Everyone loves a ghost story, but a Crowland man says he had no idea he was in the middle of one when he took photographs inside the town’s abbey on a summer’s evening last year.

Paranormal enthusiast Michael Dragonetti believes there were some ghostly goings on that he did not see until he downloaded his pictures.

Mr Dragonetti (31), of Horseshoe Court, said he had simply gone to the abbey to take pictures of the historic building, first built at the end of the 7th century.

He said: “When I got home I had a look at the pictures and saw I had picked up some psychic extras.

“I used to belong to a group of paranormal enthusiasts, but on this occasion I just wanted to take some nice pictures of the inside of the abbey.

“But it’s always exciting when you find something unexpected.”

He said the pictures show multiple orbs – ghosts floating in the air above him.

Orbs are believed by paranormal enthusiasts to be ghosts in the forms of balls of light that travel in groups.

Sceptics would say orb artefacts that are found on photographs are captured during low-light instances where the camera’s flash is used, such as at night or underwater – or where a bright light source is near the lens.

However, Mr Dragonetti is convinced what he saw was paranormal. He said: “There have been more than one abbey on this site over the centuries and a lot of people have died and been buried here.

“My pictures show a lot of peaceful activity going on there.”

According to a paranormal data website, in 870 monks who embraced pagan ideals were cursed by the devil and told a new abbey would soon be built on the site and they would die before it became so. Soon after, a Viking raid levelled the building and all the monks died.

Mr Dragonetti said: “I’d like to think the pictures show generations of Crowland people meeting up.”

UPDATE FRIDAY 12PM: Residents living near the scene of an explosion in Bourne earlier today have been given the all-clear after bomb disposal experts were called in to investigate.

Police sealed off Sellwood Terrace, off Manning Road, after reports of an explosion at about 8am this morning thought to have been caused by an object, possibly a firework, in a bin bag.

Specialists from Lincolnshire Police’s explosives unit were drafted in to find the cause of the explosion and the area has now been declared safe.

No one was injured during the incident and there was no damage reported to nearby properties.

FRIDAY 11AM: Bomb disposal experts have been called in after reports of an explosion in Bourne this morning.

Sellwood Terrace, off Manning Road, has been sealed off by police after residents heard the explosion at around 8am this morning.

It is believed a firework or something similar contained in a rubbish bag was the cause but the road has been closed off to allow experts from Lincolnshire Police’s explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team to carry out investigations.

There are no reports of any injuries or damage to properties nearby.

A spokeswoman for Lincolnshire Police said: “Police were called at 8.30am this morning to Sellwood Terrace, off Manning Road, Bourne, where investigations are ongoing.

“It appears that something within a rubbish bag, possibly a firework or sommething similar, had caused a very small explosion.

“No one was injured and there was no damage to any properties but, as a precaution, the EOD attended the scene and the road is currently cordoned off to allow for investigations to take place.”

Fire crews faced a sticky situation in Lutton Marsh where a cow managed to get itself stuck in boggy ground on Thursday.

The drama unfolded just before 8.50pm when specially trained animal rescue officers were called to Marsh Road where a large cow was reported to be in difficulty.

Officers used ropes and leather strops to pull the cow from marshland and it was then treated by vets.

Talking about this year’s gardens, it would be easy to concentrate on what’s not happening, rather than what should or could be.

But how many times can you remember all the spring bulbs – snowdrops, crocuses, Iris reticulata, daffodils, early tulips – even grape hyacinths – all flowering at once? Quite a spectacle in one of our borders.

We should be seeing the first of the spring blossoming trees opening their petals, but apart from our native sloe and one or two early flowering plum varieties, they are not even showing their buds.

Herbaceous perennials are hardly through the ground, but the early flowering pansies are beginning to make an effort.

Assuming that the weather will one day improve, what we are likely to see is a profusion of spring plants – crab apples, flowering cherries, laburnum, early summer perennials and spring bedding – all in bloom at the same time, so get your cameras ready.

