Thursday 27 February 2014

PINK PIG FARM LAUNCHES PLAYBARN WITH VIP GUESTS

Peppa and George were the star attraction at the opening of the new indoor playbarn at The Pink Pig Farm near Scunthorpe last weekend.

Queues started forming at 10am and the two porkers were mobbed all day by adoring toddlers.

Peppa hardly had time to whizz down the slide, play in the kitchen, climb over the indoor play (she might have got stuck in the rollers!) or enjoy a delicious piece of cake in the 'Oink' cafe.

The play barn is the latest venture at The Pink Pig Farm which already comprises a prizewinning farm shop and restaurant.

The farm is a real farm rearing free range pigs, sheep and chickens for eggs and invites over 1000 school children a year to learn where real food comes from. "This was a natural step for us", said Sally Jackson, co-owner with her husband Andrew.

"With so many children already enjoying the farm park, we were crying out for some indoor play for when the weather is a little inclement. We were helped by a Regional Growth Fund grant from North Lincolnshire council who recognised that we would create some valuable new jobs in addition to enhancing the tourism offer in North Lincolnshire.The Playbarn will also be offering free toddler play sessions every weekday from 11am during school terms and special events during the holidays for older children.


"The Oink Cafe is proving a huge hit and the emphasis is firmly on good food, much of which, is straight from the farm.

"Our homegrown free range eggs are appearing in freshly made sandwiches every day and we are serving our own free range homemade sausages and dry cure bacon in soft buns", continued Sally

"All our cakes, tray bakes, soups and the children’s meal of the day are homemade in our farmhouse kitchen and of course, no meal would be complete without our hand cut chips!".

The Pink Piglet Play Barn and Oink Cafe are open seven days a week - Mon-Sat 9-6 and Sunday 10-5.

www.pinkpigfarm.co.uk

Tel: 01724 854082

Tuesday 25 February 2014

NEW! LINDUM COLONIA DAY


Visit Lincoln and Lincoln BIG are launching a new Lincoln Roman Trail.

To launch the trail and celebrate Lincoln's Roman history, an event is being planned for the city to celebrate all things Roman.

If your business would like to get involved we would love to hear from you.

Please contact Emma Tatlow, from Visit Lincoln, for more information.

QUESTION TIME: KARL MCCARTNEY AND UKTI


The Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce invites you to:

Breakfast With Lincoln’s MP Karl McCartney, supported by UKTI
Attend an informative breakfast and question time with Lincolns MP Karl McCartney, working in partnership with UKTI (UK Trade and Investment). 


All guests will enjoy a full English breakfast in the delightful setting which is the White Hart, Lincoln, with the first 30 member bookings being free to attend. 

To book visit the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce's website.

THE AFTERMATH OF AN ACCIDENT - WHAT TO DO?


FREE EVENT
8:30am - 11:00am, Tuesday 4 March 2014
The Nottinghamshire Golf and Country Club, Stragglethorpe
Nottingham NG12 3HB

Who should attend?
Aimed at anyone with responsibility for Health and Safety, this event will look at the immediate aftermath of a serious accident in the workplace.

With knowledgeable speakers from Roythornes Solicitors and PAB Translation Centre, you will gain an insight into the practical and cultural issues you must consider when faced with a workplace incident.

The speakers have extensive experience of accident investigations from the initial incident to interviews and Health and Safety investigations and prosecutions. This is your chance to learn from their experience and make sure you are as prepared as you can be, should the worst happen.

Phil Cookson, Roythornes Solicitors
  • You receive the call - what happens next?
  • What immediate actions should you take when you receive a call about an accident?
  • Who should you call first and why?
  • What procedures do you need in place to protect the scene and to help investigations? 
  • When were they last updated?
  • When the investigators arrive, who can they speak to and what can they ask?


Andzej Ivanovski, PAB Translation Centre

  •     Cultural issues in workplace accidents
  •     How employing a multinational workforce impacts on your procedures
  •     A look at the real cultural issues in workplace accident investigations
  •     An insight into how different nationalities react to questioning by authorities

Nobody knows when an accident will happen, but you can be sure that if you do not prepare for when it does, its impact on you and your business could be magnified many times.

Book your place now

Register by e-mail: carolynlake@roythornes.co.uk
RSVP by Tuesday 25 February.

Monday 24 February 2014

BOOST YOUR SALES - HARROGATE SPECIALITY FOOD FAIR


Would you like to sell to more customers, set up new networks and attend one of the leading trade shows in Yorkshire? Yes, then we have the perfect exhibition for you.

Special treatment for Select Members
At this year’s Harrogate Speciality Food Show we have secured a Select Lincolnshire members only area!

The Guild of Fine Food is offering preferential rates to any business who have not exhibited at the Harrogate show before, and you will find the rates attached along with a floor plan highlighting the Select Lincolnshire area.

It would be great to showcase all that Lincolnshire has to offer the buyers with a united and supportive front! (This area can be extended depending on interest).


Why Harrogate?
The Harrogate show gathers more momentum and praise from exhibitors and visitors each year. It is held in the region's most accessible and well known venue – the Yorkshire Event Centre on Sunday 22 and Monday 23 June 2014.

There are many opportunities open to exhibitors:
  • You can apply to have your product included in the gift 'bag of inspiration' that is offered to each visitor. 
  • You can apply to be part of 'Feed The Dragon', where a product will be put in front of a panel of high-end retailers who will feed back on packaging, price, taste etc and will very often look to stock a product they love!
  • Producers can apply to take part in Theater tasting sessions as part of GREAT TASTE LIVE!
These take place over the two days or you can get involved with something as simple as 'Show Offers', which includes offering the visitors incentives to place orders at the show, with incentives sent to the registered visitors by the Guild prior to the event.

And finally
There is so much on offer to exhibitors. Last year's event attracted more than 1,000 buyers from deli, farm shop, food halls, garden centres, butchers, tourist outlets and food service operations.
To book
If you want to be part of the Select Lincolnshire Members only area, please call Ruth on 01747 825200 and dial ext 612 to reserve your stand!

Website about the event can be found here. 

ONE VOICE - FUNDING AND LOBBYING SUPPORT

At Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce we manage Select Lincolnshire for Food and work on your behalf to represent Lincolnshire food and farming businesses throughout the county, at many partner levels.

One of our partners is the Lincolnshire Forum for Agriculture and Horticulture.

Improving Communication 
The Agriculture and Horticulture forum would like to improve its communications with Lincolnshire food and farming businesses, and have asked for our help.

Through the Lincolnshire Chamber, you're well connected 
Your Lincolnshire Chamber has direct links to the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (GLLEP) and lobbying links to Central Government, as does the Agri Forum.Ursula Lidbetter Chair of GLLEP is also Chair of Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Updates on funding can be found here. Or if you want to sign up to food consumer and business updates, you can do through the Select Lincolnshire for Food newsletter [ sign up here]. Questions about Select Lincolnshire for Food can be sent to Gillian Richardson Business Development Manager.

For additional information and networking please see the message below from Mark Tinsley.

Mark Tinsely, Chair of Lincolnshire Forum for Agriculture and Horticulture
Mark Tinsely

Our Forum is made up of representatives from the farming and food sectors, as well as local authorities and public bodies. The Forum is part of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affair's Rural and Farming Network. This means that we act as a direct line between Lincolnshire's rural businesses and central government which allows us to lobby Ministers on the issues which matter most for Lincolnshire's rural economy. We also have excellent links with the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (GLLEP) as I am a member of the LEP board.

The Forum is in the process of improving its communications with the businesses we are here to represent. In particular we need to be able to contact our agri-food businesses directly. We want to be able to tell about the events we are holding, the funding that is available for businesses which we have the networks to put you in contact with, projects we are involved in that can help your businesses and to canvass your opinions when we lobby the GLLEP or central government.

It is to this end that I would like to request your consent for us to add you to our emailing list. If you are happy for us to email you with information on some of the issues I outlined above, please email AgriForum@lincolnshire.gov.uk with 'YES' in the subject title of your email. I'd also encourage you to follow our Twitter account, which is @LincsAgriforum


Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Tinsely

Chair of Lincolnshire Forum for Agriculture and Horticulture

PLAN FOR OPEN FARM SUNDAY - SUNDAY 8 JUNE


Open Farm Sunday - 17th June 2012

Are you holding and event for Open Farm Sunday this year?

If you tell Gillian Richardson what you've got planned, we can help tell your customers, and potential new customers, through the Select Lincolnshire for Food marketing.

Those members who are taking part will be opening their doors and welcoming everyone to see first hand how they work and have a fun Sunday in the fresh air. With wonderful opportunities to touch and taste, breathe and feel.

In fact, Minting Park Farm and Uncle Henry's are already planning their activities.

ASK GILLIAN

If you have a question about your Select Lincolnshire for Food membership, or want to update us on your activity, Gillian Richardson Business Development manager, is here to help you.


Email: Gillian.Richardson@Lincs-Chamber.co.uk

Phone: 07702 939648.

CLAYTHORPE WATERMILL OPENS

On a sunny day, there is plenty of seating around the grounds to eat and drink among the birds, or take a quiet cup of tea by the mill pond. Visitors are welcome to bring a picnic to eat outside – but don’t be too cross if one of the geese tries to take a swipe at your sandwich!


Save the date - and treat yourself to freshly-made sandwiches, delicious lunch specials, homemade quiches and a perfect ploughmans at Claythorpe Watermill.

Claythorpe Watermill and Wildfowl Gardens is one of the loveliest visitor attractions in Lincolnshire.

A few miles outside Alford, it's an easy drive from Skegness, Mablethorpe, Louth and Cleethorpes.

The former watermill is home to native and exotic wildfowl, pheasants, peacocks and owls, a breeding family of otters, not to mention marmosets, wallabies and chipmunks. There's plenty of room for children to play – and no rush if the grown-ups want to unwind.

The lovely café serves a selection of freshly-made sandwiches, delicious lunch specials, homemade quiches and a perfect ploughmans.

It offers a choice of tantalising cakes,  or try the cream tea with clotted cream and jam. The cafe serves freshly ground coffee, a selection of teas or locally produced soft drinks. And the menu incorporates as many locally sourced ingredients as possible, from the bread in your sandwich, to the pork pie in our ploughmans lunch.

The Wheel House sits above the mill race, and you can look down to the turbine in the water below.

Overlooking the mill pond, it’s a gorgeous space where the water rushes by – right beneath your feet. And inside the main mill building, the dominant feature of the Mill Room is the huge former mill workings, where you can see the giant wheels and millstones that turned for centuries when Claythorpe – formerly Empire Mills – was a working watermill.

Both the café and picnic area are within the grounds of the visitor attraction and so are only open to those paying the admission price or taking advantage of their annual pass (pay admission once and come back for a whole year with no further charge).

stork_large
For opening times and admission prices see www.claythorpewatermill.com or call 01507 451366.

‘IT’S A BIG TEAM EFFORT’ FOR COUNTY AWARD WINNER

Meet the team, Redhill Farm Free Range Pork
Redhill Farm Free Range Pork scooped ‘Producer of the Year’ for the second time in the county food awards – run by Select Lincolnshire for Food.

Held alongside the Lincolnshire Life Awards Terry and Jane Tomlinson, from Redhill Farm attended the event to collect their winners certificate.

Talking about what the award means, Terry said: “Everyone at the farm is really proud and pleased to have won 'Lincolnshire Producer of the Year' - it's a big team effort!

“Lincolnshire is full of hardworking producers of excellent products, most of whom I have stood next to at Farmers' Markets for over 10 years.

“I hope this award helps to highlight the quality and diversity of Lincolnshire produce available for everyone in the market towns around our County".


Terry Tomlinson at a Farmers' Market

www.redhillfarm.com


Friday 21 February 2014

FAIRTRADE FUN FOR CO-OP SHOPPERS

Staff at Lincolnshire Co-op will be going bananas for Fairtrade Fortnight (24th February – 9th March) with in-store activities and deals for shoppers.

On Saturday 1st March between 10am and 2pm all Lincolnshire Co-op Food Stores will host a 'keep Faitrade rolling' dice game. Customers will be able to play for free by rolling dice in a bid to win Fairtrade goodies.

Each store will also be giving shoppers a taste of ethical goods with samples of products like brownies and chocolate.

Children can take part in a treasure hunt around the store and staff will be giving out balloons and stickers.

As well as activities there will be special offers and promotions on all Fairtrade products from 24th February to 11th March and dividend card holders can enjoy a member exclusive of 10x dividend on all Fairtrade goods.

During Fairtrade Fortnight Lincolnshire Co-op is holding three wine tasting events. People can come along to sample a selection of wines and learn how buying Fairtrade ensures producers in developing countries get a fair deal. (See notes to editors for event and ticket details).

In Boston and Newark the group will be joined by wine expert Peter Adams from the Lincoln Wine Society.

In Lincoln, Luisa Bordon, a headteacher from Argentina will be attending. Her school was built with the Fairtrade premium so people will be able to hear first-hand the difference Fairtrade makes. The Fairtrade Premium is an additional sum of money, paid on top of the Fairtrade minimum price, that farmers and workers invest in developmental projects to improve their businesses and communities.

Lincolnshire Co-op’s Member Engagement Manager Richard Whittaker said: “At Lincolnshire Co-op we’re big supporters of Fairtrade and Fairtrade Fortnight is a great chance to tell our customers about the benefits of ethical shopping. It’s also a good excuse to have some fun!

“With some enjoyable activities and offers on Fairtrade products, as well as 10x dividend for our members, it’s the perfect time for people to try buying Fairtrade.”

This year the Fairtrade Foundation is campaigning to make bananas fair by encouraging supermarkets to pay a fair price for them – all of the bananas sold in Lincolnshire Co-op food stores are Fairtrade. This means that every banana farmer and worker earns enough to have a decent standard of living, works in conditions that are safe and has rights and benefits.

www.lincolnshire.coop