Residents in Bourne are switching on to safer power following a £110,000 scheme to put overhead lines underground.

Western Power Distribution began laying underground cables along Willoughby Road in January and the work is due to be completed next week.

The work covers a 1km stretch from the junction with Cherry Holt Road and Austerby Road and the new underground cabling will serve 80 properties.

A spokesman said: “The new cables are safer and, because they are underground, improve the look of the area.

“Residents seem pleased with what we have done and there has been little disruption due to most of the work being carried out on the pavement.”

Temporary traffic lights will be in place next week opposite Willoughby Road in Cherry Holt Road for Harlaxton Engineering to make the connection after running cabling to a solar farm in Spalding Road.

There will be a partial reduction of the road, but it will not be closed.

In Spalding, Lincolnshire County Council highways department has closed Edward Road, where a pavement is being resurfaced. This work is due to be completed on Tuesday.

Tuesday 7.30pm: The campaign group that published alleged racist comments on the Facebook pages of UKIP county councillors is to hold a public meeting in Spalding in July.

Hope Not Hate is also holding meetings in Boston and Lincoln next week.

Spalding businessman Alan Jesson claims he and fellow newly elected UKIP had their Facebook accounts hacked and comments published beside their pictures were not actually their words.

Hope Not Hate journalist and researcher Simon Cressy says the hacking defence isn’t a new one and it has previously been used by the BNP.

• UKIP party leader Nigel Farage revealed the issues surrounding Lincolnshire’s county councillors will be debated by his party’s national executive on Monday. See tomorrow’s Spalding Guardian for the full story.

Lincolnshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner has been slammed by MPs over the “potentially disruptive and costly” suspension of Chief Constable Neil Rhodes.

A report by the Home Affairs Select Committee said Alan Hardwick’s decision to suspend Mr Rhodes from duty in February was “damaging to the reputation of the police force.”

Mr Hardwick was also accused of leaving people “in the dark” over the reasons for the suspension, including Lincolnshire Police and Crime Panel whose members were heavily criticised for taking more than two months to meet and discuss the Commissioner’s actions.

The report published after both Mr Hardwick and panel chairman Coun Ray Wootten gave evidence to MPs at Westminster blamed the delay on “erroneous legal advice” that Mr Rhodes’s suspension couldn’t be investigated.

In their report, MPs said: “We were concerned by the suspension of Chief Constable Neil Rhodes by Alan Hardwick, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire.

“This kind of intervention is potentially operationally disruptive, costly and damaging to the reputation of the police force and the individuals concerned.

“The public was left in the dark about the reasons for the suspension and the Police and Crime Panel took no action to avert or even review an intervention that was ultimately thrown out of court.

“The Police and Crime Panel seemed totally incapacitated by erroneous legal advice that it was unable to investigate the Commissioner’s course of action so that he did not even appear before the panel for over two months.”

Mr Hardwick told the Free Press: “I absolutely take on board the committee’s comments and criticisms, but I don’t think it helps to rake over the past.”

Motorists are being urged to park more considerately after a mum with a pushchair had to walk on a busy main road because the path was blocked.

A resident of Winsover Road, Spalding, says cars often park so far onto the pavement that pedestrians are unable to pass and have to risk life and limb by stepping out into the road.

Jay Watson said: “Anyone who thinks parking your car on the pavement is a trivial matter should think again.

“If that woman and her child were struck by a car because they had to go on the road, would that then be a trivial matter?

“Roads are for cars and bikes and pavements are for pedestrians.”

Mr Watson said he has reported the issue to Lincolnshire Police, but was told it was a civil enforcement matter and given another number to ring.

He said: “Having rung the number I thought the police officer who answered the phone was clearly not interested.

“When I rang the civil enforcement number he gave me I was greeted by an automated voice telling me to leave my details.

“So can someone please tell me if it is now legal to park your car in the pavement, just like it seems to be the case with cycling on the pavement?

“I think I will leave the pavements to the cars and bikes and I’ll walk in the middle of the road as it will probably be safer.”

But Spalding community policing inspector Jim Tyner said inconsiderate parking was a matter for the police and urged residents to call 101 to report issues.

He said: “Unfortunately we are one of the lowest funded forces in the country and we have to prioritise our resources, which means we cannot always deal with things as promptly as we would like.