The one plant which hasn’t let us down this unusual season is the hellebore.

Whether you have magnificent hybrids such as Pirouette or the “cheap and cheerful” seedlings of the Lenten rose (Helleborus orientalis), they have all flowered their socks off.

Many species of hellebore seed themselves with promiscuous abandon, so, unless you are an obsessively tidy gardener and pull out every “weed”, one plant of H. orientalis can provide you with dozens of new plants in every shade from pure white, through pink, to deep maroon.

There are some excellent specimens in garden centres at the moment; if you plant now and leave the seed heads on, you will be well on your way to your own collection.

Next weekend sees the 55th and last ever Spalding Flower Parade.

There promises to be something for everyone in this year’s parade, the theme for which is Let’s Celebrate.

The parade of fabulous floats, bands and entertainers will leave Springfields Arena at 2pm on the Saturday and make its way around the town.

The main viewing sites are High Bridge, Market Place, Hall Place, New Road and Winfrey Avenue, although this year visitors can also watch along Pinchbeck Road and West Elloe Avenue.

Eighteen-year-old Inca Honnor will be heading up the parade in her role at Spalding Flower Queen 2013.

Inca was crowned at a glittering ceremony at Ayscoughfee Hall in March.

Accompanying Inca in this year’s parade will be the Lincolnshire Free Press Prince and Princess Ellis Newton (10) and Millie Weller (9).

Although the parade is the main attraction, there’s always plenty going on at Springfields to keep the family entertained.

From flower displays and classic cars to music, train rides and children’s games, there’s bound to be something to tickle your fancy.

While you’re in South Holland, why not visit some of the area’s other attractions?

Those on offer include Chain Bridge Forge, the Fun Farm and Laser Storm, Moulton Mill and Baytree Nurseries Garden Centre.

And don’t forget that many of the area’s churches put on stunning flower festivals to coincide with parade weekend.

nFor more information about Spalding Flower Parade, including a route map, pick up a copy of the official parade magazine.

It costs £2 and is available from the Lincolnshire Free Press office and other local newsagents.

The getaway driver for a gang who stole a shotgun in a raid has been told he cannot complain about his jail term.

Barry Steward (31), of West Parade, Wisbech, was locked up for four years at Lincoln Crown Court in October after admitting two counts of burglary.

Last week he challenged his sentence at London’s Criminal Appeal Court, with his lawyers arguing it was over the top for his crimes.

But his appeal was dismissed by three of the country’s most senior judges, who said thefts of lethal weapons were ‘always serious’ and merited severe sentences as such weapons could fall into the hands of criminals.

The court heard Steward was the driver for a gang who broke into properties in Durham Road, Dawsmere and Station Road, West Dereham, near King’s Lynn, on November 8, 2011. At the second property, the gang stole items worth £4,000 along with a shotgun.

Steward had his case adjourned so he could help police recover the weapon, but efforts proved fruitless and it remained missing.

His lawyers argued the crown court judge placed too much weight on the theft of the shotgun.

But dismissing the appeal, Judge Michael Pert QC, sitting with Lady Justice Hallett and Mr Justice Bean, said a ‘deterrent’ sentence was needed, given the fact the gun was unaccounted for.

The following decisions have been made recently by magistrates at court hearings. In all drink-drive cases the legal limit is 35 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood or 107 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of urine. Addresses of defendants published in these registers are taken from the legal records held by the magistrates’ courts. The details are given to the court by the defendant – but this may be some time after the original charge and they may have moved in the meantime.

Spalding Magistrates’ Court

Jackie Moore (22), of Station Street, Holbeach. Assault. Community order with 180 hours unpaid work. 2 year exclusion order. £50 compensation, £100 costs. Assault. Community order with 180 hours unpaid work. £50 compensation. Assault. Community order with 180 hours unpaid work. £50 compensation.

