LAST year was a remarkable one for AbbeyPrint with three of its staff each having worked at the company for 35 years.

Long service awards were given to Roz Rawlings, who works in the studio, Steve Smith, employed in the print room, and Liz Brown, who works in the finishing department.

Managing director Helen Slinger said: “We are very proud to have such long serving and loyal staff, it is an outstanding achievement and also gives out a positive message to our customers.”

They each received a cheque in recognition of their 35 years’ service to the Pinchbeck firm.

POLICE chief inspector Paul Timmins arrested a suspected drink-driver in Sheep Market, Spalding, in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

Prosecutor Rebecca Ritson told Spalding magistrates Normunds Vigulis had a female passenger when he was driving slowly and crossing the centre white line for no reason.

A test at the police station revealed 91 microgrammes of alcohol in breath, more than two-and-a-half times the legal limit.

Vigulis (33), of Regent Street, Spalding, was banned from driving for two years, fined £260 and ordered to pay £85 costs with a £15 victim surcharge when he pleaded guilty.

Solicitor Daven Naghen said: “The only mitigation is he is very remorseful for his actions. He was going particularly slowly when the police caught him so he knew he was doing wrong.”

Mr Naghen said Vigulis is a factory worker at Morrisons but will go to Latvia in the summer because he has found a job there.

AN offer by volunteers to clean up rubbish next to a railway bridge has had to be turned down.

Spalding resident Adam McVeigh had offered to take a team of youngsters from the Wygate Park area of town to the site between St John’s Road and Green Lane and asked for South Holland District Council to provide vans to take the rubbish away.

But Coun Roger Gambba-Jones, who has vowed to get the area cleared, has said he is unable to accept the kind offer because the land is owned by Network Rail and any volunteers could be trespassing if they were to go on there to pick up the abandoned settees and piles of cans which make the area an eyesore.

Mr McVeigh made the offer and challenged Coun Gambba-Jones to support his efforts after the Lincolnshire Free Press carried the story on Tuesday of Green Lane resident Jon Coupland, who claimed the rubbish had been there for more than two years despite numerous pleas to the council to clear it up.

Coun Gambba-Jones explained that the council has been unable to do so because it is land owned by Network Rail and vowed to “explore all avenues” to force the company to take action.

He said: “If this rubbish was on public land I would be out there with Mr McVeigh and his volunteers to clean it up, but it is on land next to a live railway and it is unlikely Network Rail would give permission for untrained people to go on there because of health and safety issues.

“It is a real shame, but I am not in a position to be able to take up the offer as I would be encouraging them to trespass.”

Mr McVeigh said he was “disappointed” as he had a team who wanted to “get stuck in” to help their community, claiming Coun Gambba-Jones could do more to get permission for a clean-up.

He said: “It is the residents who are suffering and there is nothing stopping him contacting Network Rail if he really wanted it cleaned up, but he has taken the option of dragging it out.”

LAUGHTER really is the best medicine and it’s been scientifically proven.

A good belly laugh increases the supply of oxygen to the body and brain and releases the feel-good hormones that help us to stay happy and healthy.

People may say they have nothing in life to laugh about, but Linda Nightingale, a ‘laughter therapist’ based in Bourne, says: “Fake it and eventually you make it.”

However, that’s not to say Linda, of Beech Avenue, wouldn’t sympathise: it was her own ill health and the health problems of her family that got her firstly into holistic therapies and then persuaded her to undertake training to learn techniques for her latest venture, Laughter Yoga.

Linda says Laughter Yoga should not be confused with the conventional yogic movements as we think of them. Instead they are a fun wellbeing routine combining ”unconditional laughter exercises with yogic breathing, or Pranayama”. The system was devised by an Indian cardiologist who discovered the benefits of laughter while undertaking medical research in the 1990s.

