Entries continue to arrive for our competition to find the best front garden in Spalding.

The Lincolnshire Free Press and Spalding Guardian have teamed up with the Spalding in Bloom committee to run the competition.

It is being sponsored by Birchgrove Garden Centre in Pinchbeck, which is putting up prizes of £50, £25 and £10 vouchers for the three best entrants.

The competition is easy to enter – just fill in the form printed in each edition of the Lincolnshire Free Press and Spalding Guardian and send it with a picture of your front garden to the address shown before July 20.

The garden must be at the front of the house and visible from the path. It should be possible for judges to access the garden. All entries must be on an entry form and be accompanied by a photograph.

Our latest entry is this garden in Park Avenue, Spalding, entered by Mr and Mrs Wing.

Judges will visit all the entries between July 29 and August 12 and winners will be announced on Thursday, August 22.

A former council dustman was caught on CCTV when he used a fuel card he stole from a refuse truck to obtain diesel worth more than £420.

Simon Gilbert (32), of Thames Road, Spalding, told police he stole the card because he wanted to lose his job as he could no longer afford to be paid monthly while making maintenance payments to his ex-partner.

Rebecca Ritson, prosecuting, said Gilbert was working with two other refuse collectors on March 27 and, at the end of the shift, the driver reported the fuel card missing from the cab.

On March 30 Gilbert used the card at Whaplode Service Station to obtain diesel worth £98.65.

He went back to the garage twice on April 1 – firstly obtaining fuel worth £87.79 and then £238.32.

Miss Ritson said CCTV footage showed Gilbert putting the diesel into non-council vehicles.

“He said he took the card because he wanted to have his employment with the council terminated,” she told the court.

At a previous hearing, Gilbert pleaded guilty to theft of the card and three counts of fraudulently using the card by false representation.

On Thursday he was given a year-long community order and must do 150 hours unpaid work.

Gilbert was also ordered to pay compensation of £424.76 for the fuel, £85 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.

Solicitor Carrie Simson, mitigating, said Gilbert had been employed with the council for ten years, which was a credit to him, but he wasn’t “thinking straight” at the time of the offence.

He was paying out a large amount of maintenance and felt his ex-partner was leading a frivolous lifestyle.

Mrs Simson said: “The pressure this put on him led him to make the decision ‘I am going to lose my job so I don’t have to pay this maintenance.’

“He tells me, at the time, he was very depressed, he was down, he wasn’t thinking straight. He doesn’t know why he took the course of action that he did. He does come to court with an awful lot of remorse.”

Mrs Simson told the court it was “a strange set of circumstances”.

Doodles is a business concept that would intrigue Dragon’s Den judges but to owners Lucy Evenden and Anna Morris, it’s a project that is pure fun.

The pair launched their mobile pottery painting business two months ago and have taken it on the road to birthday parties and children’s events, as well as to Crowland Abbey and Pinchbeck Carnival.

Lucy, from Pinchbeck, said: “We’re childhood friends who grew up cutting, sticking and making fabulous creative messes together.

“We’ve always wanted to have a little English tea shop, with lots of arts and craft courses, but we realised that children love painting because it’s something they can then keep and the dream of Doodles came from that.

“People can invite us to their birthday party, a retirement home or nursery where we would go and help out.

“They can also ask us to create celebration and gift plates and mugs as a keepsake for capturing your baby’s handprint or footprint.”

Lucy and Anna, from Spalding, are taking their business to Whaplode Drove Village and Country Fair where they hope people will see the fun behind their business concept.

“We went to Spalding High School and the sixth form at Spalding Grammar School together, but we moved away to go to arts college in my case and drama college in Lucy’s case,” Anna said.

“But we found our way back here to be closer to our families and Doodles is something we enjoy doing, so it would be nice to share it with others.”

A pre-school facing life without a roof over its head has been given a lifeline by Pinchbeck Parish Council.

Ladybirds Pre-School has been run in a classroom at St Bartholomew’s Primary School for more than ten years, but was asked to quit by the end of this term.

At a meeting on Monday the parish council agreed the pre-school can move a two-minute walk away across the West Pinchbeck school field to the sports club building in Leaves Lake Drove.

