The Friends of Frampton Churches are promoting a concert on Friday, January 18 to help towards their £10,000-plus target to preserve the village’s two churches.

It’s estimated there’s a £10,000 to £16,000 shortfall in the money needed to repair St Mary the Virgin and St Michael and All Angels churches.

Status Quo tribute band Status Quote will appear at Boston’s Blackfriars Theatre along with singer Dave Logan as the Friends try to put cash in the coffers so future generations can enjoy the churches.

Parish priest Father Charles Sowden is delighted the Friends are helping the village’s heritage.

He said: “It’s nice to have people who are that interested and want to do something. The churches have been at the centre of the village for a long time.”

• Tickets cost £10 on 01205 723579.

Children in Long Sutton can carry on playing after generous residents helped save their pre-school.

Following an article in the Spalding Guardian, enough items were donated to Cinder Ash Pre-School for their Christmas raffle at the town’s annual fair to raise more than £500.

A local charity, it was feared the pre-school in Cinder Ash park might have to close.

Rebecca Thomas, vice-chairman, said: “The article got people’s attention and we are now a lot more optimistic for the year ahead. We are extending our hours to a breakfast club and after school club for four to 11-year-olds from Long Sutton Primary School.”

For more information or to make a donation, visit www.cinderashpreschool.co.uk

All the children at Holbeach Primary School cheered lollipop lady Dawn Travis for helping them across the road with a smile for the last five years.

She was presented with her five-year service certificate by county road safety officer Kay Taman in front of the whole school with her mum Liz Sansom proudly looking on.

Dawn, whose three children have all now left the school, said: “I wanted my mum to come along because she encouraged me to apply for the job and it’s my best job ever.

“It’s so lovely to be appreciated for the work you do!”

TV Secret Millionaire Mike Greene is offering his financial expertise to tenant farmers in the Crowland area who are fighting to save their livelihoods and land for future generations.

Newborough Landscape Protection group is preparing to object to Peterborough City Council’s 25-year plan to erect half a million solar power panels and nine giant wind turbines over 900 acres of prime agricultural land.

The council claims the plans will save its 175,000 or so residents up to £100 a year on their energy bills at a lifetime cost of around £331  million. Councillors have already spent £500,000 preparing the plans and they are due to go before the planning committee in March.

Mr Greene, CEO of a multi-million pound retail consultancy who lives in Dowsdale Bank near Crowland, said: “I’m not against solar panels per se, but with a return of 0.82 per cent over 25 years, no investor would look at the plans – it’s laughable.

“I am able to make some noise about it and I will.”

Residents have until February 1 to lodge an objection.

One of the tenants, John Harris, farms 250 acres at Lodge Farm in Black Drove, Thorney, with his son, Ross.

He said: “I’m 59 and I’ve been lucky to farm all my life.

“We are doing this for the young farmers who need these smallholdings to get started.”

Residents on one of the main routes into Spalding face a further month of disruption after a second blockage was found in a collapsed sewer.

The news comes as a further blow for residents in West Elloe Avenue, which was blocked off last week following a gas leak.

Engineers have been working to repair the drain, opposite the junction with Ladywood Road, since December 12, with three-way traffic lights installed causing delays for motorists.

Two properties close to the collapsed drain have had walls removed and three-and-a-half meter deep holes dug in the front gardens.

Residents called the Fire Brigade on Wednesday after smelling gas in their homes.

One resident said: “We’ve had three gas leaks since the work started but someone called the fire brigade to this one.

“Engineers had been monitoring levels throughout the day but the smell became stronger.

“They closed the road off and told us not to light a naked flame. It was quite scary but some of the children along the road thought it was a bit of an adventure and were waving to the firemen from upstairs windows.

“We were told the work would be finished before Christmas, but now we’ve been told there is another blockage and it’s going to be another month.”

John Clare, of Anglian Water, said the job has proved challenging due to the very wet weather.

He said: “The ground beneath this part of Spalding is silt, which is prone to movement and will try to run into any hole that is dug. In addition, the excavation has had to be constantly pumped free of water.

“We believe ground movement may have been to blame for the collapse of the sewer pipe but are unable to say what caused the damage to the gas main.We are sorry for any inconvenience but it is vital that we prevent worse problems.”

Traffic is moving again on Crowland bypass after it was closed following an accident.

Two vehicles were in collision at Cowbit at 6.30am this morning and the road was closed for recovery, causing some disruption at rush hour.

Occupants of the Mazda Tamura and a black Volkswagen Polo were uninjured.

Police say conditions were foggy at the time and are urging motorists to take care until it clears.

This week is the first screening of BBC 1’s Antiques Road Trip to south Lincolnshire and the Fens, filmed by young local producer/director Michael Bennett.

Today’s episode of the daytime series shows BBC antiques experts Philip Serrell and Thomas Plant’s journey from north of Boston to Stamford and Ely, dropping in on the Burtey Fen Collection at Pinchbeck and shopping for quirky potential treasures in Spalding on the way.

Look out for the pair’s call in to see town dealer John Mumford after pulling up on the Abbey Path pavement in their classic Triumph Stag.

Don’t miss a meander through the stalls in Spalding Market Place and an unexpected visit to the town’s unique gunmakers Elderkin and Son in Broad Street.

Fans of the show, screened every week day at 4.30pm, will be able to see how much profit the experts made for charity after auctioning the items they bought in the Fens off at a sale in Ely.

Former Ayscoughfee Hall and Spalding Grammar School pupil Michael (26), whose parents live at Moulton Chapel, said: “I was brought in by STV, who made the series for the BBC, as shooting producer/director on this trip.

“So I was filming the experts and it was great to be on my home turf.

“I wanted to emphasise the unique atmosphere of the Fens so I took shots of the long views and empty roads, and we made sure when we stopped to ask directions it was from a guy on a combine harvester!”

Michael has worked in broadcasting for five years.

Were you at Barbecue 67 in Spalding? Did you see Pink Floyd, Cream and Jimi Hendrix live on stage?

A London radio station wants to get in touch with people who were there and feature them in a show about the concert held in 1967.

Producer Faris Hassen said: “I’m putting together a show for Roundhouse Radio in London. It’s a community-type local and online station run by young people aged 11 to 25.

“The show is about exploring different times in music via particular events and giving the listener a journey back in time in what I’m calling the ‘audio time machine’.

“I think it would be a really nice touch to have the voices of some of those who were there on the show.”

The interviews would be recorded over the phone and take about five minutes.

As well as a line-up of rock heavyweights, Barbecue 67 featured local Sounds Force Five, was held in the Tulip Bulb Auction Hall and tickets cost just £1.

A reunion barbecue was held at The Red Lion in Spalding in September last year to launch a script about the event.

If you would like to share your memories, email Faris at faris.hassen@googlemail.com or call 07754707781.

AS 2013 gets under way can we expect a year full of good news, or is it all doom and gloom?

After a year which saw Spalding in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons – such as street drinking and anti-social behaviour – reporter Chrissie Redford took to the streets of the town centre to ask shoppers what they would like to see happen in 2013, while Tracey Sweetland spoke to town leaders to see what they think the year will hold.

It’s all about the money, money, money... like everything else plans for any kind of development in Spalding all hang on the cash being available.

According to South Holland District Council Gary Porter, that could mean not much happens in 2013 as everyone waits for the economy to shows signs of improvement.

But president of Spalding and District Area Chamber of Commerce Phil Scarlett paints a more hopeful picture of small successes being achieved to bring vitality back to the town centre.

He believes the enthusiasm that business people and traders have to improve things just needs to be harnessed in a more organised way to get the ball rolling.

But Mr Scarlett said things are unlikely to happen in a hurry as lessons from the failed Red Lion Quarter are taken on board.

One thing he hopes to see this year to revitalise the town centre is the creation of a new town centre manager post, paid for from section 106 money.

A permanent craft market in the town centre could also bring shoppers back in.

He said: “People can expect to see step by step changes in 2013 which we hope will help to revitalise the town.

“If we can get the 106 money we then need to find the right person for the job of town centre manager and it is likely to be the latter part of the year by the time that happens.

“As for things like the craft market, it won’t happen without a proper feasibility study.

“It will all be done in the proper manner because we do not want a repeat of the Red Lion Quarter.

“But I can say that I have had conversations with a number of businesspeople and the enthusiasm is there to make positive changes, we just need to pull people together.”

But there appears to still be a big question mark over one of the big developments earmarked for Spalding last year – those for Holland Market.

Plans for a new supermarket, shops and a redesign of the retail area to include a town square and bus station had been expected in 2012, but as time marches on, council leader Gary Porter has questioned whether the scheme will now go ahead.

He said Holland Market owner Corbo’s option on land runs out in March, meaning time is running out for plans to be submitted.

But he added: “There now needs to be a definite scheme that we can put before residents and get their feedback.”

But in the meantime, what do people living, working and shopping in Spalding think the town needs, or what can be done, to bring a ray of sunshine back into the town?

*Chrissie Redford went into the town centre to find out what some had to say. See our video to find out...

A man went off on his motorbike after a disagreement with his girlfriend and was more than double the drink-drive limit when police stopped him in the early hours of Boxing Day.

Martins Ritenis (26) had only travelled a short distance from his home in High Street, Spalding, to Victoria Street and was stopped when police saw him “struggling” with the bike.

Jim Clare, prosecuting, said officers smelled alcohol on his breath.

A police station test later showed he had 78 microgrammes of alcohol in breath – the legal limit is 35mcgs.

Ritenis pleaded guilty to riding the motorbike with excess alcohol in breath, riding without insurance, having no MOT and riding the bike without the appropriate licence.

He was banned from driving for 20 months and fined £320 for the excess alcohol offence.

Magistrates on Thursday decided he can cut five months off the ban if he completes a rehabilitation course.

His licence was endorsed for the insurance offence and he received no separate penalties for the other offences.

Ritenis must pay £85 costs and a £32 victim surcharge.

Solicitor Rachel Stevens, mitigating, said Ritenis bought the bike shortly before the offences.

He spent Christmas Day at home with his girlfriend, but they had a disagreement and he decided to go to his brother’s home in Victoria Street and jumped on the motorbike instead of walking.

She said: “It was a very stupid decision. He accepts that. He was over the limit and he didn’t have the necessary documentation for the bike.

“He is extremely remorseful about this and feels stupid for doing it, very irresponsible.”

A 95-year-old Spalding man who waited more than eight hours for an ambulance after a heart attack has died.

Eric Harker passed away in Peterborough Hospital during Monday night.

His grandson, Paul Sellars, said the family did not know at this time whether the wait had contributed to his death.

He said: “Had the ambulance arrived sooner the outcome could have been different, but at the moment we just don’t know. We are just thankful that he died peacefully.”

Mr Harker had been suffering shortness of breath when his family called a doctor to his home in Oak Court last Wednesday.

After seeing Mr Harker, the doctor called the ambulance around 1pm. Mr Sellars said: “We expected the ambulance to arrive fairly quickly with my grandfather being 95 and the doctor making the call.

“When it didn’t arrive members of the family kept calling – they must have made three or four calls before I arrived at teatime.

“I called and was probably a bit more forceful. The callout was changed to an emergency 999, but it still took until 9.30pm for the ambulance to arrive.”

When Mr Harker was admitted to Peterborough Hospital, he was diagnosed as having had a mild heart attack.

Mr Sellars said: “He had been seen at the doctor’s surgery before the weekend and we were told to keep an eye on him and call them if he got any worse. When we called the doctor out my grandfather couldn’t even walk to the toilet without getting out of breath.”

Mr Harker – who lived in sheltered accommodation with his 92-year-old wife Lily – farmed at Weston Hills until he was 80.

Mr Sellars said: “My grandfather liked to keep active and regularly strolled half a mile down the road to the supermarket.

“We all wanted to see him make 100 and really thought he would before this. The day before he died they (the hospital) were talking about him coming home.”

In November last year, East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) was named worst out of 12 in the country for its response times and was asked to explain its poor record in Lincolnshire.

The move followed two cases in Sutton Bridge in which 999 patients waited several hours for ambulances to turn up.

EMAS has already apologised to the family of John Waring, who died after a three-hour wait for an ambulance.

The second case saw Frieda Minns (83) wait nearly six hours for an ambulance to King’s Lynn.

Phil Milligan, East Midlands Ambulance Service chief executive, said: “We received a call from the GP at 13:04 on Wednesday January 2, requesting that an ambulance be sent to Mr Harker within two hours. Mr Harker’s condition was described as not life-threatening.

“On this day, we were extremely busy responding to 905 calls reporting a life-threatening emergency in addition to the 1,486 calls from people in a less serious condition (2,391 calls received in total on January 2). Life-threatening calls include people reporting cardiac arrest, a catastrophic bleed or someone who has stopped breathing.

“The significant increase in demand has unfortunately meant some people who are reported to not have a life-threatening condition, have experienced a delay in response. The ambulance arrived at Mr Harker’s address at 21:30 and took him to hospital in Peterborough.

“I am sorry for the distress and anxiety experienced by Mr Harker and his family.

“Over the past three months we have been consulting with the public and staff on proposals to help us improve our response times and the quality of care delivered. Our Trust Board will receive final plans at a meeting on January 28. Any decisions made at this meeting will be shared with staff and the public on January 29.”

Under pressure headteachers are illegally excluding disruptive pupils and refusing to offer others a place at their school in a bid to meet Government achievement targets.

Anecdotal evidence of youngsters being kept at home for up to six weeks and parents repeatedly being asked to pick their children up from school has been uncovered by a task group set up to look into the situation.

It is feared some headteachers are using illegal practices and encouraging parents of unruly children to make a “fresh start” at a new school rather than see their own exam results and attainment levels suffer.

Lincolnshire County Council’s Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee will tomorrow receive a draft report compiled after a review into school admissions and exclusions by a task and finish group made up of seven non-executive members and two church representatives.

One of the comments received from a headteacher and included in the report said: “We have parents coming to us where the child who has not been in school for five, six or seven weeks and parents have been told by another school that their child is not suitable for them. ”

And one parent also told the panel she had been asked twice to take her son home.

Following the second incident, she was told her son could return to school part-time and received a letter “suggesting” he attended for just morning sessions, which she had to agree to in writing.

The report recommends that the county council writes to the Secretary of State for Education to highlight the pressures schools are under to meet targets and to request clear guidance relating to unofficial exclusions from academies.

It also suggests the county’s Exclusions Policy is redistributed to schools to remind them of their obligations and that clear information is provided to parents regarding their rights and responsibilities when it comes to exclusions.

Spalding’s new community inspector has expressed disappointment “police incompetence” was identified for it taking six years to arrest a drunken motorist who caused a head-on collision.

Renatas Bartisius (43), of Willowherd Close, March, had been drinking at a friend’s house in Spalding when he got behind the wheel of his car in May 2007 and veered into the wrong side of the A151 at Weston, trapping the drivers in their vehicles.

Police only took the decision to charge Bartisius seven months after the accident, by which time they were then unable to find him. He was given an eight-month suspended sentence rather than being sent straight to prison.

Judge James Sampson said “There is here a degree of police incompetence mixed in perhaps with a measure of evasion.”

Inspector Jim Tyner, of Spalding police, said: “I am, of course, disappointed that the judge has identified what they have described as police incompetence.

“It would appear the initial investigation was thorough, but there were some poor administrative processes.

“The procedures in place to trace and bring to justice outstanding offenders have been greatly improved since this offence was committed.

“Checks are now carried out as a matter of routine and are more easily accessible to my officers.

“It is to the credit of the investigating officer that they demonstrated tenacity and Mr Bartisius was eventually brought to justice.”

A man who posted three offensive messages on another man’s Facebook page appeared in court on Thursday for harassment.

Jack Hempsall (23), of Park Lane, Donington, pleaded guilty to pursuing a course of conduct amounting to the harassment of another by sending malicious communications via the social networking site between August 3-7 last year.

Spalding magistrates adjourned sentence to February 5 for a probation report.

Jim Clare, prosecuting, said the man replied to Hempsall’s second message, saying he had informed the police.

Hempsall replied: “I don’t care, man up and fight me.”

He ended that sentence with offensive language.

Solicitor Mike Alexander, mitigating, said Hempsall had no wish for the matter to turn violent and the two men had passed one another in the street without incident. He wished to apologise.

A Holbeach man has denied driving with excess alcohol and two other motoring offences.

Paul Smith (45), of The Paddocks, is accused of driving with 57 microgrammes of alcohol in breath, driving without insurance and failing to stop when required by a police officer.