“Drivers need to be aware of the impact their actions have on pedestrians and know that police will take action when we can when issues are reported to us.

“As for cycling on pavements we are tackling the issue and have another operation planned shortly targeting cyclists riding on footpaths or without lights.”

A volunteer doctor has spoken of the effort by emergency services to free a woman who had her hand stuck in a metal drain cover in Bourne.

Paramedics, firefighters and crews from the East Midlands Immediate Care Scheme, known as Emics, and the Lincolnshire Integrated Voluntary Emergency Services (LIVES), were called to Holloway Avenue in the early hours of the morning to help the woman in her 20s.

She had tried to retrieve something from a drain and got her hand stuck in the cast iron cover. A friend was with her.

Dr Leon Roberts, a volunteer doctor with Emics, said he was called at about 2.20am and East Midlands Ambulance Service had already been there for two hours trying to free the woman.

Lincolnshire County Council’s highways department was also there digging up the road 
as part of the effort to release her.

Dr Roberts said: “The woman was trapped by her right hand in a very tight position

“She was getting quite 
distressed so I was called to offer medical support in giving her some sedation and pain relief.

“She was very upset and it was quite a commotion in Bourne, particularly at that time in the morning.”

Firefighters used hand tools and hydraulic rescue equipment to remove the surrounding kerb stones and tarmac to lift the drain cover out.

The woman was taken to Peterborough City Hospital at about 4am with her hand still stuck in the drain. She was accompanied by a volunteer doctor from LIVES.

A LIVES spokesman said: “A woman had trapped her hand in a drain cover while trying to get a marble out of the drain.

“Crews attempted to saw the drain off but this did not work and the woman was taken to hospital by ambulance with the drain still attached.

“The woman was given a lot of sedation as her hand had become swollen.

“At hospital staff used lubrication to help remove her hand from the drain. The woman was not injured.”

A spokesman for East Midlands Ambulance Service said: “We received the emergency 999 call at 12.22am on Sunday, May 19, and the caller reported someone’s hand was stuck down a drain.

“Our emergency operations centre dispatched clinicians in a fast response vehicle and a double crewed ambulance, with the first response vehicle arriving on scene first.

“The ambulance crews were supported on scene by doctors from East Midlands Immediate Care Scheme and LIVES.

“The ambulance took the patient to hospital in Peterborough, accompanied by the LIVES doctor.”

My Pirate Grandad is written in rhyming verse for young children just learning to read.

David’s grandaughter was just three when he wrote the poem (and Oliver was one) but she is now five and can read the book by herself – although Sophia probably knew the poem by heart anyway.

When she saw the published book, Sophia apparently laughed aloud at some of the illustrations, and David admits the words are nothing without these.

Each verse is depicted in mixed-media and the ship’s dog, a Jack, features on many of the pictures. Natalie says he’s a hybrid of the Jack Russells that both David and Natalie’s family own.

The pair have various ideas about future collaborations, including more nonsense verse for children and a series of children’s counting books is in the pipeline.

Natalie says: “It’s been a real privilege to work with a former teacher who I, and countless others, have always held in such high esteem.”

Thankfully, David Wheeler couldn’t think of a rhyme for ‘retina’ when writing nonsense verse for his grandchildren about his eye patch.

He was wearing the patch after a sudden and dramatic loss of eye-sight in his left eye caused by a detached retina.

“I think in younger people it can happen with a blow to the head, such as being hit by a cricket ball,” says David. He was at Lord’s Cricket Ground on the second day of the England v Sri Lanka test match in 2011 when he lost the sight in one eye in about 50 minutes.

He said: “If you are older, short-sighted and have large eyeballs and sneeze violently it can happen like that. I don’t remember being knocked on the head or sneezing.

“It was like a net curtain slowly being drawn across. Apparently, sometimes the retina peels off slowly, but mine was quick and dramatic.”

David was a short walk away from the London Eye Hospital, where he had surgery the following morning to glue the detached retina back on, something that was successful at the second attempt.

David, who lives in Spalding, explained the eye patch to his grandchildren by saying he had become a pirate and there followed pirate adventures, stories and a poem.

