away by NKDC's straw houses during Open Week

Open house week

footballnkBarry Howorth

kicks off the World Cup with a

competition

“There is a silent majority of people who curse the summer, for it brings

the end of the football season. However, this summer is different:

we have something to look forward to. The World Cup!

This is a joyous time. The skill, the dives, the goals, will Rooney stamp on

anyone this time? Never fear, for we have salvation, the World Cup 2010

Prediction Competition is here.

Accurately predict who will qualify out of the group stages and from there which teams will make it through each knock-

out phase through to the final.

The winner will be announced on 14 July with the winner receiving 50% of

the entry fees, second place will receive 30% and third place

will receive 20%.

To join in, email Barry Howorth for the form. Drop off your 50p entry fee

and the form before 10 June. Barry_Howorth@

n-kesteven.gov.uk

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The houses look like regular houses, despite

their straw structure

Sharon BarkCommunity Initiatives Co-ordinator

Desert Island Discs

project which was jointly funded by the Authority and the Homes & Community Agency and built to the highest environmental specifications.

Near neighbours John and Iris Solari have seen the houses being build from their home over the last six months. “They’re quite impressive; modern, roomy and very light and airy. They seem to be well thought-out and planned and the standard of finish is very high,” said Mr Solari.

“It’s unusual to have a balcony in a council house but very nice to make use of the southern aspect and I’m sure they’ll be lovely to live in with all that warmth coming

in through the windows and kept in by the insulation,” said Mrs Solari. “If we were younger we’d love to live here ourselves.”

The houses have an estimated 200 year lifespan and will have dramatically reduced costs for heating because of their high insulation ratings.

Mick Gadd, NKDC Property Services Manager, and his colleagues from the property and housing teams

described how, with the thick straw walls, foot-thick sheep’s wool insulation and solar gain from the large south facing windows should mean "they will cost hardly anything to run".

Music1. I'm Not Calling You A Liar – Florence and the Machine 2. Dreamer – Supertramp 3. Romeo and Juliet – Dire Straits 4. The Chain – Fleetwood Mac 5. Eagle – Abba 6. Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd 7. Orchard Road – Leo Sayer 8. La Boheme – Puccini

BookA Connoisseur’s Racing Anthology by Gee Armytage and Mike Seabrook

Luxury ItemMy husband Richard! If that's not allowed I'll take swimming goggles. With them I will be able to swim everyday while I wait to be rescued.

What would you have picked?To appear in the next edition: Communications@ n-kesteven.gov.uk

“The houses will cost hardly anything to runMick Gadd, Property Services Manager

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Neighbours John and Iris are big fans

The bug stops here

Gardening

Things really start hotting up in the garden from May onwards

but nature is unpredictable and the war against pests begins in earnest. To claim victory you need to know your enemy and formulate your battle plan.

Not all bugs are enemies — there are a number we could even consider as heroes and, left alone will willingly assist in your garden slaughter. If you create the right environment for the goodies they will return your garden to order with little complaining. Using chemicals in the garden should be a last resort as insecticides don’t discriminate between friend and foe.

The Good, the bad and the ugly> GoodLadybirds, earthworms, hedgehogs, bees, frogs and toads, hoverflies, centipedes, spiders, swallows and robins. Welcome these critters with open arms.

> BadRed ants, moles, earwigs, wasps and woodlice. These chaps don’t do any lasting harm but they don’t bring any benefits either.

> UglyAphids, caterpillars, vine weevils slugs and snails. Evil critters intent on destruction.

The Killing FieldsTip 1: Bag a bountyPlace a bag between plants prone to slug and snail attack and fill with things such as rotting lettuce, cat food and bran. Overnight the slugs and snails will slither into the bag for a midnight feast. In the morning simple pick up the bag and dispose of.

Tip 2: Moats and boatsTo keep vine weevils from snacking stand your favourite pot plants in tray of water. Swimming is not one of the weevil’s strong points and they will try elsewhere.