Thousands of pounds will need to be spent to revamp the building, but the pre-school aims to have it ready by September and has already begun fundraising.

Pre-school deputy manager Becky Richardson said: “We are completely over the moon, really pleased.

“The parish council has been amazing. We are just overwhelmed by the council and the whole village at how supportive they have been.”

The pre-school, rated outstanding by education watchdog Ofsted, was asked to leave its classroom because numbers of pupils at the primary school are growing and some classes are being held in the staff room, headteacher’s office and school hall.

Chairman of governors Bryn Chappell said it was the hardest decision the school’s board had ever had to take.

Becky said the pre-school estimates it will cost up to £15,000 to get the sports building in tip-top form, but £5,000 to £10,000 to make it usable in the near future.

The parish council has set aside £3,000 for external and internal works at the sports building, including window replacement.

Members heard the sports club is amenable to sharing the building and is happy to have a portable cabin for changing, but retain use of the main building’s kitchen and toilets.

Organisers of a church flower festival fear it may fade away unless some younger arrangers step forward.

Today marks the opening of the 51st Sutton Bridge Flower Festival at St Matthew’s Church and festival chairman Colin Tavner says it promises to be outstanding as always.

But he’s questioning how long it will continue as the band of arrangers is not in its first flush of youth with people in the team aged into their 90s – and volunteers having to step in from surrounding villages.

Mr Tavner said: “Over the years the festival has become more cosmopolitan with arrangers from Sutton Bridge, Long Sutton, Wisbech and other local villages all contributing their considerable flower arranging talent to make stunning displays in St Matthew’s Church.

“Organising this group of dedicated flower arrangers for the past 20 years has been the task of Mrs Pat Blundell.

“However, today, flower arranging seems not to appeal to post-war generations and the number of people taking it up declines.”

This year’s festival has the theme Now and Then and reflects how things, events and organisations have changed over the years from the Royal British Legion to motorbikes and to conquering Everest.

The festival is open from 10am-6pm today, tomorrow and Saturday; from noon-6pm on Sunday and from 10am-4pm on Monday.

Refreshments and light lunches are available throughout.

There will be a raffle, tombola, cake and plant stalls and there will be organ music each day.

A Pinchbeck resident has expressed his sympathy for a migrant worker fined for riding on the pavement because he says a road near his home is a potential deathtrap.

Polish woman Monika Nowak was stopped by police along Pinchbeck Road as part of Operation Oatmeal which caught 100 cyclists breaking the law last month.

Monika, who was fined £30, spoke to the Spalding Guardian’s sister paper, 
the Lincolnshire Free Press, on behalf of her work colleagues who were also stopped because she said they only used the pavement because they did not feel safe on the road and there was a break in the cycle route.

In spite of the area’s migrant 
workers rarely speaking 
out about their concerns, her story attracted little sympathy from readers.

However, one local resident said it was time the Spalding Guardian did a follow-up on the story and went to the village to see exactly how dangerous the roads in the area are.

John Lyon said he complained to Lincolnshire County Council six weeks ago about potholes on a roundabout at the Rose Lane junction with Spalding Road, opposite St Mary’s Church.

Mr Lyon (68) said: “I’m not one for getting into a public debate on things in the paper, but after reading some of the comments on the story about the Polish lady who was fined for riding on the pavements, there comes a time when you have to speak out.

“She said she and her colleagues want to abide by the law but they also want to be safe and I think she has a point.

“You only have to look at the potholes on this roundabout to see that.”

Young people in South Holland with a thirst for adventure will be able to camp under the stars in style now worn-out tents are being replaced.

A sum of £380 has been awarded to the South Holland Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Committee after an application was made to the Smile Fund.

It is one of the latest hand-outs awarded by Spalding and District Round Table as part of its £10,000 Smile community pot.

In the application, Duke of Edinburgh Award secretary Peter Kite said the funding was needed to replace eight worn-out tents for bronze level expeditions by the candidates in South Holland.

This is the fourth year of the Smile Fund campaign which is open to individuals, groups, clubs and organisations with a worthy cause in need of financial support.

Hundreds of applications have flooded in to the Spalding Guardian’s offices since we launched the campaign last year.