He said: “I have written lots of poems for my grandchildren because they love verse and rhyme and nonsense, so it was not intended for publication, just to amuse. They loved it, particularly because it mentions their names, Sophia and Oliver.”

In fact, David was already a published author, having written a student guide to a poetry anthology, Moon on the Tides.

David, a teacher at Spalding Grammar School for 26 years and head of English for 16 of those years, had taught the daughter of colleague David Twigg when she was in the sixth form.

Following a Masters degree in journalism, Natalie Twigg had written and illustrated a children’s book and also published a short work on Hemingway.

After returning to her family home in Spalding she and David agreed to collaborate on another book, Sunlight on Grass: a student guide to the AQA GCSE short story anthology.

During that process, David discovered that Natalie could draw and she admits she felt inspired to illustrate David’s nonsense verse when she read it. The result is My Pirate Grandad, written by David and beautifully illustrated by Natalie. Published by Red Axe Books, £1 from each copy sold goes to the NSPCC.

Fancy your chances in the Dragon’s Den or believe you’d make a go of running your own business?

The organisers of Spalding Family Enterprise Day, a fun day for the whole family at Springfields in Spalding in September, are looking for people of all ages to join in Make Your Pitch and the Big Cheese type contests.

Family Enterprise Day is run by Foundations and will be held on September 29. The event aims to promote new business start ups in the area and two ‘dragons’ have already signed up – Steve Acklam and Andy Harsley.

It will be free to attend and there will be lots of activities, games and competitions for the whole family to enjoy, with prizes up for grabs.

As well as the Make Your Pitch and Big Cheese competitions, the organisers are looking for families to sign up to have a go at running their own business on the day, such as car washing, selling cakes or crafts.

Details on 01775 248131.

Villagers trying to install outdoor fitness equipment on a public field are hoping to benefit from the legacy of the London Olympics.

A former chairman of Sutton Bridge Parish Council, Chris Brandon-King, is asking the parish council to try to get Memorial Park dedicated as a Queen Elizabeth II Field.

Mr Brandon-King is one of the Friends of Sutton Bridge Playing Fields and Open Spaces pushing to have a free, “outdoor gym” put on the field.

The group has already applied for £10,000 Lottery cash through Awards for All, but the new dedication could mean an extra £25,000 comes their way.

The parish council will look at the idea at their meeting tonight.

Mr Brandon-King (pictured) says if the £10,000 bid is successful, the group will be able to buy four pieces of equipment offering a total of nine exercise places.

But the extra cash means it could do far more for the village.

The group has been advised to station the kit next to the children’s playing field so parents can exercise while keeping an eye on their children.

The Friends have approached Pennine Outdoor Fitness to supply the sturdy kit and their chairman, Shirley Giles, says it will give adults the chance to have a proper workout without travelling to the nearest gym some 12 miles away in King’s Lynn.

She said: “We don’t want to ask people for money, to be honest, because round here they haven’t got much in their pockets.”

The equipment will be suitable for older teenagers as well as adults.

Spalding businesses and local interest groups are being given the chance to bid for cash to help boost the town’s economy.

A pot of money is available for those with projects to bring forward on how to help market the town and its businesses.

The cash is the remainder of the section 106 money which came out of the formal planning contract with developers when the Springfields shopping centre was built.

Applicants have until June 30 to apply, with details of how to obtain and submit an application available on the South Holland District Council website.

Applications will then be scored by a grants panel – made up of councillors, council officers and independent business and community representatives – with final funding decisions being made by the council’s Cabinet committee at the beginning of October.

Coun Howard Johnson, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, said: “There are very specific uses for the money.

“It has to be used for initiatives in the town centre and it can also be used for joint marketing initiatives between the town and Springfields.

“We want to work with local businesses and groups to help them identify what is needed”.

An application form and simple guidance notes have been made available to help with bids for grants to ensure consistency throughout the scoring process and to explain what type of projects will be eligible for funding.

If you would like to have an initial discussion about your proposed bid, or require assistance with your application contact the South Holland District Council Economic Development team on 01775 764563 or email economicdevelopment@sholland.gov.uk

Pedal power put Peele Community College students on course to raise about £1,500 for a charity helping the children of parents killed in action.

