Happy New Year!: Review of standout moments in Skegness in 2023

1 January

The then Skegness Mayor, Coun Tony Tye, reported the Town Fund projects moving at pace. This included an upgrade of Skegness Railway Station Interchange and the Town Centre Transformation works starting in mid April to be completed by July 2025. The Tec Campus was also due to start in 2023, which we were told would save our young residents having to travel out of Skegness to get the training they need.

2 February

• Concern about asylum seekers in Skegness hotels continued with a protest planned for February. Local MP Matt Warman accused organisers of attempting to “fuel resentment” towards those seeking refuge. Coun Craig Leyland, leader of East Lindsey District Council, also told Lincolnshire World: “The last thing Skegness needs are protests, which are in themselves damaging. East Lindsey District Council have been working with the MP and the Government to get the situation of asylum seekers being housed in hotels stopped as quickly as possible.”

• Expo 23 trade show returned to Skegness at a new venue – Southview Holiday Park, having moved from the Richmond Holiday Park, which was now under new Haven ownership and being refurbished. For more than 36 years the show, then known as Caterex and held over two days, was organised by Skegness, East Coast and Wolds Hospitality Centre (SECWHA). However, with the demise of SECWHA, the event has now been taken over by the Skegness area Chamber.

3 March

There was fury about potholes woth the town’s Honoured Citizen John Byford claiming Skegness was ‘going to pot’. John Byford was walking along the seafront when he saw what he described as ‘an accident waiting to happen’ – a pothole measuring six inches wide and eight inches deep. He said it was one of many near KFC – and he just happened to be there as a motorcyclist approached.

Following a heated discussion on social media, the road was closed for an emergency repair that very evening.

4 April

A campaign was launched by the RNLI to recruit lifeguards for the Lincolnshire coast ahead of what is expected to be another busy summer.

Lifeguards patrol the Lincolnshire coast from May to September. The previous year Lincolnshire lifeguards dealt with 263 incidents.

The RNLI was seeking a number of lifeguards both full time or part time to work on beaches in Skegness, Ingoldmells, Sutton on Sea and Mablethorpe.

5 May

Skegness celebrated the King’s Coronation with an afternoon tea party in Tower Gardens. The community gathered for picnics and enjoyed live music, as well as enjoying the Coronation on a big screen.

6 June

Skegness Town return to action with their opening pre-season friendly of the summer.

​The Lilywhites hosted March Town at the Vertigo Stadium, as they prepared for the new United Counties League Premier North campaign.

Manager Chris Rawlinson says his players were raring to go.

7 July

The 2023 summer holidays continued with a more robust response to the surge in population over the summer period – as East Lindsey’s Chief Inspector Lee St Quinton stressed “to make the area a safe place to live, work and visit”.

8 August

These should be the busiest weeks of the summer season – but sources told the Skegness Standard businesses were at least 50% behind on where they need to be

2022 STEAM figures for Greater Lincolnshire reveal there were 30.82m visits to Greater Lincolnshire in 2022, 16.8% more than in 2021, but 7.8% lower than 2016 levels.

9 September

Senior hospital and ambulance service spokespersons offered their ‘heartfelt and sincere apologies’ to a 83-year-old paliative care cancer patient from Sleaford who was mistakenly discharged during the night and left alone to sleep in a stranger’s bed in Skegness.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust and East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) launched an investigation into the incident involving widow Joyce Wright, who was mistaken for another patient at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston.

In spite of her ordeal, Mrs Wright did see the funny side and said she wished it had happened the week before when the weather was good

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The mother of former Viking School pupil in Skegness, affected by its sudden closure, spoke of her sadness as the new term starts.

The Viking School in Church Road North, Skegness, was up for sale for £225.

Fortunately, her child and three others have now secured a place at the same village school – and according to Lincolnshire County Council only two were left without places.

10 October

News Skegness was in the money once again – this time benefitting from a whopping £20 million government funding – came as a “welcome surprise”.

The money was part of a total £60 million pot being awarded to the ‘overlooked’ towns of Boston, Spalding and Skegness and has been awared to councils in the South East Lincolnshire Partnership through the Government’s ‘Long-Term Plan for Towns..

11 November

The new Skegness Carnival Committee delivered the annual Christmas Market at a new venue in Lumley Avenue to avoid road closures and added expense. Skegness Town Council’s Christmas tree was switched on by the Mayor, Coun Pete Barry, outside the Hildreds Centre, which also celebrated its ‘switch-on’.

12 December

A team of officers were awarded for the part they played in rescuing a woman from freezing cold sea in Skegness.

Sergeant Simon Watson and PCs Christopher Hine, Jack Craft and David Sharpe were deployed on April 28 after the woman, who had been reported missing, was spotted in the sea by three asylum seekers.

As a result of their bravery, Sergeant Watson and PC Hine have been awarded Royal Humane Society Testimonials on Parchment and PC Craft has been awarded a Certificate of Commendation from the Society.