“Life has always been quite challenging for the Nightingales,” says Linda, whose husband Graham and younger daughter Kerry have both had major heart surgery – Graham has had a heart transplant. Linda, who has her own health problems, says: “I got into holistic therapies, which I absolutely love doing, because of all the family illnesses. When I found out you could be a laughter therapist it just excited me so much because I have used laughter as a tool so much over the years to deal with our own challenges.”

Linda explains that many of us – and particulary older people – do not breathe deeply enough and instead get into the habit of shallow breathing. During Laughter Yoga, the breath is naturally deeper and so there is more oxygen in the body and more stale air is expelled. Linda says this boosts our immune system, reduces stress and increases the feel-good hormones in our bodies.

A typical class might begin with a warm-up class involving gentle stretching and shaking before Linda introduces everyone to the idea of Laughter Yoga and gets everyone to move around and perform fake laughter. The forced laugh quickly becomes genuine laughter as everyone is encouraged to “release the inner child” with some playful exercises, such as mimicking the actions of a gorilla or unzipping lips to release a guffaw.

“At my last session I had people who couldn’t stop laughing,” confirms Linda. “They didn’t know each other and they came from all over the place, but they have all given me fantastic feed-back from the class.”

In between laughter exercises Linda will introduce deep breathing, with everyone concentrating on expelling all the air from their lungs. “Nobody is forced, people work within their own capability,” explains Linda. “One of the key concepts of Laughter Yoga is to make people more aware of their breathing, so I combine laughter exercises, floor and standing movement, stretching, breathing and clapping in a particular way to work on their pressure points.”

Sessions end with a time of relaxation, which might include humming which Linda says is good for relaxing the facial muscles as well as keeping the sinuses clear.

Linda is running what she calls a Laughter Club, Bourne to Laugh, at Wake House – sessions are planned for next Monday, January 30, and then the fourth Monday of every month at 1.30pm as well as the second Saturday of every month at the same time – the next one is February 11.

Linda also puts on sessions at retirement homes, mindful of any health problems people may have, has been asked to organise Laughter Yoga for young carers and says it works well in a corporate setting.

Contact Linda on 01778 422469 or visitwww.nightingale-holistics.com/laughter-yoga.

THOR the eagle owl gave an Oscar-worthy performance at Ayscoughfee Hall School in Spalding, inspiring children to raise funds for the charity that’s given him a home.

The Harry Potter theme was played as Thor was carried in to a school assembly by Pam Mansfield of the Exotic Pet Refuge, Deeping St James.

The owl proceeded to win hearts as he calmly surveyed his surroundings, showing off his 270-degree head turn ability.

Deputy head teacher Sally Chester said: “The children were fascinated to hear about all the animals that have been rescued by Mrs Mansfield from the refuge.

“They asked lots of questions and learned there is even a crocodile there, called George.

“The owl was the star of the show – it wasn’t phased by anything.

“The school council, which has representatives from every class, will be doing some fundraising for the refuge this year.”

RESIDENTS from Long Sutton have been sharing their experiences of living in a groundbreaking eco development with guests at the Palace of Westminster.

Barbara and Stephen Holmes, Andrew and Joann Thompson, Claire Lovatt and Clive Gillett travelled to London to give a first-hand account of their lives at Unity Gardens.

The six earth-bunded bungalows off Bridge Road generate their own energy from solar panels on the roof, harvest rainwater and have access to a wind turbine.

Residents at the development even tend to a communal vegetable patch in the quest to be self-sufficient.

Long Sutton-based architect Jerry Harrall, from SEArch, invited them along with him to the reception in Westminster for Environmental Responsibility in the Built Environment to showcase successful environmental building projects.

Mrs Holmes, who has lived on the development with her husband for about two-and-a-half years, says there is still plenty of interest in their environmentally-friendly way of life.

She said: “We were invited down to talk about our way of living and what it’s like. It was a very interesting day.

“We still get visitors to Unity Gardens. We had someone come just before Christmas who was from Newcastle. He was visiting a relative in Grantham and had read about Unity Gardens in The Metro.”

Mrs Holmes said the bungalows have lived up their promise of changing their way of life - and she doesn’t ever intend to go back to a “normal” home.

She added: “We would not want to move from here. If I won the lottery I would have another place like this built.

“I would not want to go back to how we were. We only have electricity here – no gas, no coal, nothing. Our bill for the year was under £600 and that’s it.”

THE founder of Port Sutton Bridge is calling on the district council to switch funds for a proposed marina to a multi-sports pavilion.

But council portfolio holder for economic development Howard Johnson says there will be no U-turn on the marina cash unless the project is abandoned – and then the cash can go to other things.

Peter Clery, who is chairman of the Curlew Centre at Sutton Bridge, says £250,000 was originally earmarked by the district council for the marina from the Sutton Bridge Development Fund – Section 106 power station money – but that was then upped by £150,000.

He said: “It is unclear how the people of Sutton Bridge will benefit from this expenditure and the financial feasibility of the project does not seem to have been rigorously tested.

“Has a proper business plan been produced? The parish council has not seen one.

“Now we have a community centre, the next need is for a multi-sports pavilion which could be used throughout the year by many people. The marina would only be used in the summer months by those wealthy enough to afford a boat and the mooring fees.

“It seems likely that only two to three jobs would be created directly, the indirect job creation is far from clear and it is not obvious that money will be spent in Sutton Bridge by the boat owners. Can we please have a re-think on the allocation of the remaining S106 money and have at least £150,000 allocated to the parish council for a multi-sports pavilion?”

Mr Clery says the total cost of the marina is estimated at more than £800,000.

Coun Johnson said the marina project is being managed by the county council and the Section 106 money allocated by the district council will remain in the pot for the time being.

He said: “We are not going to de-allocate on a whim. That would be a completely ridiculous thing to do.

“If the project goes ahead, then the money will remain with the marina.

“If the project does not go ahead, then £400,000 will come back into the pot and the residents of Sutton Bridge can put in a request that the money be allocated to a sports centre.”

Council economic development manager Mark Stanton said no figures on the marina funding are being released at this stage.

CHILDREN went in search of a real-life Robin Hood following the trail of Hereward the Wake to Peterborough Cathedral.

The year five and six pupils from St Paul’s Primary School, Spalding went on a fact-finding history trip to the city and made some fascinating discoveries.

Deputy head teacher Jason Dickinson said: “These classes are learning about Robin Hood in this term’s history project.

“They wanted to investigate whether Hereward the Wake, who stole the treasure from the Norman monastery that became Peterborough Cathedral before escaping to the Fens at Ely, could have been the origin of the Robin Hood legend.

“He stole from the wealthy and stood up for the English against the Norman invaders, just like Robin Hood did.

“The children were split into three groups and shown round the cathedral by guides who introduced them to plenty of new facts.

“They really got a lot out of the visit.”

The guides spoke about the wealth of the Norman monasteries and the trade in holy relics which attracted pilgrims.”

A CYCLIST accused of making a gun gesture to his ex-wife claims he actually made a v-sign.

Karen Bliss said David Ringer (46) pointed his fingers as he cycled past her car in High Street, Holbeach, and made a “boosh” sound.

But on Thursday Mr Ringer told Spalding magistrates it was a v-sign, which he admitted was “impestuous and inappropriate”.

Rebecca Ritson, prosecuting, said: “Mr Ringer told her ‘that gun’s coming for you, it’s going in your mouth and it will blow your head off. I’m going to bring it to your door’.”

Mr Ringer, of Marshland Drive, Holbeach, admitted using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause fear of violence at an earlier hearing.

Mitigating Rachel Stevens said: “Miss Bliss’s reaction was to turn the car around and follow him to find out what he was meaning by his gesture.

“She chased him in her car with her children in the back and swerved so it nearly hit him and blocked his path.

“Far from being frightened she was relishing the opportunity to have an argument.

“He did say something about putting a gun down her throat and he genuinely regrets it, but she had chased him and nearly knocked him off his bike.”

Magistrates imposed a 12-month community order, including an electronic tag and a 7pm to 7am curfew for six weeks, and told Mr Ringer he must have no contact or communication with Miss Bliss.

He was also ordered to pay £85 costs.

A DRIVER who had been travelling at “excessive” speeds attempted to overtake another vehicle on the A16 and ploughed head-on into a lorry, an inquest heard.

Zydrunas Krasauskas, of Roman Road, Moulton Chapel, gave HGV driver Jake Buckley no chance to react before the two vehicles collided, which also resulted in two other vehicles being hit. Mr Krasauskas (22) died of multiple injuries.

Giving evidence to the hearing at Spalding Magistrates’ Court on Friday, Mr Buckley said it had been a dry day with good visibility when the collision happened on August 9 last year.

He said he saw Mr Krasauskas’s black Toyota Celica overtake a Ford Transit pick-up truck before pulling in behind a Ford Focus.

“He did not look like he was going to overtake,” said Mr Buckley. “As I came up to the car he was travelling behind he pulled right the way across in front of me.

“All I can remember is the gentleman having a big grin on his face. I had kept an eye on him because of his previous overtaking.”

Ford Transit driver Colin Pattison said the Celica was travelling at an “excessive” speed when it overtook him just after the roundabout where Moulton Chapel Road meets the A16.

He said: “The HGV driver had no chance of avoiding it because he pulled straight out in front of the lorry. I think I told police he must have been travelling in excess of 80mph when he overtook me.”

Collision investigator PC Paul Whetstone described the damage at the scene from where the Celica and lorry had met head-on, and the Celica had also hit the Ford Focus on its drivers side.

The lorry had also gone on to hit the Ford pick-up truck, which was tipped on to its side.

PC Whetstone said the lorry had been travelling at 54mph, but even if it had been travelling at 40mph a collision would still have been likely.

He said: “From the evidence I have, there is no way he would have had a big enough gap to overtake safely.”

Coroner Maureen Taylor recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Giving her verdict, Miss Taylor said: “All witnesses have stated that Mr Krasauskas was travelling at a high speed and for some unknown reason he pulled out and attempted to overtake the Ford Focus when it was clearly unsafe to do so.”

THOSE hoping for a sprinkling of snow today may be disappointed.

Although temperatures have plummeted, the Met Office is not forecasting any snow for South Holland.

Forecasters say the district can expect a cloudy day with temperatures up to 2°C, which will drop just below freezing tonight.

The Met Office says tomorrow will be sunny, with temperatures of 3°C.

JOBLESS Ariel Firut stole batteries and a hand mixer from Spalding’s Poundstretcher store to help pay his rent.

Prosecutor Rebecca Ritson said Firut’s rucksack was searched and it contained items stolen from Poundstretcher and he initially told police he had found the rucksack in the car park.

But police inquiries continued and CCTV footage from Poundstretcher showed Firut stealing the items.

Solicitor Mike Alexander said Firut had been without a job for three months and on the day of the theft, November 16, his rent was due.

Mr Alexander said: “He was already behind with his rent and didn’t know how to survive.

“Since the theft, his mother has sent him some money and his friends have rallied round and helped out.

“Normally, when he’s in work, he sends his mother money. As a normal family would do, they look after each other.”

Firut (22), of Double Street, Spalding, pleaded guilty to stealing items worth £37.12 and was conditionally discharged for two years when he appeared before Spalding magistrates on Thursday. He must pay £85 costs.

Presiding magistrate Madge Marshall-Brown told him: “We understand the circumstances, but you know that stealing will not solve problems.”

SOUTH Holland District Council is remaining tight-lipped about proposals which could see Spalding’s Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field paved over as part of a major retail development.

Since the revelation in last week’s Free Press that the field could be used for new shops, opinion has been firmly split between those opposed to the loss of green space and those in favour of a boost to the town’s economy.

But all sides are calling on the district council to act in the best interests of everyone, with one reader, John Tippler, accusing the council of “covert” behaviour by trying to get the scheme “cut and dried” before going public (see Letters to the Editor, page 4).

The main sticking point with those who are against the plans is the loss of green space in the town centre, particularly as the Sir Halley Stewart is held in trust “in perpetuity” by the district council for the benefit of Spalding people.

Bill Johnson, of King’s Road, said: “It is once again necessary to point out that the people of Spalding, in whose name the Sir Halley Stewart Field was left in trust, do not want this piece of green space in the town centre built on.

“Why do we need to become like all the other small towns all over England with the same shops, built in the same soulless fashion?

“Come on, South Holland District Council. We have a charming market town that has a great deal of potential – develop that.

“These developers are only interested in making money, not in what the local people really want.”

But the developer’s assurances that the field would be replaced with “better” green space within the town have allayed some readers’ fears, with one spaldingtoday website visitor calling for the trustees to take the “pragmatic approach” by allowing the development to go ahead.

Spalding Jerry added: “The investors will go elsewhere with their millions if we turn this down and then what’s left – decades of decline and decay. I know which option I want for my children and I believe our councillors have a responsibility to act in the best interests of the town.”

A spokesman for the council said: “We are aware that there are proposals to use some of the land for development but at this stage there has been no formal planning application for the site.”

A NUMBER of gas cannisters have been stolen from an isolated property in Deeping St Nicholas.

Police believe a large vehicle, such as Ford Transit van, has been used to take them away between 9.30am and 6.30pm last Monday.

The house has been accessed by a dirt track leading from the A16 and the cannisters may have been taken for their scrap metal value.

Anyone with information should call PC Dave Evans at Spalding Police Station on 101.

A SPALDING head-teacher says there is “no excuse” for poor GCSE pass rates and has vowed not to let it happen at their school again.

Janet Daniels, head of the now federated Sir John Gleed School, says the girls’ campus can do better after it was left in the bottom five schools in Lincolnshire for the number of pupils gaining five or more A*-C GCSEs including English and maths.

The Gleed Girls’ position was revealed last week as the Department for Education released national league tables based on the results from the summer.

The school suffered a 14 per cent drop in its pass rate to 37 per cent.

Mrs Daniels said: “We were very disappointed. We had a three-year upward trend and this was, although not unexpected, extremely disappointing.

“For us there is no excuse. We cannot let it happen again because our students deserve better.”

Mrs Daniels said the year group contained a high number of special educational needs students and about 20 per cent of the year group have English as an additional language.

She added: “But this is no excuse. We know we can do better. We have lots of strategies in place and we are confident that we will see an improvement back to the old standard.”

Spalding High School was among the county’s top performers, with 99 per cent of last year’s year 11 cohort achieving five or more A*-C grades, including English and maths.

Headteacher Tim Clark said: “We are very pleased. They were exceptionally good results for both GCSE and A-level exams.

“The new league tables are much more complex and it’s not just about the attainment of pupils it’s also the progress they made. At GCSE for English and maths it was phenomenal.

“We are proud of the fact we consistently get good results and that’s a tremendous achievement for staff and students.”

Countywide, the five A*-C including English and maths pass rate was 62.2 per cent – a rise of three per cent on the previous year. This puts Lincolnshire four per cent above the national average.

Out of 152 local authorities, Lincolnshire is now ranked 32nd and within the top 25 per cent of authorities nationally.

The league tables also give insight as to how each school is performing by the value added to pupils, of which the George Farmer Technology and Language College in Holbeach was one of the top achievers. The school has since become the University Academy Holbeach.

The tables also measure the English Baccalaureate, which scores the proportion of pupils achieving A*-C grades in English, maths, science, humanities (history or geography) and languages.

A FAMILY is calling for traffic calming measures outside their home after a third car ploughed through a garden wall.

Lesley and Richard Westlake and their son Ben (22) were in the kitchen when a loud thud alerted them to the latest incident just after 3pm on Sunday.

After rushing to the front of their house in Boston Road, Gosberton, they found a young driver staggering from his car which had crashed through the roadside wall.

Mrs Westlake, who described the car as a “write-off”, looked after the driver until the ambulance arrived.

She said: “He was shaken but not seriously hurt, but this is the third time this has happened and it is only a matter of time before someone is.

“We really need a new speed limit or some sort of traffic calming measures because people come round the bend too fast and then lose control.

“Children walk by here on their way to school and old people use it as well. Someone could be killed.”

The family has lived at the house since 1999, but the first time someone crashed into the wall was in 2007, when Mr Westlake had to dive for cover after the bedroom windows were shattered.

Just over a year later, in December 2008, shortly after the wall had been repaired, another driver collided with it.

Mrs Westlake said: “None of the incidents have been weather related.

“It is all down to people driving too fast and the problem just seems to be getting worse.

“We are getting fed up with it and desperately want to see something done before its too late.”

n A police spokeswoman confirmed the blue Volkswagen Polo was being driven by a 21-year-old from Quadring, who suffered minor leg injuries.

PEOPLE are being given the chance to find out about the current state of the Lincolnshire economy.

The Bank of England Business Panels provide an opportunity to hear the latest economic information, directly from the Bank of England’s experts.

The event is designed to stimulate discussions on any aspect of the economy, enabling people to be better informed about the local economy conditions.

The Spalding event takes place on February 28, from 7.30am to 9.30am at Sage Restaurant in the Red Lion Quarter.

It costs £10 plus VAT for people who are not members of the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce and breakfast is included. Members can attend for free.

Places are limited and booking as soon as possible is advised.

For more information, or to book your place, call Charlotte Robson on 01522 523333 stating how many places you would like.

TWO men have been arrested in connection with the theft of some cabling near to the railway line in Spalding.

The pair, who are both from the local area, were arrested shortly after the incident on South Drove, which happened last Monday.

Both have been granted police bail pending further inquiries until March 7.

Anyone with information about the theft is asked to contact DC Trotter at the British Transport Police by calling 0800 405040.

AN ELDERLY woman was “devastated” to discover that a dog owner had allowed their pet to defecate on her family’s grave.

The woman, who doesn’t want to be named, was upset and angry when a friend who had visited Spalding cemetery told her what had happened.

She said: “I’ve haven’t stopped crying over it.

“It’s disgusting and has really upset me.

“My mother, husband and son are all buried there and to think that someone has let their dog do that to my family’s final resting place is devastating.”

The woman, who is 79 and lives in Spalding, is disabled and unable to get to the cemetery regularly.

She said: “I rely on my son to tend to the grave for me but he lives away so it won’t be cleaned up until his next visit.

“I’m so angry and hurt by it. If people take their dogs in there they should be kept on a lead and they should be cleaning up after them.”

A spokesman for South Holland District Council, which has responsibility for the cemetery, said: “Although there is no specific restriction on dogs being allowed in Spalding Cemetery, we would insist owners kept their animals on a lead.

“Owners who are identified failing to clean up after their pets are liable to face a fixed penalty fine.

“We will consider placing appropriate signage at the cemetery to remind dog owners of their responsibilities.”

A CLERGYMAN who has served Spalding branch of The Royal British Legion for a quarter of a century, the Rev John Moon, was honoured at the legion headquarters in Spring Gardens.

Mr Moon, from Moulton, received a certificate and an engraved paperweight. He traditionally leads the Armistice service at Spalding Cemetery when poppy wreaths are laid on war graves and has taken many services on Remembrance Sunday in Ayscoughfee Gardens and at the legion’s memorial tree at Springfields.

Legion vice-chairman Wally Tennant said: “He’s been great. He’s a good man and his work is very much appreciated.”

Gifts were also presented to the Rev John Bennett and Sarah Chad for their work in adding names to the war memorial.