Just about anyone can apply for the money for almost any reason. Individuals may need a helping hand to redecorate a room or buy equipment which would make their lives easier or sports teams could apply to buy new kit or training gear.

A number of schools have already put in applications for sums of money for outings or school projects.

Other successful applications so far include Brownies and Rainbows in Cowbit and the Lincolnshire Emergency Blood Bike Service.

* 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.

To apply, send a letter including your name, address, beneficiary of the cash, amount requested and the reason for the request to Spalding Guardian Smile Fund, Priory House, The Crescent, Spalding, Lincs, PE11 1AB.

Spalding’s Black Swan pub is throwing its weight behind our campaign to reopen the children’s play area at Glen Park, Surfleet.

Landlady Terri Mason is holding fundraising events – a live band, table top sale and car wash – on Saturday, July 27 and regulars are coming up with other ideas to raise money.

Bosses at Glen Park had to shut the playground on safety grounds and are around £4,000 short of the cash they need to carry out urgent repairs at one the area’s most popular adventure style playgrounds.

Mum of two Terri says her boys Liam (10) and Shane (9) often play there with their pals.

She said: “They absolutely love it and they think the zip wire is amazing. They are just really upset that it its closed.”

The table top sale and car wash have a 12pm start and the live band, Skullduggery, will take to the stage at 3pm.

Terri says Skullduggery perform acoustic covers from the likes of Oasis, The Beatles, Beautiful South and Adele, appealing to a wide range of tastes in music.

The Lincolnshire Free Press has already pledged £500 to the appeal from our children’s fund to reopen the play area at Glen Park. We are appealing for you to donate by sending cheques to us, made out to The Lincolnshire Free Press Children’s Fund, writing the words “play area” on the reverse.

Every penny given will go to Glen Park so the area can be repaired and reopened. Please send your cheques to us at Priory House, The Crescent, Spalding PE11 1AB.

• Rylatt Ford has donated £1,000 and is asking other businesses to do the same.

A new platform for more than 500 of South Holland’s independent businesses is being launched next month to help boost the local economy.

Drive by Websites Ltd has developed a free Spalding Business Directory, which it is hoped will help continue the success of the town’s July 4 Independents’ Day promotion by putting people in touch with services on their doorstep.

The website – www.spaldingbusinessdirectory.co.uk – will provide each business with its own web page, including name, contact details, company information, photographs, logos, email, website, backlink to their own website, social media such as Facebook and Twitter, news feeds and newsletters.

Christine Grocock, director of Drive by Websites, said the directory would be supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs to create more opportunities for communities to grow.

She said: “We are doing this because we are passionate about getting people to buy from local independent shops.

“We have more than 500 businesses in South Holland signed up and it will be free for a year while it is getting established.

“We are also applying for Section 106 funding to create an online market place and seven new jobs.

“Small firms are not just part of the local economy –they are the local community, generating wealth, opportunity and employment.

“It’s perfect timing after the Independents’ Day promotion because we were able to provide a platform for all the offers taking place over the three-day event.”

For details visit www.drivebywebsites.com or call 01775 761512

Spalding logistics firm Fowler Welch can rightfully claim to have the best transport manager in the UK after David Cooke struck gold at this year’s Motor Transport Awards.

David, senior operations manager at the West Marsh Road firm, was named Transport Manager of the Year after impressing his peers by his performance in leading a team of more than 150 drivers who deliver to at least 500 locations across the country.

He was presented with 
his award by Karen Crispe, managing director of award sponsors Tachodisc Ltd, at a gala awards evening in London.

The event was hosted by comedian Dara O’Briain, host of television programmes Mock the Week and The Apprentice – You’re Fired.

David said: “I was over the moon to receive this award although it was a bit of a shock when I looked at the other nominations.

“There were so many other people who would have been more qualified than myself to win.”

Judges drawn from the road transport industry praised David for his commitment to training, efficiency and man-management skills, while clients spoke of his hard work, outstanding customer service and popularity amongst drivers.

Fowler Welch managing director Nick Hay said: “This is an amazing achievement for David and his team.”

A police expert estimated the value of a jobless man’s first ever cannabis grow at between £8,000 and £16,000.