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Sowing now Beetroot Carrots Broccoli Runner beans French beans Courgettes Cauliflower Kale

Cucumber Melon Swede Planting now Tomatoes Peppers Aubergine Strawberries

NKDC gardening guru Sarah Golembiewski talks bugs,slugs

and other lovely garden invaders...

The bug stops here

soupnkSally Lammond shares the secrets of her Spicy Carrot & Parsnip SoupIngredients1 large onion — peeled and roughly chopped4 large carrots — peeled and roughly chopped4 medium parsnips — peeled and roughly chopped1 large, mild red chilli, finely chopped1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger peeled1 litre vegetable stockDrizzle of olive or vegetable oil1 tablespoon balsamic vinegarSalt and black pepper1 teaspoon white sugarFresh coriander, to serve (optional)

Method> Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion. > Add the sugar, chilli and balsamic vinegar and fry gently for about 5 mins.> Meanwhile peel and chop the carrots and parsnip and add to the saucepan along with the stock.> Grate the ginger into the saucepan, and add salt and ground black pepper to taste.> Cover with a lid and simmer gently for around 30 mins or until the vegetables are really soft.> Remove the pan from the heat ready for blending. You can add more hot stock at this stage if you want a thinner soup.

✁

Tip 3: Shaken or stirredEarwigs love eating flowers, buds and leaves. Strike during the day when they are fast asleep by shaking the flowers or plants to dislodge and napping nasties and if your quick they will hit the floor still snoring (I recommend stamping on them for prompt dispatch).

Tip 4: Draw a line around itAnts hate chalk. By drawing a simple chalk line around your plants you can create an impenetrable barrier between them and the plant. Kids will also be entertained for ages by watching the ants march up to the line, stop abruptly tripping over each other in confusion.

Tip 5: Give the moles a showerMoles are notoriously difficult to get rid of but persuading them to move house often works. Pour one part cleaning fluid/detergent to twenty parts water into a watering can and pour down the mole hole. Moles have a strong sense of smell and the detergent smell will hopefully drive them on to pastures new.

Tip 6: The deadly drugWe all know too much caffeine is bad for us but to slugs its lethal - I have no idea how it works but it does. Simply fill a shallow container with come coffee or cola and place near plants. Watch the slugs fill up on caffeine never to return…

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Feature

The sky's the limit for Economic Development's Sally Porter

"Chocks away!"

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“Lincolnshire is commonly referred to as 'Bomber County', due to its

vast aviation heritage.North Kesteven has many Royal

Air Force stations across the District – including three active bases in Waddington, Cranwell and Digby.

My role, as the job title suggests,

is to primarily work as part of the Economic Development Team focusing on tourism projects at both District and County level in conjunction with a number of external partners and I’m responsible for identifying and accessing the necessary external funding for appropriate projects. Such

projects are selected to increase the visitor number and spend within the District.

I also ensure that the relevant tourism promotional material is available for NK and also that specific marketing and media opportunities are maximised.

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Got a great team? To be featured in the next edition contact: Communications@ n-kesteven.gov.uk

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“I regularly represent NK at

appropriate Economic Development and Tourism Forums at both a local and national level and it is true to say that the role offers plenty of variety and new challenges. One of the major projects that I have been involved with has been the county aviation project.

NKDC is proud to be a part of the Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire partnership – a joint-working project, focusing on the aviation heritage of Lincolnshire through a community-based partnership approach, as well as providing wider economic benefits linking to skills, training and business. Membership encompasses public, private and voluntary organisations, together with the Royal Air Force, and is the only such group in the UK.

Last year we were fortunate enough to be awarded Heritage Lottery Funding of some £436,000 in support

of a county-wide aviation project to deliver a comprehensive programme.

Recently my team and I put together a two-day ‘Behind the Scenes Aviation Past & Present Tour’. This event was a great opportunity for us to show visitors what the district has to offer.

The tour included visits to RAF Waddington and Cranwell. Our first stop was Waddington – home to the air force’s Airborne Early Warning team of aircraft: the Sentry E-3D, Nimrod R1, Sentinel R1 and Reaper MQ9.