Carl Shand (30), c/o Knight Street, Pinchbeck. Assault. Community order with drug rehabilitation requirement. Assault. Community order with drug rehabilitation requirement. Failed to surrender to custody. Community order with drug rehabilitation requirement.

Julius Ziga (35), of Baulkins Drove, Sutton St James. Driving while disqualified. £150 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs. Disqualified for driving for 2 months. No separate penalty for no insurance.

Denise Clark (38), of Arnhem Way, Bourne. Drink driving (West Pinchbeck). Community order made with alcohol treatment requirement. £60 v/s, £85 costs. Disqualified from driving for 24 months. No separate penalties for licence office or no insurance.

Andris Ivzans (42), of Barge Close, Spalding. Theft of goods from B&M. £135 fine. Possession of offensive weapon. £200 fine. £20 v/s, £85 costs. Knife to be destroyed.

Steven Smith (27), of Roman Road, Moulton Chapel. Criminal damage. £475 fine. £48 v/s, £85 costs.

Boston Magistrates’ Court

Daniel Adamczyk (24), of Donington Road, Swineshead. Assault. 12 months conditional discharge. £200 compensation, £15 v/s, £85 costs.

Darren Brinkley (42), of Market Stead Estate, Kirton. Assault. 18 months conditional discharge. £85 costs.

Mark Harwood (41), of Chapelgate, Sutterton. CSA false representation. £200 fine, £15 v/s, £245 costs.

Grantham Magistrates’ Court

Brett Marrell (19), of Wedgewood Drive, Spalding. Riding a cycle without due care and attention (Wygate Park, Spalding). £300 fine, £30 victim surcharge. No separate penalty for no cycle lights.

Adrian Kelk (40), of Princes Street, Sutton Bridge. No insurance (Sutton Bridge). £110 fine, £20 v/s, 6pts. No separate penalty for licence offence.

Ross Cowley, of Fulney Avenue, Spalding. Failed to pay for tax disc. £400 fine, £125 back duty, £90 costs.

David Kitchen (54), of Sots Hole Bank, Holbeach St Matthews. Failed to pay for tax disc. £400 fine, £125 back duty, £90 costs.

Andrzej Bielenin, of George Street, Bourne. Incorrect insurance. £200 fine, £20 v/s, £110 costs.

Roland Bullock (41), Main Road, Dyke. Failed to pay for tax disc. £400 fine, £110 back duty, £90 costs.

Sarah Collins, of Meadowgate, Bourne. Incorrect insurance. £200 fine, £20 v/s, £110 costs.

Georgina Dirker (58), of Merlin Close, Bourne. Failed to notify change of ownership. £200 fine, £20 v/s, £90 costs.

Danny Flatters (26), of Stainfield Road, Kirkby Underwood. Incorrect insurance. £200 fine, £20 v/s, £110 costs.

Barrie Holland, of Festival Square, Sutton St James. £200 fine, £20 v/s, £110 costs.

Lesley Inman (45), of Victoria Grove, Morton. Incorrect insurance. £200 fine, £20 v/s, £110 costs.

Clive Lewsey (62), of Risegate Road, Gosberton. Failed to comply with SORN. £200 fine, £55 back duty, £90 costs.

M Linbergs (52), of Sheila Crescent, Spalding. Failing to notify change of ownership. £200 fine, £20 v/s, £90 costs.

Colin Rose, of Coggles Causeway, Bourne. Incorrect insurance. £200 fine, £20 v/s, £110 costs.

Janis Strzdins, of Cygnet Court, Spalding. Incorrect insurance. £200 fine, £20 v/s, £110 costs.

Tracey Worth, of Hereward Road, Spalding. Incorrect insurance. £75 fine, £20 v/s, £110 costs.

Alin-Ionut Gruia (26), of Bankes Road, Birmingham. Theft of goods belonging to Morrisons. 12 months conditional discharge, £48 compensation, £15 v/s, £85 costs.

