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.

Grantham Magistrates’ Court

Craig Denton (46), of Fen Road, Donington. No insurance (Grantham). £600 fine, £85 costs, 6pts.

Donna Gunn (27), of Alan Jarvis Way, Terrington St Clement. Speeding (Whaplode). £200 fine, £20 victim surcharge, £85 costs, 3pts.

Geidrius Kiukevicius (24), of Windsor Bank, Boston. No insurance (Kirton). £600 fine, £60 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts. No separate penalty for failing to produce insurance certificate, for no MoT,for failing to produce driving licence and for driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

Adrian Klosowski (21), of Merlin Close, Bourne. Driving with damaged windscreen. £400 fine, £40 v/s, £85 costs.

Melissa Turnell (22), of Nicolette Way, Spalding. No insurance (Stamford). £350 fine, £35 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 14 days. No separate penalty for failing to comply with a stop sign.

Leonard Bainbridge (77), of West End, Hogsthorpe, Skegness. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £200 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 4pts.

Lukasz Bardzinski (30), of Weasenham Lane, Wisbech. Speeding (Whaplode). £300 fine, £15 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Adam Kirk (29), of Lawyers Close, Holbeach. No insurance (Holbeach). £600 fine, £60 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

William Speedman (26), of Bramfield Drive, Newcastle Under Lyme. Speeding (Whaplode). £37 fine, £15 v/s, £40 costs, disqualified from driving for six months.

Robert Thompson (42), of Braybrooks Way, Moulton Chapel. Speeding (Sibsey). £200 fine, £15 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Mark Bristow (44), of Austendyke Road, Weston Hills. Speeding (Spalding). £135 fine, £15 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Zoe Cox (22), of Cemetary Road, Bicker. No insurance (Boston). £180 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts. No separate penalty for failing to produce insurance certificate.

Neil Floyd (41), of Grimshill Floyd, Whitstable. Speeding (Spalding). £60 fine, £15 v/s, 3pts.

Dennis Payne (41), of West Avenue, Ramsey. Driving a vehicle with a crane on the rear in the raised position, causing damage to overhead cables (Market Deeping). £365 fine, £36 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Barry Maltby (31), of Tower View, Horsington, Woodhall Spa. No insurance (Wyberton). £100 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts. No separate penalty for a licence offence.

Lisa Wright (35), of Dog Drove North, Holbeach Drove. Speeding (Whaplode). £55 fine, £15 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Tarzan Hadzaj (23), of Woodview, Bourne. Three counts of assault. Community order made with supervision requirement. £60 v/s.

Gareth Hodson (34), of North Road, Bourne. Assault. Community order made with requirement to participate in building better relationships. £60 v/s, £85 costs.

Mark Andrews (48), of Fairview Way, Spalding. Failing to produce driver ID. £600 fine, £60 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

Lorraine Rogers (54), of West Street, Crowland. Failing to produce driver ID. £600 fine, £60 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts

Geoffrey Dunn (57), of Rockcliffe Road, Bacup, Lancs. Speeding (Whaplode). £135 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

A brand new fundraising idea will see auctions at Spalding’s market this Saturday and the following Saturday for Two Lips.

Please donate your unwanted goods to the auction outside NatWest Bank between 7.45am and 10am on both days.

Retired auctioneer, Rotarian Alan Porter, has so far had 50-60 lots donated for this Saturday’s auction and goods range from a pair of vases to a mountain bike.

Alan said: “Selling starts at 10am. There’s no VAT and no commission – the hammer price is what you pay.”

Two Lips had a market stall on Saturday and raised just over £100.

But an event they were banking on to bring in the pounds – a car boot sale on Sunday – had to be cancelled as only two booters turned up to sell their wares.

Alan said: “It was a disaster.”

But members of Spalding Rotary Club have their fingers crossed that supporters 
will now turn out in force to help St John Ambulance, Spalding Age UK, St Barnabas Hospice, South Lincs Competitive Swimming Club and Spalding Amateur Swimming Club.

Rotarians are collecting for Two Lips at Sainsbury’s this week so please give as generously as you can.

You can also donate anything you can afford by text or go online.

For text donations, please text LIPS £1 to 70070 (any number can be substituted for the £1) – Two Lips will get your £1 plus 25p if you respond to the Gift Aid reply.

Online donations go to www.justgiving.com/twolips and just hit the donate button.