We were fortunate enough to walk through an AWACS (affectionately named ‘Dopey’) — a huge aircraft with a vast radar capability (which looks like a giant Smartie on top) — and marvel at what goes on inside.

The aircraft is like a big office in the sky, so there was some banter about whether we could become the first

Council to relocate onto an aircraft and fly around the District. A quick straw poll with fellow NK staff revealed they’d be somewhat reluctant as the aircraft had no windows!

Next stop was RAF Cranwell, the pilot training college. We toured around the grand halls full of historical portraits — demonstrating how we should respect our past while planning for the future.

The tour was a huge success. One guest, who had travelled from Surrey, told me NKDC really ‘go for it’ when it comes to our aviation heritage. I think that really sums us up as an authority in general.

We are proud to work with our local RAF bases, aviation attractions and local businesses to attract visitors to the area and show them what NK has available — past, present and future.

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Working in Building

Control you can't help being interested

in archaeology and geology. It is not often on our crowded planet

that you are working on virgin ground; in fact someone has usually been there before you. This may be dinosaurs or Romans and both are subject in time to the principle of superposition, the law of which decrees that in a series of stratified sedimentary rocks or archaeological artefacts, the lowest stratum is the oldest.

This of course, assumes that there has been no folding or disturbance. Pliny the Elder was one of the earliest-known geologists but he is now part of archaeology. Because of the lack of written sources, 99% of our archaeology relies fully on archaeological evidence.

As children at school, all of us became aware of archaeology when

we were asked "What’s a Roman Urn?" (Ten denarii a week!) and "How do you make a Maltese Cross?" (Poke him in the eye!)

Archaeology is usually considered to be the study of human cultures and endeavours through the recovery, documentation, analysis and interpretation of material culture and environmental data, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts and landscapes.

Biofacts were often the cause of a local disturbance in the populous such

as in the case where the Roman fort would have a continuously flushing toilet facilitated by diverting a stream or beck through the toilet block and then out again together with the waste products back in the stream. This led to the indigenous Britons downstream having their mead taste unpleasant with the alcohol content insufficient to sterilise the brew with consequent epidemics of cholera and diphtheria. No wonder Boadicea took the hump!

There is nothing that comes anywhere close to attracting well-

Which came first — archeology or Building Control? Roving reporter Hugh Johnson investigates

Things that go bump in the trench

Feature

Is there anyone down there?

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Theatre Exhibitions open every day 10-5pm8 May - 4 July 2010

Free entryNavigation Wharf

Carre StreetSleaford

NG34 7TW

wishers and morbid onlookers, especially children, to a building site, than the discovery of a skellington. I make no bones about it, if you are inspecting a foundation excavation and one of our ancestors' remains suddenly rolls out of the trench in front of you it can make you jump. Usually the next reaction is to laugh.

If you find any human remains it is your duty to inform the police who inform the coroner. There is often local knowledge evidence of the true antiquity of the site and once established that the remains are old,

usually a university professor type with long beard, raggy jeans and voluminous woollen cardigan with a large hole in it turns up and takes the bones away.

One thing that archaeology teaches us is what good builders and engineers the Romans were. They certainly knew their geology and where and

not where to build. Also I believe that the standard of stonemasonry that survives leads me to believe that the builders were artisans rather than slave labour.

A tip on pre-detecting foundation problems, is that parish boundaries, which do not appear to follow any contour or natural feature, often follow the course of a long-forgotten Roman road, and Roman roads were always constructed with a substantial drainage ditch both sides. Building on this made up ground will result in subsistence or settlement, so be careful out there!

“If one of our ancestors' remains suddenly rolls out of the trench in front of you if can make you jump!