Marian Ion (25), of Bankes Road, Birmingham. Theft of goods belonging to Morrisons. 12 months conditional discharge, £48 compensation, £15 v/s, £85 costs.

Nichola Arnold (42), of Rose Lane, Pinchbeck. Speeding (Whaplode). £200 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Alan Barney (69), of Risegate Road, Gosberton. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £250 fine, £15 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified for driving for 12 months.

Spencer Bird (28), of Anfield Road, Long Sutton. No MOT (Long Sutton). £35 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs. No separate penalty for failing to produce MOT.

Deborah Elderkin (49), of Edinburgh Walk, West Pinchbeck. Speeding (Spalding). £115 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Steven Forth (36), of West Cobgate, Moulton. Speeding (Moulton Seas End). £200 fine, £15 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Aleksandrs Gibals (25), of Hannam Boulevard, Spalding. Defective tyre (Boston). £400 fine, £40. v/s, £85 costs, 3pts

Nuno Moreira (35), of Royce Road, Spalding. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £200 fine, £15 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Piotr Niestriata (33), of Ryton Road, Boston. Speeding (Spalding). £85 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

John Overton (55), of Alvenor Street, Ilkeston. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £200 fine, £15 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Sara Ward (38), of Ancaster Road, Bourne. Speeding (Stamford). £35 fine, £15 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

John Wilson (26), of Rotherwood Crescent, Thurcroft, Rotherham. Speeding (Swineshead). £35 fine, £15 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Jason Guy (37), of Barge Close, Spalding. No insurance (Wyberton). £110 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

Anthony Hands (36), of Essex Way, Bourne. Speeding (Stamford). £130 fine, £15 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Arturas Aleknavicius (42), of Laburnum Grove, Spalding. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £130 fine, £15 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Steven Bamforth (59), of Spalding Road, Deeping St Nicholas. Speeding (Deeping St James). £265 fine, £26 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

Pawel Borowiece (31), of Little London, Spalding. Defective tyre (Spalding). £400 fine, £85 costs, 3pts.

Lorenzo Costa (23), of Dogsthorpe Road, Peterborough. Speeding (Whaplode). £200 fine, £15 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Andrius Gurauskas (28), of Spruce Close, Holbeach. No insurance (Holbeach). £600 fine, £60 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

Diane Hallett (42), of Old Wood, Skellingthorpe. Speeding (Swineshead). £200 fine, £15 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Jacek Lesnik (32), of Delft Court, Spalding. No insurance (Sutterton). £110 fine, £15 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 6 months.

Kristopher Moore (39), of Waterfall, Bretton. Speeding (Aslackby). £200 fine, £15 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Sarah Waters (49), of Waggoners Way, Morton. Failing to provide specimen of breath. Community order made with alcohol treatment requirement. £60 v/s, £200 costs, disqualified from driving for 20 months.

Betty Fogg (49), of Allenbys Chase, Sutton Bridge. Theft of goods from B&M Stores. £35 fine, £15 v/s, £45 costs. No separate penalty for failing to surrender to court. Breach of conditional discharge, £35 fine.

Alan Fletcher (40), of Broad Lane, Moulton. No insurance. £600 fine, £60 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

A man is in police custody today in connection with reports of threats being made against the public by someone with a knife in a Bourne street.

Police were called to Hereward Street this morning after a number of residents were allegedly threatened at knifepoint by a man living in the area.

The street was sealed off for a short time while negotiations took place with the man whose safety raised concerns with police, but no one was hurt.

The man was eventually arrested and the street reopened at about 12 noon.

A £1.5 million plan by Lincolnshire Police to recruit up to 1,000 volunteers for the force faces a crucial test of public support this week.

People in South Holland and across the county are being invited to fill in an online survey on a plan from Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Hardwick to draft “public-spirited” volunteers into the force.

The survey is being run by students at the University of Lincoln and asks people whether they are prepared to volunteer as a Special Constable, Police Community Support Officer or office worker at a police station.

A statement with the survey said: “The Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire recently suggested that he would like to recruit 1,000 new volunteers within Lincolnshire Police.

“The results of this questionnaire will provide a valuable insight into understanding the public’s perception of volunteering with the service.”

Mr Hardwick said: “I know there’s a great deal of public-spirited people in the county, otherwise I wouldn’t have been so bold in asking for 1,000 volunteers.”

You have until Sunday to complete the survey at www.lincolnshirealert.co.uk

A woman has paid tribute to a part-time bank worker who saved her mother’s life.

The customer, known only as Mrs P, wrote to the Lincolnshire Free Press to express her extreme gratitude to Trevor Wain after “small talk” with him at Spalding’s Halifax led to her mother being diagnosed as in the early stages of septic shock.

Mrs P’s mother had been recovering at home after a hip replacement following a fall at home.

She said: “She was not really herself but we put it down to the traumatic experience she had been involved in and thought she just needed time to recover.

“Then when I went to the Halifax the young man asked how I was and I told him about what had been happening at home.

“He seemed really interested and asked me a few more questions about mum. I told him that she seemed lethargic and sometimes away with the fairies due to the painkillers.

“He asked me to check on her when I got home and wrote a list of things to look for, such as how fast her heart was beating and how many breaths she was taking a minute.

“He said if they were not in a certain range to ring 999.”

Mrs P did as Trevor advised and as she did not want to overreact called 111, who sent an ambulance which rushed her mum straight to hospital.

She added: “I was told by that my mother had been in the early stages of septic shock and the quick actions that I had taken had prevented my mother from deteriorating and most importantly allowed their treatment to be effective.”

Mrs P’s mother is now out of hospital and is “back to her old self and doing well”.

She said: “I often visit the Spalding branch of Halifax and have always felt valued but the actions of this young man saved my mother’s life.”

Luckily for Mrs P, Trevor is a trained LIVES (Lincolnshire Integrated Voluntary Emergency Service) First Responder, as well as working as an emergency care assistant for a private ambulance service, and is off to university in September to train as a paramedic.

Trevor (29) said: “I am really pleased that the customer’s mother is on the mend.

“Being an emergency care assistant is really my day job, so really I was just doing my job only I was in my bank uniform rather than my greens.

“When Mrs P started describing what was happening I had my suspicions so I asked her to go through the checklist for the six signs of sepsis.

“I wasn’t in a position to diagnose her, I just advised Mrs P to check her heart rate and breathing and seek medical advice if she was concerned.”

Stephen Hyde, of LIVES, said: “This just goes to show that First Responders really do save lives, even when they are not on duty. Well done Trevor.”

Eight people, including a Crowland man, involved in a heroin supply and money laundering conspiracy have been given sentences totalling more than 65 years following a six week trial at Norwich Crown Court.

Darren Driscoll (38), of Church Lane, Crowland, was given eight and half years for conspiracy to supply drugs.

Key players in the racket between January 2011 and July 2012 included members of the Higginson family from Wisbech and Downham Market.

As he passed sentences, Judge Stephen Holt said the convictions for conspiracy to supply class A drugs followed “what must have been an enormously complex and detailed investigation”.

He added: “It cannot be overemphasised what a trail of destruction the distribution of heroin brings.”

He said there was no firm evidence of the amount brought into the area although three kilograms were seized in one raid.

David Higginson (67), of Begdale Road, Elm, Wisbech was jailed for 12 years. He had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs, heroin.

Son Paul Higginson (38), also of Begdale Road, pleaded guilty to the conspiracy and money laundering and was given a total of ten years and eight months.

David’s wife Denise Higginson (58), also of Begdale Road, received six years for the conspiracy.

Daughter Sarah Higginson (37), of Silt Road, Nordelph, near Downham Market, was given six and a half years for conspiracy and money laundering. Paul Ward (44), also of Silt Road, also received six and a half years for conspiracy and money laundering.

Kabir Hussain (34), of Artillery Street, Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, was given 12 years for conspiracy and money laundering and possessing class A and B drugs.

Mohammed Tariq (47), from Karachi, was jailed for four years for money laundering after police found him in possession of a total of £127,565 in a car.

Another defendant Megan Morris (36), of Ellen Crescent, Spalding, is still to be sentenced.

Three men suspected of entering the UK illegally have been arrested in Cowbit today after a tip-off from a member of the public.

The men were arrested at about 8.45am after police received a report of them walking along Moulton Chapel Road and they are currently in custody at Spalding Police Station.

Officials from the UK Border Agency are now dealing with the matter.

“Big sky” thinking is being used by South Holland’s MP to support campaigners who are raising £40,000 to stop a wind farm being built in Sutton St James.

Minutes after giving evidence at a public inquiry into plans by Wind Ventures Ltd to build Treadings Bank Wind Farm with six 126-metre high turbines, John Hayes said he had spoken of the joy of living in Fenland and why it should be protected.

Mr Hayes said: “Emptiness of the countryside is not a reason to support wind farms. The joy of Fenland is its big skies.

“When I come home from London I feel liberated by its openness.

“You can see forever. For me it is spiritual – it’s magical.”

Some 30 to 40 members of protest group FenRATS gathered outside the Boathouse in Wisbech yesterday to show their objection on the first of an eight-day hearing.

It has engaged the services of a barrister and experts at an estimated cost of £40,000.

Wind Ventures lodged an appeal after both Fenland District Council and South Holland District Council rejected their application last year.

Senior parliamentary adviser to David Cameron, Mr Hayes said: “I was speaking as the local MP and said the plan was a totally unacceptable development that would have a adverse impact on the countryside and affect the quality of life of the residents.

“I already had objected when the application was made and although I was speaking as an MP I pointed out national policy was against the wrong wind farm being built in the wrong place. I am hoping we will get the backing we want for local people.”

Hundreds of people looking for work were spoilt for choice at South Holland Centre where an employment fair was held on Tuesday.

More than 30 employers, including Spalding-based Bakkavor, Fowler Welch and University Academy Holbeach, met jobseekers desperate for their first pay packet to offer advice on finding work.

Jobs Opportunity Fair, organised by South Holland District Council and Jobcentre Plus, drew about 450 people and left both employers and organisers pleased with its success.

Stuart Picksley, HR adviser for Fowler Welch, said: “As one of the largest employers in Spalding, we’re regular exhibitors at the jobs fair.

“I thought this year’s event was very well-organised, quite a lot of people came through the doors and there was a lot of interest shown in our firm.”

Anita Howard, business development manager for Boston College, said: “We looked at potential apprenticeships with people, gave them advice about courses offered in Spalding and, we hope, helped people into employment.

“There was a real buzz about the place and we had a positive response from the people we spoke to.”

The event built upon the success of two similar fairs held in Spalding last April and in Holbeach in October 2011.

South Holland District Council cabinet member Coun Rodney Grocock said: “It was a tremendous success and the council’s economic development team did a really good job in organising it.

“In the first 15 minutes alone, about 155 people came through the doors who were seeking work in the South Holland area and that just shows how much the event has grown over the years.”

A Gosberton Fen woman plans to live below the poverty line on £1 a day next week to raise money for charity.

Amy Dickinson is taking part in a global fundraising challenge for five days, starting on Monday.

The Oxfam regional support executive is hoping to raise awareness of 1.4 billion people worldwide living in extreme poverty.

Oxfam is one of 33 organisations in the UK supporting Live Below the Line – a fundraising challenge by the Global Poverty Project.

Now in its third year, Live Below the Line challenges people to spend just £1 a day on food and drink – the extreme poverty threshold beneath which 1.4 billion people worldwide have to survive on each day.

Amy hopes to raise at least £250. She said: “My first thought on seeing the challenge was how difficult it would be. I have suffered from a mild medical condition for many years which is completely manageable.

“I know how important food is to managing my condition but medical issues can affect anyone and I imagine that there are lots of people living under the poverty line with chronic conditions that are not only made worse by lack of medicine but by lack of nutrition as well. I am hoping the challenge will help me gain an insight into what struggles they face.

“I have just run a 10k and raised quite a lot of money so I’m mindful of the fact a lot of people may not want to give to me again so soon.

“My plan for fundraising is to carry a collection pot with me raising awareness and inviting people to donate £1.”

The project is supported by celebrities, politicians and top chefs, including Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Jean Christophe-Novelli who have provided recipes based on the daily budget of £1 – or 33p a portion. Recipes are available on Live Below the Line’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LBLuk

To sign up to the campaign visit www.livebelowtheline.com/uk-oxfam

Two youths have been arrested in connection with an assault in Spalding today where a man suffered serious injuries.

Police were called to Double Street at about 3am where a man, whose age is as yet unknown, was found injured.

He was taken to Pilgrim Hospital, Boston, before being transferred to Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, where he is being treated for head injuries.

A 17 and 19-year-old youth were arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and are being questioned by police.

The road has been closed off by police while investigations continue and and anyone with information should call 101, quoting incident number 58 of April 28.

You can also call Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555 111.

Cancer patients in South Holland and their families can get help and advice from a new group being launched this week.

The first meeting of South Holland Cancer Support Group is being held at St Barnabas Hospice Day Centre, Clover Way, Woolram Wygate, Spalding, on Thursday at 7pm.

People are invited to bring ideas for the group which has been set up by complementary therapist Ann Croucher from Sutton Bridge, with the suppport of Lincolnshire Carers Partnership.

Ann said: “I was helping a lady who has survived cancer and she said there was no support group in the area for people to turn to for help.

“I mentioned it to a friend of mine, Midge Clayton who works with St Barnabas Hospice, and we feel the group is for anyone who has been affected by cancer and needs that extra bit of support.”

Fundraising friends were bowled over after their pub party in memory of a teenager who died from cancer raised more than £2,000.

Julie Smith and Julie Bull decided to hold an event in honour of Callum Pite who died on New Year’s Day after a battle with cancer.

They are both friends with Callum’s mum Michelle, of Pinchbeck, who has thrown herself into setting up a new charity in her son’s name as a way of helping her cope with her grief.

On Saturday, they organised an event at The Hole in the Wall pub, where party-goers were invited to wear red in honour of Callum’s love for Liverpool football team.

There was also karaoke with a difference – where singers had to pay 50p per song, while listeners could pay £1 to make them stop.

A raffle, with dozens of prizes donated by friends of the fundraising Julies, also boosted the total, as did a silent auction for a 2010/11 signed Arsenal shirt, which sold for £410.

A player for the Punchbowl football team Matthew Aylett had pledged to have his head shaved if the girls managed to raise £1,000, with Julie Bull promising to be shorn too if the total reached £2,200.

Matthew lost his hair just before 10pm – with Julie having to give in to the scissors just before midnight.

Julie Bull said: “We were totally amazed by the turn out for the event and we certainly didn’t expect to raise that much money.

“I really didn’t expect to lose my hair.”

Julie Smith added: “When we decided to do this I said I would be pleased if we raised £500, so we are blown away by what we raised.”

Michelle Pite, who is hoping the fundraiser will enable her to officially register the Callum Pite Smile Charity, said: “I am delighted but really not surprised.

“The Julies are so popular and really put a lot of effort in.”

A charity which tries to steer young people away from a life of crime is the latest beneficiary of Smile Fund cash.

The Smile Fund is a £10,000 pot of money put up by the Spalding and District Round Table.

For the last few months the Spalding Guardian has been inviting readers to apply for a slice of the cash for a project to benefit themselves, their group or community.

A panel from the Round Table has been sifting through hundreds of applications to find worthy causes to dish out donations to.

Recently Matt Clark, fundraising convenor for the group, handed over £250 to Mark LeSage, founder of the Rightside Trust.

The trust was set up in 1995 to educate young people about the grim reality of spending time locked up in prison for committing crime.

In 2009 the trust took possession of a mobile “prison cell”, which is used to give young people first-hand experience of what it is like to be locked up.

Next year it is hoping to roll out an initiative to teach young people about the effects on their health of getting involved in crime.

Mr Clark said: “Mark hosted the Spalding and District Round Table’s boxing night and kindly waived his fee, so instead we have made a contribution to the Rightside Trust.

“We believe it is an excellent charity, well worthy of our support, so I was delighted to hand over £200 to help Mark carry out his work.”

Mark added: “We are most grateful for the contribution.”

*Spalding and District Round Table has teamed up with the Spalding Guardian to offer £10,000 to help good causes in the community.

And the great news is that there are really very few limits to who can apply to the Smile fund. Applicants can be individuals (for themselves or on behalf of someone else), a group of people, a club, an organisation or maybe a school.

A panel, including Round Table members and a representative of the Spalding Guardian, will decide which applications will be backed with a donation of up to £500.

Requests for amounts over £500 will still be considered but will be put before all Round Table members for a decision.

So, fill in the application form in the Spalding Guardian every Thursday, or email tracey.sweetland@jpress.co.uk with all the same information which is requested on the form.

Saturday’s flower parade will be the end of an era for South Holland.

It will be the 55th – and final – parade, and over the years millions of people will have watched what has been dubbed the greatest free spectacle in the UK.

Hundreds of local people have been involved in staging the production each year, from pinning tulip heads on to floats to driving the tractors that tow the floats along the parade route.

There are plans for an alternative people’s parade in future, but in the meantime tribute should be paid to the growers, organisers and volunteers who have worked with enthusiasm to put on the event over the last half century.

According to the Lincolnshire Free Press of April 25, 1950, the snowdrop was the beginnings of the district’s once famous bulb industry.

Apparently, “far-seeing pioneers John Thomas White, Richard Wellband and Frederick Culpin” had experimented with its bulb and those of other flowers 70 years previously. They found the local soil was particularly suitable for growing daffodils and by 1900 the production of those bulbs had spread to the surrounding district.

At the same time, the growing of tulips was becoming more widespread and by 1907 they had become of commercial importance.

The industry continued to expand until in 1939 the total acreage under tulips and daffodils was just under 5,000.

Five years after hostilities ended, the total acreage under bulbs was still only about 50 per cent of what was grown in 1939.

In 1950, when 18-year-old Joan Roberts was crowned “Tulipland’s first queen”, about 3,000 acres were in bloom.

Of those, about 450 acres were along an officially designated Tuliptime route that drew thousands of sightseers each year for three successive Sundays.

Joan was to tour the tulip fields on two of those Sundays – and sweetheart of the Forces Vera Lynn was another Tuliptime visitor that year.

Just eight years later, the Tulip Queen crowned in 1958 wowed the crowds by making her tour of the bulb fields in the first ever float, decorated with 50,000 tulip heads by Geest Industries Ltd.

Janet Bray was Tulip Queen that year and her attendants were Pat Newbatt and Jean Davis.

Their procession around the colourful fields of flowers in the floral float was described as “the most triumphant of all tours” and obviously set the model that was followed in successive years.

Floats became bigger, ever more imaginative, and the crowds came. But farmers switched to other crops, float sponsors became harder to find and finally the parade failed to create the mass interest it had once enjoyed.