The alleged offences relate to December 22.

Spalding magistrates on Thursday adjourned the cases to May 2 for a trial.

A woman has denied driving with more than double the legal limit of alcohol.

Debbie Quann (50), of Juniper Court, Spalding, will stand trial at the town magistrates’ court on March 7.

Some advice on which trusts to use

Absolute trust:

An absolute trust is one where the beneficiary has an absolute interest in the trust property and the sole duty of the trustee is to hold the trust property and transfer this to the beneficiary when required.

It is therefore not possible for the trustees to change the beneficiary or their interest in the trust.

Beneficiaries will normally be able to demand the trust property from the trustees if they are aged 18 or over (16 in Scotland). These trusts are often referred to as ‘bare’ trusts.

Flexible trust:

A flexible trust (or power of appointment trust) is one that allows the trustees to appoint and change the beneficiaries from amongst a range of potential beneficiaries listed in the trust document.

This trust also names a ‘main’ or ‘default’ beneficiary who will ultimately benefit if the trustees do not make any appointments.

The ‘default’ beneficiary has what is referred to as an interest in possession and so has a right to any income generated by the trust investments. The trustees are usually given a power to change the interest in possession beneficiary, either by replacing them with a beneficiary from the class of potential beneficiaries, or by simply adding a beneficiary to share the current beneficiary’s interest in possession.

Flexible trusts have traditionally been offered by insurance companies for use with their range of life assurance contracts, including investment bonds.

Discretionary trust:

A discretionary trust is one where there is a defined class of beneficiaries, but under which no beneficiary has a right to the income or capital of the trust. The trustees have absolute discretion over the distribution of income and capital and can, if they so choose, accumulate the income within the trust, although this can only be done for a limited period.

A discretionary trust is therefore a type of trust under which no beneficiary has an interest in possession.

A man who failed to tell the Department for Work and Pensions about a part-time job was overpaid £2,860 in Jobseekers Allowance.

Paul Coupland (47), of Stockmans Avenue, Holbeach, admitted failing to notify his change of circumstances between February 8 2011 and December 12 of that year.

Spalding magistrates on Thursday gave him a community order with 100 hours unpaid work and ordered him to pay £100 costs.

Solicitor Mike Alexander, mitigating, said Coupland had a one day a week job and used the money to pay off debts.

He said the Department for Work and Pensions is reclaiming the overpayment by deducting sums from his benefit.

A 39-year-old Donington man, arrested at the scene of a fatal crash on the A16 Crowland bypass, has been rebailed until April 4.

The man answered his original bail conditions today after being arrested on Tuesday, November 20, last year on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

Keith Robert Tyler (52), of Swineshead, died after being involved in a head-on collision with a Volvo.

Mr Tyler was a rear seat passenger in a Volkswagen Polo, driven by a 51 year-old man from Stickney who suffered fracture injuries.

There were three passengers in the Volvo, including two from Pinchbeck, who suffered less serious injuries.

Two special little boys have started 2013 with a huge smile after a mystery benefactor gave them £500 to buy special equipment to improve their lives.

Brothers Ben and Toby Smith, aged eight and five, both have an undiagnosed condition which has resulted in global development delay – meaning both are still in nappies and unable to talk, walk or feed themselves.

Their mum Julia had applied to the Smile Campaign, which the Spalding Guardian is running in association with Spalding and District Round Table, for £500 to buy them sensory equipment to soothe and calm them.

But after reading their story in the Spalding Guardian before Christmas, one reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, felt compelled to raid their own savings to donate the full amount to the Smith family to give them a happy new year.

After we broke the news to Julia, she said: “We are totally overwhelmed and quite emotional to be quite honest. And very grateful.

“Sensory equipment is really expensive but things like projection lights and bubble tubes really make a huge difference to them

“Ben is often up all night and these things really help to soothe him and calm him down.

“This just goes to show how generous people can be. Not everyone is nasty and out for themselves – there are still some genuinely nice people around.”

Although the donor did not wish for the family to know their identity, Julia hopes to write a letter detailing how the family, of Pennygate, Spalding, have spent the money and said: “They are welcome to pop round any time they like to see what we have bought.

“We have already ordered some new lights and a chair for the playroom.”