The Lincolnshire Free Press and Spalding Guardian still have tables left for 
our great Lips ‘n’ Chips Quiz at St Norbert’s Church Hall 
this Friday.

We are looking for teams of four to eight people to snap up the remaining tickets, which cost £8 and include fish and chips from Sheddy Turner’s Fish Restaurant.

Please come along with your family, friends or workmates as this promises to be a fun night.

Quiz master Nigel Chapman, our former deputy editor, will be setting the questions.

Tonight (Tuesday) Spalding Rotary are holding an authentic Indian meal at Indus, where the bosses of the restaurant in Winsover Road, Spalding, are donating a big slice of the meal price to Two Lips.

The highlight of this week’s Two Lips fundraising week comes on Saturday night when a glittering ball is held at Spalding’s Castle Sports Complex.

The star attraction on the night is a performance by the UK’s top Abba tribute band.

Spalding eye specialists Molsom Optometrists have been boosted by an almost unanimous show of support from its patients, according to an independent survey.

More than 99 per cent of people questioned rated the quality of care and professional services offered by Molsom and Associates, based in Hall Place, as either good or excellent.

Every patient seen at the practice in Spalding between January and April this year was invited to take part in the survey, with the results then analysed and published by an independent research company.

Out of more than 230 patients who responded to the survey, 83 per cent rated the overall service as excellent and just under 17 per cent said it was good.

About 91 per cent of respondents thought their expectations of the practice had been very well met and 88 per cent said they would recommend Molsom and Associates to their family.

The results are a big boost to the family-owned firm which opened in Spalding in 1997 and expanded to Donington in 2008.

Owner Andy Molsom said: “We always strive to offer local people the very best in eye care and eyewear, but it’s not until you undertake an independent survey of this kind that you gather objective data that has real meaning.

“We’re delighted with the findings but we’re not complacent and we know people can choose from a wide range of practices for their eye care needs.

“So our goal is to constantly improve in all areas of provision, building long-term relationships with all the family.”

A weekly column by Scott Woods

Firstly, findings have been published surrounding the mandatory ‘auto-enrolment’ company pension schemes that I wrote about recently.

According to a study from pension consultants Towers Watson, nine out of ten auto-enrolled workers are staying in their company pension plans. The study is based on data from more than 90 per cent of FTSE 100 employers.

“Take-up at this rate is a huge success,” said a Towers Watson senior consultant. “It is still early days, with auto-enrolment still to roll out to mid-size and small employers, but the result is far better than hoped for.”

This is great news because it means that more and more people will be benefitting from employer contributions into their pension pots and improving their retirement income accordingly.

If you are an employer or employee and need more information concerning how you will be affected by the new-rules, then please get in touch.

Secondly, to the not new, but still topical potential problem of interest-only mortgages.

Industry regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has revealed that the mass problems envisaged by the industry regarding defaults caused by the ‘ticking time bomb’ of interest-only mortgages have failed to materialise.

Its long-awaited review into the state of the interest-only mortgage market found that 90 per cent of customers had a repayment strategy in place. However, it also found that 37 per cent of consumers had a “definite or possible” shortfall based on their own estimates, with the average client owing approximately £22,000.

The modelled data, carried out for the regulator by research company GFK, revealed that 34 per cent of mortgages that will mature before 2022 could experience a shortfall of £50,000 or higher.

Martin Wheatley, chief executive of the FCA, said: “By acting now we are aiming to nip this problem in the bud.”

He highlighted the recent trend among lenders to contact their most at-risk customers with a wake-up call to highlight the report’s findings and tell them what they needed to do without delay.

Again, if you have an endowment shortfall or are worried about repaying your interest-only mortgage, then seek advice, because the problem is unlikely to go away on its own.

Spalding chartered accountants Duncan & Toplis are quizzing East Midlands farmers about the state of their business – and they will reveal the results of their survey at Cereals 2013 at Boothby Graffoe in June.

The first ever Duncan & Toplis Agricultural Survey is being conducted via telephone interviews with farmers across the region. The aim is to build up a picture of how the agricultural sector is faring in these times of austerity, rising food prices and unpredictable weather patterns.

Duncan & Toplis plans to interview around 100 farmers, asking them questions ranging from employment plans and machinery purchasing to investment in renewable energy and farm diversification.

“These are challenging times for the region’s farmers and as business advisers we are keen to learn how the agricultural sector is coping,” said Mark Chatterton, a partner and agricultural specialist at Duncan & Toplis in Newark.