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MICK FOX PHOTOGRAPHER FOR ALL OCCASIONSFOXTOGRAPHY> Press> PR & business> social> weddings & family pictures

Tel: 01522 752394Mob: 07889 799768

Events

Lincolnshire Show 2010Lincolnshire Showground, Grange-de-Lings, Lincoln LN2 2NA24 - 25 JulyThe County event of the year once again boasts a jam-packed schedule of entertainment and activities to see, discover and join in with. The Select Lincolnshire and Tastes of Lincolnshire Food Court is a must see for any visitor. lincolnshireshowground.co.uk 01522 522900

Heckington Show 2010Heckington Showground, Eastgate, Heckington, Lincs24 - 25 JulyThe Heckington Show has its origins in the

village's 900-year-old feast week linked to the Feast of St Mary. The county show can be traced back to 1864 heckingtonshow.org.uk 01529 461823

Waddington Airshow RAF Waddington, Lincoln LN5 9NB3 - 4 July This year's flying display is already promising to be exceptional, with aircraft and display teams that have never been to Waddington before. Ground displays will include over 100 aircraft. waddingtonairshow.co.uk £ Advance booking prices: Family £42 Adult £18 5-15 yrs £8 Under 5s Free

Light up your Life Whisby Natural World CentreMoor Lane, Thorpe-on-the-Hill, Lincolnshire LN6 9BWA stunning display of photographic neon images by ArtsNK's Jane Harrison from a neon workshop run for local artists. The exhibition also includes the original neon pieces and a video of the artists working in the workshop. naturalworldcentre.com

AtNK takes a look at some fun spring events taking place around Lincolnshire

Culture vulture

Outdoors

Art

Light up your life at Whisby

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Starters (* existing staff)Business ManagementDebra Dawson* Support SupervisorDavid Main* Systems & Support ManagerVal Pickett* Business Support AssistantHelen Snowden* Business Support Assistant/Complaints & FOI AssistantPatricia Stout* Systems SupervisorRachel Wilson* Systems Officer, Exchequer

CommunitiesLes Ellington* Housing Officer

Corporate StrategyEsther Watt* (left) Policy & Performance Manager

Planning, Economic & Cultural ServicesChris Bertenshaw Heritage Tourism AssistantAnne Flannery Heritage Tourism AssistantClaire Lilly Assistant Partnerships Officer

Luisa McIntosh* (left) Community Partnerships ManagerAngela Riley* Heritage Tourism Assistant

Customer ServicesTeresa Brumpton LAPS Advisor Julie Wolfe* Customer Services AdvisorLorrain Vince* Info-Links Assistant

Shared ServicesJoanne Blackledge* Programme Office Co-ordinator

Leavers Business ManagementEllie Sykes Business Management

CommunitiesClaire Lilly Housing Needs Officer Patricia Whitelaw Cleaner

Corporate StrategyChloe Butterick (left)Press & Publications Assistant

Customer ServicesKaren Elsey Customer Services Advisor

Planning, Economic & Cultural ServicesAngela Palmer Tourist Information Centre Assistant

What does your new role entail? All staffing issues such as recruitment, employee relations and employee development.

What attracted you to the role? It was a change from the private sector. I was previously HR Manager at Moy Park, Anwick – chickens, but I dealt with the staff (although chickens may have been easier!)

What are you enjoying about NKDC? The people are very welcoming and I feel part of the family already.

Tell us a few interesting facts about yourself...I love travelling — I went to school in Australia for 5 weeks in the Bi-centenary year on a school exchange. I also have 2 lovely children, 14 and 5 years old.

Q&A Christine RichardsonHR Manager

Find out who has joined NKDC and who is departing for pastures new...

People

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WADDINGTON

INTERNATIONAL AIR SHOW

3 & 4 JULY 2010

THE RAF’s AVIATION SPECTACULAR!

www.waddingtonairshow.co.uk

ALL PROCEEDS TO RAF CHARITIES AND LOCAL WORTHY CAUSES, DETAILS CAN BE OBTAINED BY WRITING TO: S02 CHARITIES, ROYAL AIR FORCE WADDINGTON, LINCOLN LN5 9NB.l

... and local worthy causes.

3 miles south

of Lincoln

Supporting: