THE owner of a Louth printing firm says it will cost millions of pounds to get his factory up and running again after it was gutted by fire yesterday.

Today, Neville Barker, who owns Mono-Poly Printers Ltd, on Bolingbroke Road, is counting the cost of the blaze, which broke out at 9.20am, as reported on www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk

His successful business, which opened on Fairfield Industrial Estate in 2006 after moving from Alford, Lincolnshire, employs 15 people – some of which are family members.

Martin Gray, a spokesman for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue confirmed that ten crews attended the scene to bring the flames under control, after three reinforcements from Humberside Fire and Rescue were called in to help.

Even after the flames were extinguished at about 11.45am, fire service personnel were expecting to remain on the scene for up to 12 hours to continue damping down the building.

Mr Gray said it was believed the blaze had started as a result of ink vapours being ignited by an electric motor in the printing unit, causing 100 per cent damage to the building.

Mr Barker said the incident had left him devastated, but added he was glad no one was hurt as a result of the blaze. He said: "I have no idea how long it will be until my business is back up and running.

"My biggest worry is we will lose customers as we are unable to do any work."

According to Mr Barker, two of the printing machines damaged in the fire alone will cost about a million pounds each to replace.

He said: "I have to now sit down with our insurance company and go through everything. We are talking millions of pounds to fix all this."

The blow came after the firm's staff had just celebrated their best month for sales in the business' history.

He said: "For all this to follow after such a good start to the year is very upsetting.

"There will be no work for any of my employees for a while, as this is the only factory we have – my son and son-in-law also work here, so for our family it will now be a struggle for income.

"We don't usually work on a weekend, but we are that busy at the moment I brought in two staff members to do a Sunday shift.

"Luckily, they got out and managed to call the fire brigade."

Andrew Winn, of Alford, was one of the two workers in the factory when the fire started.

He said: "Myself and another colleague tried to extinguish the fire on one of the printing machines, but it was too much.

"We just got out quick and called for help."

JOE Colbeck took his opportunity to stake his claim in the Grimsby Town side on Saturday and now the winger wants to keep his shirt for tomorrow night's clash at Nuneaton.

If Jamie Devitt's illness opened the door for his return to the team, then Colbeck's performance in the Mariners' 1-0 win over AFC Telford flung it wide open.

His superb assist for Richard Brodie's winner was one of many personal highlights for the Yorkshireman who enjoyed what he acknowledged as one of his best games at Blundell Park this season.

The 26-year-old said: "I knew that I needed to go out there and play for my shirt and I think I did well enough to do that – hopefully I'll keep my place.

"I was pleased with how it went; it was definitely up there in terms of my performances so far for Grimsby.

"I said to myself before the game that I needed to work hard and get up and down the pitch. I knew that if I worked hard enough, things would start happening for me."

On his fellow wide-man's illness, he added: "It's a team game but you always want to play yourself – that's the selfish side of football.

"On Saturday, I was lucky, if I can say that, that Jamie was ill and I got the nod.

"You wouldn't wish it on anyone but if your chance comes, you've got to take it."

Colbeck said the apparent ease with which players are rotated within the Town squad – and still perform well – is a sign of how well the table-topping Mariners are playing.

"It's difficult when you haven't started in a few weeks, especially mentally," he said. "You have to try and keep yourself prepared so that you're ready if and when you get the nod.

"I think the fact that I haven't played in a while but still came in and did ok is a sign of how well the team is doing. Sam Hatton and Woody (Bradley Wood) have had to change around at the back a couple of times and have both done well. The front lads have changed and all the strikers are scoring goals so it's a good sign for us.

"I'm sure it's a bit of a headache for the gaffers because everyone is doing well when they get their chance.

"With all the pitches the way they are at the minute, and the number of games we've got coming up, the managers are going to have to mix things around but we've got good enough players to come in and do well – there isn't really a regular, fixed eleven and that's a good thing, there can always be chopping and changing

The UK Youth Parliament  elections in North East Lincolnshire will take place in schools and academies across the area between February 25 and March 8.

The UK Youth Parliament is an organisation that enables young people to use their energy and passion to change the world for the better.
 
It is run by young people, for young people, with more than 600 elected members and deputy members, who work together to bring about positive change nationally as well as in their local communities. Once elected, Youth Parliament members and their deputies organise events and projects, run campaigns, and influence policy-makers on issues that matter most to young people. They attend regular regional groups and meet together once a year at the UKYP annual sitting.

The local elections will give young people a similar experience to voting in the local elections. Each young person will receive a polling card and we be able to vote in polling stations at schools and academies and the Grimsby Town Hall .

Cllr Ian Lindley, portfolio holder for people and communities said: " These youth parliament elections will give young people the opportunity to engage with local democracy from an early age and to select the team they want to represent their views locally, regionally and nationally. The last elections were held in May 2011 when our current serving member Jordan Hagerup was nominated. The teams up for election this year are currently campaigning for votes across the area and we wish them all well. Results of the vote will be announced 15th March and Jordan will be handing over the reigns in April".

Introducing your dream teams for the UK Youth Parliament elections: Maria Rosa Worrall and James Wells
"We want to keep the sporting facilities and improve them as well as creating more opportunities for young people We promise to listen to your ideas and the things you would like if we are elected. We want to be your ears, your eyes and your voice because we can make a change!"
Macaulay Wright and Jawaid Hassani
"We are planning to improve facilities across the area because we both feel youths of today don't have many opportunities. We are striving to change all of this by building a good reputation for youths; not just in Lincolnshire but all over the UK. "
Eve Vickers and Hannah Moreland
"If you vote for us we will add more youth clubs, protect animals from violence, fill in all pot holes, build a children and teenagers bar, more bike parks, scooter parks, light down alleyways, put on events to raise money for charity, more animal shelters and lots more."
Vicky Wood and Ellie-Mae Horton
"We believe that we can change people's perspectives about young people, and make decisions to make this a better community. Our commitment to the youth parliament team would be extraordinary because we are full of enthusiasm and ideas."
William Barnes and Melissa Foyle
"Bringing opportunities to people is what we strive to do and if successful we will ensure this happens. We will listen to the voices of every youth, listening to the minority as well as the majority. We will put our efforts towards improving the living for youths in our area and we think we can do it."
Shaun Balderson and Samuel Irving
"As members of the youth parliament team we know that we will provide interesting ideas that represent the views of the young people of North East Lincolnshire. We both feel it is crucial that the young people of our area are given a strong voice, through which we all can feel included in society's decisions."

Polling Timetable
Week One
Monday,  February 25, Grimsby Town Hall 5.30-7.30pm
Tuesday,  February 26, Oasis Academy Immingham 12.30-2.30pm
Wednesday, February 27, Oasis Academy Wintringham 2-3.45pm
Thursday, February 28, Cambridge Park Academy 12.30-3.30pm
Friday, March 1, Toll Bar Academy 11.30-2.15pm
Week Two
Monday, March 4, Humberston Academy 12.30-2.30pm
Tuesday, March 5, Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Ed. 12.30-2.30pm; Grimsby Town Hall 5.30-7.30pm
Wednesday, March 6, Franklin College 12.30-2.30pm
Friday, March 8,  Havelock Academy 12-2.30pm

STUNNING Daniella Fowler can barely bring herself to smile, after being left with these horrific injuries by a man who turned on her and a friend on a night out in Cleethorpes.

As revealed in the Grimsby Telegraph, James Pickard, pictured, – who had at first acted as a "peacemaker" between the women then became embroiled in the altercation.

He boasted he was "the hardest man in Grimsby" before punching Daniella in the face so hard that he knocked her unconscious.

The devastating attack left the 20-year-old with a broken jaw, smashed front teeth and her lip hanging off – days before discovering she had reached the final of a modelling competition.

Pickard, 23, of Cleethorpes – who had 42 previous convictions – was jailed for two years and 11 months, after admitting inflicting grievous bodily harm on Daniella and assaulting her friend Danielle Barker, at Grimsby Crown Court.