About 35 children from the Long Sutton school’s Newton House were joined by family, friends and staff for a sponsored bike ride round Sandringham Country Park, the Queen’s estate in Norfolk.

The bike ride was in aid of King’s Lynn-based Scotty’s Little Soldiers and founded by Nichola Scott whose husband, Lee, died in Afghanistan in 2009.

Theresa Earl, head of Newton House, said: “We’ve been fundraising all through the year and we decided to do a sponsored cycle event round the grounds of Sandringham estate.

“Once we got permission from the estate, we set up camp and had a massive picnic, a raffle and refreshments.

“In total, we cycled 367.5 miles (591km) between us and, including bits and pieces of fundraising we’ve done within the college, we hope to raise about £1,500 for Scotty’s Little Soldiers.

“The day itself was fantastic and a lot of staff commented on how lovely it was to see the parents joining in the fun with us.”

Donington marked the 70th anniversary of the Dambusters raid during World War II by putting on display in the village a model Spitfire that appeared at the recent Spalding Flower Parade.

Photo (TIM WILSON): SG170513-132TW

Members of Holbeach Ladies Circle, a club for women aged between 18 and 45, present money raised through a raffle and other events to staff at Holbeach Hospital. Photo: SG140513-223TW.

Photo (TIM WILSON): SG140513-223TW.

Spalding is starting to bloom again in spite of the cold weather that has delayed the town’s display of hanging baskets.

The first baskets organised by the Spalding In Bloom volunteers went up in The Crescent yesterday (Wednesday) in the pouring rain - with the rest going up next week.

Chairman Coun Angela Newton is delighted to be bringing a splash of colour to the town. She said: “Last year the baskets went up early to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“We haven’t been helped by the weather this year, but soon the baskets will be all over town.

“Even though Spalding has now lost its flower festival, the town is still renowned for it.

“People will continue to travel to the area for their good quality flowers and bulbs – and our hanging baskets help to promote this, as well as making the town look vibrant and welcoming.”

Last year Spalding hosted the coveted East Midlands in Bloom competition. The town has won in the past but faces stiff competition from the likes of Holbeach and Long Sutton.

As well as baskets, Spalding In Bloom is also involved in planting up pots, containers and beds around the town.

Coun Newton and Coun Christine Lawton are planning to plant up beds along the river bank near the Spalding Water Taxi embarkation point on Friday.

Residents have said they appreciate all the volunteers’ efforts to improve the town.

Coun Newton said: “When we are out planting and litter picking at weekends, many people say how nice the town looks.”

After last year’s stunning red, white and blue displays to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, this year’s colours are pink and mauve.

Baskets cost £40 each and are watered throughout the season by retired horticulturist John Naylor, who supplies them.

Coun Newton said: “We get a grant from South Holland in Bloom, but every year we have to work harder to get sponsors.

“However, this year we have had fantastic help from a local company – Gardman Ltd of Moulton – that has sponsored the hanging baskets at the charity shops.”

Anyone interested in sponsoring a basket can call Coun Newton on 07939559764.

A 26-year-old man from Spalding has appeared in court charged with a robbery near a town bike shop.

Shane Osbourne of St Thomas Road denied robbing a handbag from a spot near Gibbons Cycle Shop in Winsover Road when he appeared at Lincoln Crown Court yesterday.

Osbourne was remanded in custody until September 9 when he is due to face trial at the same court.

Colin and Janet Johnson say their large garden gives them relaxation, fresh air and exercise.

However, they like to share the space by opening their garden to visitors each year under the NGS scheme.

They have opened their garden since 2008 when they took part in the Donington open garden day, and 2009 when they joined the NGS open garden scheme.

Janet says: “We have a lot to interest people with something for everyone.”

Each year, they welcome about 100 visitors a day, who can also enjoy teas and coffees in the garden.

This year, they are opening their garden on Sunday, June 23 and on Sunday, July 7 (11am to 4pm both days).

However, visitors are welcome by appointment only from June to August.

Admission is £3.50 adults and children are free – last year they raised about £800.

The money raised goes to NGS charities that Colin and Janet also support: Marie Curie, Macmillan, Help the Hospice and Carers’ Trust.

• Find the garden at The Hawthorns, Bicker Road, Donington PE11 4XP. Telephone 01775 822808.

Plans by a residents’ group to take over the running of Whaplode St Catherine Memorial Hall are on track after talks this week.

The hall’s future looked bleak when its trustees voted to close it for good next month, but a new group is hoping to step in and manage it.

Talks between those interested in running the hall and the existing management committee were held on Tuesday and a formal handover of responsibilities is expected to take place at the committee’s annual general meeting at the Memorial Hall on June 12.

Jane Wright, a prospective member of the new management committee, said: “Tuesday’s meeting reaffirmed that there’s a new committee to take over managing the hall, raising its profile and providing what the residents want.

“The official handover will happen at the annual general meeting and once things are sorted out, grants will be applied for and ideas put forward to get more lettings for the hall.”

Ray Rye, chairman of the existing management committee, said: “It was a constructive meeting to a certain degree and when we have the annual general meeting, hopefully we can then move forward.”

Hughes Electrical is continuing its planned expansion programme with the opening of a new store in Spalding.

This follows the acquisition of the stock, rental, repair and trade side of Paul Taylor, which had been operating in the town since 1965. All members of staff will be joining the new Hughes shop in Sheepmarket.

Hughes’ managing director Robert Hughes said; “We have been looking to find suitable premises in Spalding for a good three years. So when David Carroll, the owner of Paul Taylor, wanted to retire and a former restaurant in a high profile location came onto the market it was an opportunity too good to miss!

“We are delighted to welcome the three members of staff from Paul Taylor, including Graham Boor, who joined Paul Taylor in 1975. We have recruited a new manager, Tom Gosling, who has already run branches of Comet in Boston and King’s Lynn.

“Paul Taylor has a fantastic reputation for quality and service which we will continue. Moving to new, and much larger, premises enables us to offer a vastly extended product range, especially kitchen appliances, computer technology and home electrical products. It all represents a significant six figure investment for us.

“Spalding has a great number of thriving independent retailers and we are pleased to have added to the range of items people can buy.”

Life today is more complicated than it has ever been.

Unmarried couples, married couples who have children from previous relationships, greater wealth (primarily from home ownership), and concerns about care home fees, all make wills of greater importance.

Whilst wills grow in importance, anyone can set up a business to provide wills. Solicitors currently prepare two thirds of all wills, this leaves banks, charities, trade unions, will writing companies and self-completion wills to account for the remaining one third.

A recent report, conducted by the Legal Services Board, identified three problems with the wills market.

First, most people lack the knowledge to spot problems with the quality of wills.

Second, wills are likely to involve dealing with the elderly or infirm who may be vulnerable.

Third, any problems with wills are unlikely to be spotted until after death, when there may be no opportunity to rectify the situation.

In the report mentioned above, it was found that more than one in three of all wills were not legally valid or did not meet the client’s stated requirements.

The report also identified questionable sales practices, such as pressure to pay enormous sums for services that were not wanted or needed.

Additionally, problems with the storage of wills, with many will writing companies disappearing without trace with no safeguards in place for the safe custody of wills in their possession.

The report therefore concluded that will writing should become an activity regulated by the Government.

Unfortunately, the Government has recently said no to this recommendation.

This leaves the spectre of potentially incompetent, untrained and uninsured will-writers preparing incorrect or unsuitable wills, and no recourse for consumers when things go wrong. An appropriately qualified and experienced solicitor brings the comfort of expertise but also a regulatory and compensation system to put right any errors.

If you do not have a solicitor to call upon for help, then we would be happy to recommend one to you.

A woman battling alcohol addiction stole two bottles of wine from Savers in Spalding but couldn’t understand why, magistrates heard.

Linda Bradley (45) was arrested by a special constable, who recovered the wine worth £7.98, on May 9.

Prosecutor Marie Stace said Bradley at first told police she didn’t have enough money to pay for the drink, but it was found that she did have enough when she was taken to the police station.

Solicitor Mike Alexander, mitigating, said Bradley had made strides to overcome her alcohol addiction but suffered “a few blips on the way”.

She could not explain the theft.

“This was out of her normal behaviour,” Mr Alexander said. “This is a lady who does not normally steal.”

Bradley, of The Crescent, Spalding, received a six month conditional discharge when she admitted theft and must pay £85 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.