“Arable farms enjoyed good profits a year or so ago but the wet summer last year and the extended cold spring this year have caused problems for many – and livestock farmers have also struggled with highly unusual weather conditions.

“All this comes on top of a sluggish UK economy, a double dip recession and volatile food prices, a combination of conditions which is making life very difficult for the farming sector.

“We’re asking farmers how their business is coping and what they think the future holds for the sector, and their responses are bound to make interesting reading.”

A provisional licence holder drank four or five pints before crashing his moped into a parked Honda car.

Simon Tough (46) was on his way from Mulberry’s Bar to his home Horseshoe Road, Spalding, when the accident happened as he turned into Parkway at about 10.50pm on April 19.

A witness spoke to Tough and then reported the incident to police, Spalding magistrates heard.

Rebecca Ritson, prosecuting, said police attended Tough’s home at about 11.15pm and a test later showed he had 77 microgrammes of alcohol in breath – more than double the legal limit of 35mcgs.

Miss Ritson said Tough told police he had drunk four or five pints that night.

He said he hit the parked car on a side road because he turned too sharply, couldn’t see any damage and rode on, intending to “sort things out the next day”.

Miss Ritson said: “He didn’t leave a note or knock on the door but he remembers someone stopping another car and asking if he was all right.”

Tough, who pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol, was banned from driving for 20 months but can cut five months off the ban if he attends a rehabilitation course.

He was fined £110 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

The prosecution withdrew a charge of failing to stop and give a name and address after an accident.

Solicitor Anita Toal, mitigating, said: “The irony is that Mr Tough rarely drinks, only at Christmas.”

He went into the bar and had a non-alcoholic drink, but then thought he would have some alcohol.

She said Tough had been under a lot of stress, was made redundant last year and had been in and out of work.

“Things got too much for him that night and he had a drink and decided to drive the relatively short distance home,” Mrs Toal said.

Moulton’s John Harrox School team are the Lincolnshire Primary Schools Quickstix hockey champions.

The youngsters won through against the Spalding schools and then triumped against winners from the Bourne and Holbeach area, before competing in the finals.

Nerves were clearly evident as the squad of Mayhew, Barnes, Taylor, Craig, Greetham, McKendrick and Bell began their campaign.

Their first game saw them up against last years winners St Gilberts and despite playing some fluid hockey they were unlucky to hit the post three times and lost the first game 2-0.

After an injection of self belief however they went out and dominated the next six games, winning them all.

The squad worked hard for each other as they rotated around positions, defending and attacking as a unit.

Mayhew used his skill to open up games while Barnes and McKendrick constantly found the back of the net.

Taylor was impressive as he defended calmly and moved the ball through the midfield to both create and score goals.

It was Queen Inca rather than the Queen Vic holding centre stage when a former Eastenders star joined her to open The Umbrella in Spalding.

Dean Gaffney, who played Robbie Jackson, was on ribbon-cutting duties on Saturday to give a new lease of life to Spalding’s newly renamed youth centre in Westlode Street.

The actor has appeared with Polka Dot Pantos on the Spalding stage and it was Polka Dot’s boss, Darren Maddison, who helped set up the group that runs the centre, Supportive Parents of Tomorrow’s Stars (SPOTS).

Hannah Amess, operations manager at The Umbrella, said: “We had quite a lot of new, fresh faces and they really enjoyed meeting Inca and Dean, who were very supportive of our work.”

An out of work lorry driver made off without paying for red diesel in three separate visits to the filling station at Morrisons.

Garry Abbott got away with fuel worth £23.99 from the Pinchbeck store on March 5 and then repeated the offence twice within a week, taking fuel worth £64.95 on March 18 and £55.66 on March 22.

Abbott (41), of Black Prince Avenue, Market Deeping, was sentenced to a 12 month community order with 80 hours’ unpaid work. He must also pay £144.60 compensation to the supermarket.

Abbott admitted three counts of making off without payment for fuel and admitted driving without a valid licence and insurance. His licence was endorsed and he received six points .

Rebecca Ritson, prosecuting, said the fuel station manager was told by a member of staff on March 5 that a man had stolen some red diesel.

Abbott had gone into the filling station shop, asked which pump delivered red diesel, and returned moments later to buy cigarettes.

He was asked if he had drawn any fuel, but said ‘no’.

Miss Ritson said seconds later a red dot appeared on a screen to show fuel had been drawn.