However, while he will serve just 17 months behind bars, the budding model has told the Grimsby Telegraph she can barely bring herself to smile.

She said: "That man ruined my life – I hardly ever smile now because I don't want people to see my teeth.

"It's totally affected my confidence.

"After the attack I stayed in my room for two months.

"I didn't want to bump into anyone I knew.

"I didn't want people to question me about my looks or comment on them.

"People would come over with flowers and presents, but I just couldn't face going outside.

"Before it happened, people were always coming up to me and saying I had a perfect smile and straight teeth.

"I don't think I really appreciated that before, but now I would do anything to get them back."

Daniella, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, was heading home after a night out with pals in Cleethorpes last August when she was brutally attacked.

Pickard, 23, who has a tattoo "Made in Grimsby" on his belly, followed terrified 5ft 4in Daniella out of a nightclub after a row.

He bragged about being "the hardest man in Grimsby" and said he "owned the streets".

Pickard – whose previous convictions include robbery, wounding, assault and affray – first hurled a shoe at Daniella's friend Danielle.

He then grabbed her by the waist and punched her in the face – "with his full weight behind it" – knocking her out cold.

She said: "The next thing I remember is waking up. I was on the ground and all I could hear was screaming.

"I looked down at my knees and they were covered in blood, there was blood everywhere.

"My hair was caked in blood too and I was running my fingers through it and it was just coming out in clumps.

"I was thinking 'where are my teeth? I must be dreaming'. I thought I was going to wake up from this horrible nightmare.

"I was in so much shock that I couldn't feel any pain.

"I think it was shock and adrenaline, I just couldn't feel anything and didn't know what had happened to me.

"I didn't have a clue what I looked like but everyone was saying 'hold your lip, hold your hand over your lip'.

"When I got into the police car, I looked in the mirror and moved my hand away from my face and my lip was just hanging there.

"And then I realised I had to keep my hand there to hold my lip together."

"I'd lost two teeth and they were on the floor."

Pickard and his companions fled as the police arrived while Daniella was rushed to hospital and kept in for several days as medics attempted to sew her mouth together again.

But in a further crushing blow she discovered she had reached the final of a regional modelling competition with a £2,000 top prize and the chance of a full-time contract.

She added: "My face was all swollen and my lip was sewn up.

"I had no teeth either, and I just knew that now I had no chance."

Daniella pulled out of the competition and now fears her chances of modelling have gone forever.

Sentencing him, Recorder Jonathan Bennett told Pickard: "They were serious offences. It's the sort of incident that rightly concerns the public.

"You gave her an almighty punch that knocked her to the ground, causing those devastating injuries."

He said Daniella's hopes of pursuing a career in modelling were "highly unlikely to happen" because of the "significant injuries" she suffered to her lip.

A RECRUITMENT drive is underway along the Lincolnshire coast to help match people looking for jobs with potential employers.

With more than 3,000 people in the East Lindsey area alone registered as unemployed, the district council and JobCentre Plus have teamed up to organise two recruitment fairs – offering 150 jobs in a range of fields.

A fair held in Mablethorpe last year was attended by about 600 people from across the region, and 30 per cent of those who attended successfully gained employment.

Mablethorpe and Skegness are both traditional towns, along with many other coastal resorts around the country, that have an over reliance on seasonal employment, which is more readily available during the peak tourist season.

The quiet season is between November and March, when some businesses often scale back their operations due to fewer visitors to the area.

As well as job opportunities at this year's fairs, there will be recruitment and training advice available, plus apprenticeship opportunities.

South Lincolnshire Voluntary Community Service will be attending to offer volunteering placements to help people develop new skills.

The European recruitment team will also be attending the Skegness Jobsfair, with jobs available on the day for people looking to work overseas.

The district council and JobCentre Plus hope the fairs will result in local people being introduced to employers who can offer more sustainable longer term jobs as well as helping employers to fill the vital seasonal jobs that become available each year.

The fairs will take place at:

Mablethorpe on Friday, February 22, at Mablethorpe Community Hall from 10.30pm to 2.30pm.

Skegness on Thursday, March 7, at Embassy Theatre from 10.30pm to 2.30pm.

June Howard, an employer adviser for JobCentre Plus in Mablethorpe, said: "These exciting events are open for all jobseekers, giving everyone the opportunity to speak to employers directly about the different types of jobs on offer.

"The fairs will be a great opportunity to bring together, employers and training providers at one venue, helping jobseekers to see what options there are available to them."

The portfolio holder for economic regeneration Councillor Craig Leyland, said: "I am pleased we've been able to work with JobCentre Plus on these incredibly important events.

"I hope people who need support in finding a new job will make a note of the date now and go along to see what opportunities there may be for them."

As the Grimsby Telegraph prepares to launch an exhibition about the 1953 floods, Richard York talks to one man's memories, and looks at other news items from the time ...

CHILDREN raided the penny slots littered on the beach in the aftermath of the storm.

Jim Horwell, 71, of Aldrich Road, Cleethorpes, lived on Poplar Road in 1953, a few doors away from the train tracks, and remembers walking out of his back door to find the garden full of water.

"That Saturday, the weather had been building up," he said. "The wind had been horrendous and tide was very high.

"The first I knew of the flood was at about 6.30pm as I was going outside to go to the toilet. Most people still had outhouses in those days, and as I opened the door I could see the back garden had about six inches of water in it.

"I told my dad. We couldn't understand it as it hadn't been raining. We looked out the front and there was a torrent down the street.

"Water was coming through a small 10ft alley in between Orkeys cafe, what is now the Punch Bowl, and the amusement arcades.

"That was the only gap in the buildings on the prom, so it all flowed through there.

"Further along the road soon began to flood too, as the drains couldn't cope."

As Jim and his dad stood in the lane inspecting what was happening, a car pulled alongside them.

"In the car was Herbert Wilkinson," recalled Jim.

"He was a big businessman who owned the Arcadia and many buildings on the beach. I remember him asking my dad if he could get him across the railway lines to the seafront.

"My dad told him he wouldn't be able to see the ash pits.

"They were all steam engines back then and by the tracks they had the deep ash pits for the engineers to clean out the ash from the engine; the pits were about 6ft deep and were filled with water. You could easily fall down one.

"I remember one woman who asked why we couldn't get the fire brigade out to pump the water away.

"Someone said to her 'Where are they going to pump it to?'

"You couldn't do anything until the tide dropped back. We just had to wait."

Jim recalled how, on the following Sunday, the beach became a children's playground as they scavenged among the debris.

"All the penny slots had been thrown out of the amusements by the sea so all the children were clearing out all the money," he said.

And he believes flooding on that scale could happen again.

"There is nothing that can be done to stop it, it will eventually happen again and when it does it will destroy everything like it did before," he added.

"You can't stop the sea."

Education versus experience: the age-old debate between academics and the working man. Oasis Academy Principal Kevin Rowlands believes both are important – and he has a CV to prove it. Mr Rowlands talked to education reporter James Dunn about flunking college, "Madchester", football and his multitude of careers before eventually going to university.

AT 39, Kevin Rowlands is fairly young for the principal of a secondary school – especially considering he didn't even start his career in education until he was 30.

However, since he took the post in 2011, the school has seen the number of students getting five CGCEs at grades A*-C, including English and maths, go from 36 per cent in 2010 to 56 per cent in 2012.

So how does a man with so little teaching experience oversee such a dramatic turnaround? The story starts in Manchester.

Kevin was born and brought up in Denton, a working-class area of the city. His father was an electrician for BT and his mother worked a number of clerical and telecommunications jobs.

He went to Egerton Park, the local comprehensive, where he was the captain of the football team, but admits he "did just enough" to get by academically.

"I wasn't one of the worst so I stayed off the radar. No one had ever been to college so my parents didn't know what that sort of future looked like.

"My teachers said I could go far, but only if I wanted to, and I thought education wasn't for someone like me.

"I was football-mad. I was on the red side of Manchester, and me and my dad had a very strong relationship based on football.

"There have been some good times, trips to Wembley and Champions League finals but some bad times in the 1980s, too, which we survived. At school, I would have debates with teachers about football. I've taken a lot from that.

"I particularly remember Mr Shorthall, geography, and Mr Greaves, my science teachers – my stronger subjects. They convinced me to believe in myself. Until then, I had always believed that education wasn't for someone like me with a working-class background."

College was a shock for Kevin, who spent three years doing what he should have done in two years at Tameside Tech. He finished up with three Ds in psychology, human biology and physical education – not enough to get him into his first choice Nottingham University to train as a teacher.

"I was in America coaching football at a summer camp when I got the call to basically say I had flunked it and would have to go into clearing. I ended up choosing a leisure management course at Brunel, but I was going home at weekends. I dropped out after the first term and decided to try and make a go of things with the qualifications I had. The draw of Manchester in the early 1990s was too much."

With acts like the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and Oasis coming out of his home town, the "Madchester" scene was the envy of the musical world at the time.

Kevin, a budding musician, wasn't going to miss out and knew Inspiral Carpets frontman Tom Hingley personally.

"I remember seeing him collecting money for a charity gig – he wasn't the only famous person there. I sat down and Noel Gallagher was sitting at the table next to me."

But Mr Rowlands was working hard. He had already held a few jobs, from the sweeper in a meat factory to a baggage handler at Manchester Airport. At 20, he took a job in a call centre and at 22, he went to work for a holiday company at a ski resort, in Andorra, then on to Tunisia for the summer, but had to return to the UK when his grandmother died.

"I had planned to do another winter season, but my mum needed me. It was the best thing for me."

Previous employer Cable & Wireless called him when they heard he had returned, offering him a management position. In 2007, he was in Swansea, managing a call centre with 200 staff.

He moved around, working with similar companies until he was offered a job with the NHS in Wakefield, helping to set up nursing banks. Aged 29, he was earning just under £40,000. Then, he jacked it all in to go back to university and study as a teacher.

"I always wanted to be a teacher but I hadn't made the grade. But now, universities thought my professional record was more important. When I was offered a place, starting nine months later, I quit my job and booked a trip around the world."

Kevin went to Thailand, Bali, Singapore and Australia. "I worked driving trucks for the carnival and even did some construction and demolition. I actually helped demolish a school which was ironic, given my ambitions."

Kevin went back to Cable & Wireless, working 20 hours a week in a call centre – where he met Suzie, who he married in 2011 – while studying to be a physical education teacher at Manchester Metropolitan University for three years and came out with a 2:1.

"I started classes at 8am, went to work from 4pm to 8pm and would come home and do my course work. The difference was that this was my last chance, it was what I wanted to do and so I knew that failing was not an option. When I finally finished, my dad actually told me he didn't think I would do it – it seemed too difficult."

Within a year of working as a physical education teacher, he applied to join the Future Leaders programme, which aims to put the best people at the head of schools in disadvantaged areas. Nigel Whittle, who was appointed principal at Havelock Academy, was part of the same scheme.

"I seemed to have the qualities they were looking for, but not many would have the audacity to apply with only one year of experience. At every stage, I expected them to say 'thanks but no – maybe come back in a few years'."

Mr Rowlands now has two children of his own – Eleanor, 5, and Archie, 3 – and Oasis Immingham is currently two per cent below the national average of 58 per cent of students getting five A*-C grades at GCSE.

Immingham's percentage has gone from 36 to 56 per cent in three years. In 2013, he expects it to rise to 60 per cent and up to 70 per cent the following year. So how did a man who has spent more time managing call centres than teaching do it?

Kevin said: "Managing people requires similar skills in any industry. I knew I had all those skills although with so little experience, I knew I had to convince a few people. But I think my background – which is probably similar to many of the kids at this school – helps me understand the challenges that face them.