The manager was on duty himself on March 18 when he saw a red dot on a screen and rang the manager of the main store to check CCTV, which showed a man wearing a red jacket beside a blue Peugeot.

Abbott put fuel into containers and left without paying.

On March 22 filling station staff realised a pump was releasing fuel, but couldn’t see anyone because Abbott was bent down filling up cans.

“There was a red coat involved again which rang alarm bells,” Miss Ritson said.

Mrs Toal, for Abbot, said: “These offences were committed when he was desperate financially.”

She said Abbott had been trying to find work since October.

He has a partner and a four-week-old baby and is trying to provide for them.

A firm which claims it has been libelled by a Spalding human rights activist has been given longer to prepare its court case against him.

Andy Hall was due to appear at court in Bangkok last Wednesday to face criminal charges relating to claims he has made about Thai company Natural Fruit.

The company claims Mr Hall’s allegations of human rights abuses against its workers have resulted in a “significant loss of reputation” and that it has been “loathed and looked down upon by the public and overseas persons who received knowledge of the defendant’s claims”.

Mr Hall claims his research shows violations of workers’ rights, including the use of child labour, lower than minimum wage pay and refusal to allow workers days off and bonuses in line with the law.

Natural Fruit is one of Thailand’s biggest pineapple exporters.

It has issued criminal and civil cases against Mr Hall (33), who could face a prison term and damages of US$10million.

Mr Hall did not attend the court hearing last Wednesday when Natural Fruit’s lawyer asked the Bangkok South Criminal Court for permission to postpone the next case hearing to July 8 to allow time for further preparation.

Last month Mr Hall wrote on his blog that he is willing to face the court as soon as Natural Fruit provide him with 
documentation of its case against him.

He said: “At this point, my legal team and I cannot prepare because we don’t know the case against us. That’s why we are not attending any of the hearings at court.

“Once we find out the case against us, we can prepare a counterclaim and sue the Natural Fruit Company.

“The research we conducted and reported is completely true.

“There’s clearly no intention for me to defame them or do anything wrong, just to present the truth in the public interest and to protect the workers in the factory.

“I certainly have all the documents and evidence to show that there is abuse going on at the factory, so there is no doubt that we will win the case because what we have said is true.”

The boss of a motor repairs firm objected to a new homes development because residents will suffer noise and fumes from his business.

David Tointon, of Tointon’s Motors, told councillors the nearest home to his premises is 27 metres away – and there is a planning condition that the occupier must be someone connected to his business.

But plans from Lincolnshire Field Products will see 11 homes built and one of the plots is just three metres away from his site.

Mr Tointon told South Holland’s planning committee on Wednesday that some of the homes will be seriously compromised by a noisy, busy garage and harmful fumes from the MoT test station.

The site for the homes at Kirkgate/Cross Street in Whaplode was formerly Green’s car park.

Coun Andy Tennant said the area was “screaming out” for residential development.

He said: “It’s an unusual way around for a business owner/operator to be asking to refuse residential because it’s close to their business – it’s normally the other way around.

“Hopefully we can help the operator feel assured that they should be able to live side by side.”

Coun Tennant said he had lived all his life next to an MoT station and didn’t consider it to be a bad neighbour.

Councillors voted 8-4 to allow the new development, which will include four affordable homes.

Clive Wicks, the developer’s agent, told the committee: “With regard to Tointon’s Motors, we are happy to live alongside them provided they fully meet with their planning permission obligations and their environmental obligations.

“The hours of operation you agreed are totally acceptable to my client and we all want Tointon’s, a local business, to operate successfully – but, like yourselves, within the council’s terms.”

He said Lincolnshire Field Products bought the land following the closure of Green’s and were going to build a mix of housing to provide “a varied and characterful street scene”, create construction jobs and a profit to be reinvested in Lincolnshire Field Products.

Spalding food manufacturing giant Bakkavor Group is on the lookout for the next generation of star workers keen to make their mark with the firm.

Careers in administration, engineering, manufacturing and process development are all being by Bakkavor through its Advanced Apprenticeship Scheme which has now been launched.

School leavers, jobseekers and people looking for a career change are being targeted by the firm which is operating the scheme throughout its divisions, Bakkavor Spalding, Bakkavor Pizza, Wingland Foods and Fresh Meal Solutions.

Pippa Greenslade, Bakkavor Group’s human resources director, said: “The food and grocery industry is at the forefront of global news as people take a greater interest in the food they consume and its origin.

“Creating opportunities for young people within the communities we work in is particularly important to us and Bakkavor’s apprenticeships offer an introduction to a world class industry.

“It also provided a great career for anyone who has the enthusiasm and drive to make the most of the opportunities we have available.”

Bakkavor Group was among more than 30 employers to attend a Jobs Opportunity Fair in Spalding last month organised by South Holland District Council and Jobcentre Plus.

About 450 people looking for careers advice attended the event and the food firm is keen to hear from those looking for hands-on experience in the food manufacturing industry.

A Bakkavor Group spokeswoman said: “Bakkavor was delighted to participate in the Jobs Opportunity Fair because, as a long-established employer in the area, the company realises the value of sourcing talent in the Spalding area and places great emphasis on recruiting locally.”

Successful applicants will start their two-year apprenticeship in September which includes vocational training at the University of Lincoln’s campus in Holbeach.

Trainees work towards their Level Three Diploma in Food Industry Skills while paid by Bakkavor and for more details, log onto www.bakkavor.com/careers/graduates-and apprentices

Police found a driver three times the legal drink-drive limit when his car was broken down at the roadside.

Matthew Stanley was in Main Road, Quadring, on May 6 last year when officers stopped to speak to him at 1.30am.

Rebecca Ritson, prosecuting, said Stanley’s breath smelled of drink.

He failed the roadside test and a later test at the police station revealed he had 105 microgrammes of alcohol in breath – the legal limit is 35mcgs.

Stanley (34), of Turnstone Way, Stanground, Peterborough, originally pleaded not guilty because he had some drink in the car, but changed his plea according to solicitor Rachel Stevens because he could not prove that.

He was given a 36 month ban at Spalding Magistrates’ Court on Thursday because it was his third drink-related driving conviction since 2008.

But he can cut 9 months off the ban if he completes a rehabilitation course.

Stanley was given a year’s community order with 120 hours’ unpaid work.

He had also admitted two counts of failing to surrender to bail and one of driving without insurance.

Stanley was fined £110 for the insurance offence and was ordered to pay £150 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Alan Hardwick’s first six months as Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner will come under the spotlight in a BBC Radio 4 broadcast tonight.

The Report, which starts at 8pm, looks at whether the police have become more accountable since directly elected Commissioners were brought in by the Government in November 2012.

It also looks at key decisions made by different Commisioners about budgets, staffing and policing priorities.

Mr Hardwick didn’t take part in the programme which does include an interview with Coun Dennis Farnsworth, chairman of Spalding East Rural Community Policing Panel whose members questioned the Commissioner at a meeting last month.

Coun Farnsworth said: “The BBC reporter latched onto a report about the meeting and wanted to interview me about it.

“I was a bit apprehensive about it because I didn’t want to put myself on the spot.

“But I spoke to the police and they were happy for me to be interviewed about the panel meeting and a letter I sent to the Commissioner in which I was trying to give him feedback from the meeting.”

Coun Farnsworth claimed that several people who attended the meeting were unimpressed by Mr Hardwick and his answers to questions about his role.

“After the panel meeting, I spoke to several people who had stayed behind and they all expressed disappointment with the way the Commissioner had responded to the questions.

“I wrote to Mr Hardwick and said that he hadn’t really explained what his policies were and how they would be attained.

“I got a letter back from the Commissioner that said people could look them up on the internet which to me wasn’t a good enough answer.”

Speaking to the Guardian a few days after the meeting, Mr Hardwick said: “I thought it was a very good and challenging meeting where I learnt a lot more from the people I was talking to than they learnt from me.”

It’s been a home for Belgian refugees in the First World War, a ballet school and a wedding reception venue.

Since 1986, Spalding’s Grade 1 listed Ayscoughfee Hall has been a museum and its grounds have long been the perfect place to head to on a summer’s day.

However, Ayscoughfee Hall has been an imposing landmark in the town since it was built in the 1450s, when Henry VI was on the throne, probably by someone called Ayscough.

According to museum officer Julia Knight it was built as a stately family home. Of the families who lived in it, the most famous were the Johnsons, who gave their name to the local hospital. They were in the house from the mid-17th century until the house was sold to the people of Spalding in 1898 – for £2,000.

The first Johnson – John – was followed by six generations of Maurice Johnson, and the most interesting of these is the second (1688-1755), a lawyer by profession, who was an antiquarian and had an interest in science. It was he who founded Spalding Gentlemen’s Society and corresponded with people such as Sir Isaac Newton, Alexander Pope and William Stukeley, who was a childhood friend. Incidentally, he and his wife Elizabeth had 26 children.

Julia says: “The most frustrating thing from my point of view is that they sold the contents of the house at the same time as the house so we have the catalogue of things that were here. If they had stayed here, we’d be like a National Trust property and have the rooms as they were.

“Practically, we are not that type of museum because, to bring us right up to date, we had a big Heritage Lottery Fund grant and closed for a few years about ten years ago and part of the conditions of funding were that the main exhibit is the house itself as opposed to the objects in it. It is one of the earliest brick domestic dwellings in this part of the world.”

Most of the building is original, the additions through the years covering up rather than destroying medieval features, and it is these that fortunate visitors on the occasional heritage tours are permitted to see.

Julia explains: “We don’t have regular tours because we have bats in our roof but we are hoping to do one later in the year when the bats are hibernating and are keeping a list of names of people who are interested.

“They get to see the medieval cellar, the gallery, the bedroom above the gallery and then go out on to the roof. We go into the roof space and can see the original 15th century English oak roof beams complete with medieval craftsmen’s carvings and graffiti.”

The museum has a lot of locally donated collections that can be viewed by appointment, and displays consist of information about the house and its inhabitants as well as local history.

About 23,000 people a year visit Ayscoughfee Hall Museum and the figure for the gardens is much higher, though impossible to determine accurately.

Museum officer Julia Knight and the museum staff have found the best way to get people into the museum is to increase the number of events held in the hall and gardens.

The house itself is licensed for weddings and there are regular art exhibitions in the Geest Gallery (Paul Smith, June 1-30).

In the gardens there are historical re-enactments by local history group 4 and 20 Blackbirds (Georgian pirate school, June 16), band concerts (May 26, June 2, 23 and 30), theatrical productions (July 12-13) and large scale events like craft fairs, wedding shows and the Feel Good Show.

This year, a brand new event has been planned, a 1940s Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, August 17 and 18.

Julia says: “It’s a privilege looking after this house. It gets under your skin, and that’s the same for all the staff here, so you feel as protective about it as you do about your own house.”

Ayscoughfee Hall received its Grade 1 listed status in early 2012.

Advice drop-in points have been running in the north of the county for five years, with the introduction of the health screening a couple of years later.

In that time the LRSN has supported over 300 farming families to find practical solutions to some of the problems they faced.

In the last year alone, 800 clients have used the health screening service, an increase of 60 per cent on the previous year, and a number of undiagnosed chronic illnesses picked up as a result.

LRSN vice-chairman David Creasey said at the service launch in Spalding that 112 farming families with a combined debt of £2m had been helped in the last year alone.

He said: “It is really good news that we are beginning to penetrate the south of the county. This has helped to raise our profile as well as providing a really useful service for the farming and horticultural community in this area.”

The LRSN helpline number is 0845 123 2306.

That men are often unwilling to visit the doctor if they have a health worry is not news.

When it comes to farmers and growers the situation is far worse because they feel they can’t afford to lose time to medical visits.

Add to that the problems associated with their work – business and family pressures, debt, succession and legal issues – and it’s possible that they are not only overlooking health checks, but living with serious mental health problems.

“The mental health side is a bit of a concern,” said nurse Heather Dawes. “There is a much higher suicide rate in the farming community than in the general community.”

Lincolnshire charity LRSN (Lincolnshire Rural Support Network) is now doing something about that by launching a drop-in service at Spalding Auction.

Heather, employed by LRSN, explains that the service is for everyone involved in the farming industry, not just farmers.

Every fortnight, she will be offering blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol testing in a little room in a corner of the auction.

She said: “By offering the service in their place of work they are more likely to access it and the biggest thing is they don’t have to have a change of clothes and they can come when they have finished their business.”

While Heather is chatting to growers she admits she will also be looking out for signs that they may need emotional or practical support.

In those cases, LRSN also offers other services, such as help with debt and other problems growers may be facing.

The charity has a helpline for these farmers and growers who are then appointed a case worker who not only discussses their situation but accompanies them to meetings to help sort out the situation.

At the launch of the service in Spalding, the charity’s vice-chairman David Creasey, who is also associate priest at Morton, described it as, “the Samaritans with knobs on”.

He explained: “Rather than just listen, we try to walk with the people who need our help.”

David was talking to people who had assembled for the launch, including the Lord Lietenant of Lincolnshire Tony Worth, who performed the official opening ceremony.

It was Spalding auctioneer Chris Longstaff, impressed with the service that has been running elsewhere, who suggested it would be a good idea to have the drop-in in the south of the county.

Around 470 new homes will be built every year in South Holland between now and 2031.

Spalding will see the majority of the development, with 6,000 split between Holland Park and a new site north of the Vernatt’s Drain, towards Pinchbeck, where as many as 3,750 properties could spring up.

The new development would tie in with plans for a new Spalding Western Relief Road, which would provide a link between the B1172 at Spalding Common and the B1356 Spalding Road.

The relief road is seen as “critical” to minimising the impact of a possible increase in level crossing “down” time due to a proposed Rail Freight Interchange at Deeping St Nicholas and upgrade to the existing rail line.

A further 1,300 homes could be built in Holbeach, 400 in Donington, 390 in Crowland, 330 in Long Sutton and 180 in Sutton Bridge.

The major plans for South Holland are all outlined in a new South East Lincolnshire Local Plan – which is the product of two years’ hard work by representatives of South Holland District Council and Boston Borough Council and other groups.

But the vast document, which outlines policies and plans which will shape the future of the area for the next 20 years, is not set in stone.

Everything – from policies on housing growth, development, transport, economy, environment, community, health and well-being – are still “up for grabs”.

Full story: Page 3

Residents are being urged to have their say on the South East Lincolnshire Local Plan at a series of roving roadshows.

The touring exhibition kicked off last week, taking in Donington and Holbeach in South Holland and Wyberton and Butterwick in Boston Borough.

Yesterday was Pinchbeck and Old Leake’s turn, before the tour moves on to Kirton and Sutton Bridge on Wednesday, Crowland and Swineshead on Friday, Gedney Hill and Sutterton on Monday, May 20, Deeping St Nicholas on Wednesday, May 22 (from 3pm to 9pm) and finally Long Sutton on Friday, May 24.

The exhibitions will be held from 3pm to 7pm except where stated.

There will also be a static display at the district council’s officer in Priory Road until June 28.

South Holland district councillor Howard Johnson, who was involved in the South East Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee which drew up the plan, said: “This is quite possibly one of the most important events for people around South Holland and Boston as it is a plan for the whole area.

“It looks at everything, from housing and shopping to protecting our environment, including sections on wind farms.

“It’s a vast document because it is shaping the future of the area for the next 20 years.

“This sets the ground work for everything – it could be difficult to get planning permission for something in the future if it goes against what’s in the plan – and people need to make sure that what they want in there is in there.

“For instance, we say a third of all housing development should be affordable, but is that right? Is that stopping landowners selling their land or developers from buying it? Should it be a quarter or a fifth?

“It needs to be right and everyone can have their say. We have come up with a document but it is now open for consultation to everyone – literally everything is still up for grabs.”

To see the consultation document go to www.southeastlincslocalplan.org

A voyeur who hid a webcam in a toilet bag to film a friend while she was having a bath has been ordered to pay her £300 compensation.

Croydon Magistrates also imposed a three-year community order on Jason Shotton (23), of Hall Hill Road, Holbeach, who pleaded guilty to voyeurism on or about September 1, 2011 at a house at New Addington, Surrey.

Shotton will be under supervision for three years, must attend a course for sex offenders and pay £85 costs. He will remain on the sex offenders’ register for five years.

Chairman of the bench, Roger Keep said what Shotton did “was planned and thought out.”

He added: “You’ve seen the video on a number of occasions – can you imagine her embarrassment?”

Prosecutor Nicola Calnan said Shotton had stayed at various addresses after having some problems. His victim was among his friends and he slept downstairs for a few months at her parents’ home.

It was after he returned to Lincolnshire that a housemate found the recording.

“Shotton was interviewed by police and confessed to setting up a webcam in a wash bag on the top of a toilet,” said Mrs Calnan.

“He said he had a ‘crush’ on her and wanted to see her naked. Initially, he thought it was ‘nice’ as he watched it but then ‘felt it was wrong and perverted.’

Paul Carr, mitigating, said: “It was one video, a one-off. She had taken a photo of him naked and said she would show their friends. The next day he set up the webcam – his desire was to have some form of collateral.”

Mr Carr said Shotton, who prepares food for Marks&Spencer, is sorry for what he did and his current girlfriend is standing by him.