"I always felt a sense of injustice in education when I was growing up. It was as though no one ever expected anything of me so I was never pushed.

"I remember having an argument with a lecturer at college and deciding I would sack it off for a few days and a friend from football said there was work going at a local meat factory. I spent the day sweeping blood off the floor and went to leave at 5pm to go to the football – but the other lads said we couldn't go until it was all clean. That is when I realised I had skills and opportunities but these lads didn't have a choice but to work there. I want every student to leave here with choices.

"We have improved since I took the post, but it's not nearly good enough for me. Some people would celebrate an improvement so that 56 per cent are getting five A*-C grades including English and maths. The way I see it, it is absolutely unacceptable that nearly half of these students aren't reaching that. We need to convince that 44 per cent that they can succeed in education and give them the individual support they need so that they can do that."

DESPITE the cold weather, more than a dozen people flipped – and flopped – pancakes in a race on Cleethorpes seafront.

It was held yesterday by the Lincolnshire Food Festival to mark Shrove Tuesday, and it became a fiercely-fought contest.

Organiser Richard Lake said: "We wanted to raise some money for St Andrew's Hospice and also bring awareness to the food festival that will take place later in the year.

"It has been a long time since there was a pancake race in Cleethorpes; it is all good fun."

The winner was Emma Shadlock from the YMCA, in Peaks Lane, Grimsby.

"This is the first time I have won a race," she said. "I just ran as fast as I could, although I am tired out now.

"I came for a bit of fun and to get involved with a community activity. I am glad I won but it is all about the taking part."

Bridget Clarke, from Oxford, is staying with relatives in Cromwell Road, Cleethorpes, and said: "We came to visit my family and saw that this was on.

"My daughter Abigail is five today, so this is a real treat. She had four pancakes for breakfast and will be having some more later."

Abigail added: "I have been looking forward to the race because I am really good at them."

Julie Parkinson, the owner of the Parkinson Snack Bar, said: "I just saw out the window what was happening and came out and got involved; it is a really great idea.

"I will do anything for a bit of fun. The weather is not the warmest it could be but people still turned out."

Ginny Drant, head fryer at the Leaking Boot Restaurant, said: "We should have more fun events like this.

"It is a shame Shrove Tuesday is not at the weekend so more children could get involved."

Each person involved with the race made a small donation to take part.

Hospice volunteer Ron Day said: "We are extremely grateful for every penny because it costs £3 million to run the hospice every year.

"There are so many worthwhile causes out there so we have to get what we can."

The Lincolnshire Food Festival 2013 will be held at Meridian Park, Cleethorpes, on September 21 and 22.

SHE has got the power!

A 28-year-old turbine engineer has become one of the first people to become involved in an industry exchange programme.

Engineering giants Centrica and Siemens have joined forces to give graduate and newly qualified engineers the opportunity to expand their engineering knowledge, by going on secondment to each company.

Anna Southall, of Grimsby, is one of the first to be involved in the exchange.

She said: "Having spent the past few years working at Centrica's South Humber Bank Power Station, near Grimsby, it's so rewarding to know I'm playing my part in helping to keep people's lights on at home.

"My interest in power stations started in school when I took part in an engineering education scheme at the former Drakelow Power Station, which was designed to get kids interested in engineering.

"I guess it must have done the trick – ten years later and I've made it through Centrica's graduate engineering programme, secured a permanent role in the business, and now with this exchange, I'm just a few months away from applying to register as a professional engineer through the Institution Of Mechanical Engineers."

Anna will spend three months with Siemens, in Lincoln, which is a world-leading gas turbine manufacturing and service business and operates in 89 countries.

Paul Birt, human resources director at Siemens in Lincoln, said: "We are delighted to be pioneering this graduate exchange programme with Centrica.

"We believe that this will hugely enrich the experience of our graduates enabling them to expand their knowledge of engineering, as well as experiencing other business cultures and working with different teams.

"We see this as a good model for future talent management."

Find out more about employment opportunities in the region on our new Jobs page – turn to page 26.