Alex Johnson had 61 cannabis plants when police raided his Moons Green home in Moulton on June 23.

Two plants were in a foil tent in a bedroom at the back of the house and 59 outside in a cold frame.

Rebecca Ritson, prosecuting, said some plants would have been male – and no good for yielding cannabis – but police estimated they would produce between 28-63 grammes of the drug.

She said there was no evidence Johnson was dealing in drugs or trying to sell his cannabis, but a police expert said the cash value would be between £5,000 and £11,000 if sold by the ounce – and between £8,000 and £16,000 if sold by the gramme.

Miss Ritson said based on the lowest potential yield, the cannabis found would have fitted with Johnson’s habit of smoking two grammes a day and it was accepted the drug was for his use alone.

Magistrates briefly adjourned the hearing for a probation report and Chris Payne, from the probation service, later told the court that Johnson grew the plants because he was out of work and had no money.

“He decided to cut out the middle man and grow his own,” Mr Payne said.

Johnson (31) pleaded guilty to producing the drug and was given a community order with 150 hours’ unpaid work. He must pay £85 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.

Magistrates ordered forfeiture of the plants and equipment.

Solicitor Rachel Stevens, mitigating, told magistrates: “Figures you have been given on potential yield are completely irrelevant. You are not dealing with a supplier or potential supplier.”

Campaigners against a planned rail hub in Deeping St Nicholas have a strong ally in the shape of South Holland and The Deepings MP John Hayes.

The Government minister met with a small group of angry residents who went to see him at the Houses of Parliament last Tuesday at the same time as Deeping St Nicholas Parish Council prepared to put its case for a rethink.

Residents fear the Rail Freight Interchange (RFI), which South Holland District Council wants in order to attract new businesses to the area, will lead to the “industrialisation” of Deeping St Nicholas through increased traffic on the A1175.

But in its response to the South East Lincolnshire Local Plan, which includes the proposed rail hub, the parish council said in a report: “The development of a Rail Freight Interchange on land so close to the village will have a severe detrimental effect on the daily lives of residents because of the planned 24-hour nature of its activities.

“It will bring air, light and noise pollution to the people of Deeping St Nicholas and also have an impact by the comings and goings of heavy goods vehicles and trains.

“The Deeping St Nicholas community does not share the vision of South Holland District Council for an RFI in the parish and would therefore request that the proposal for inclusion in the South East Lincolnshire Local Plan be removed.”

After meeting residents, Mr Hayes said: “I have grave concerns about whether a rail hub is appropriate for Deeping St Nicholas and I will be making representations on that basis to South Holland District Council.

“I’m not confident about the location and I think it will be an extremely expensive project at a time when councils would be looking at making economies.”

The outcome of a review into the quality of care at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust is due to be published today.

The Trust, which runs hospitals including Boston’s Pilgrim, was one of 14 across the country investigated by teams led by the medical director of the NHS in England Bruce Keogh.

They were looking at the number of patient deaths following the mid-Staffordshire hospitals where it is belived up to 1,200 patients died needlessly.

Lincolnshire hospitals were visited as part of the review last month.

Mr Keogh’s report will be published on the NHS Choices website from 1pm.

Go to www.nhs.uk/NHS England/bruce-keogh-review/Pages/published-reports.aspx

No 10 has come out in support of MP John Hayes after claims by a national newspaper he was fired from his job as energy minister – allegations he describes as “complete rubbish”.

According to the Mail on Sunday, the South Holland and Deepings MP was demoted to parliamentary adviser to David Cameron after losing his job for “secretly plotting to persuade an electricity boss to challenge government policy”.

The article said: “Climate change sceptic Mr Hayes had asked the head of power giants E.on to warn of blackouts unless the Coalition watered down its green crusade and made a U-turn on the closure of coal-fired generators.

“But Mr Hayes’s boss, Energy Secretary Ed Davey, hit the roof when he heard about the ‘treachery’ – and demanded he was sacked.

“Two weeks later, Mr Hayes was dismissed and given a minor backroom role in No 10, advising David Cameron on links with with Tory MPs.”

The article ended by claiming the Mail on Sunday had established Mr Hayes was demoted after he secretly met E.on chief executive Tony Cocker on March 13.

However, yesterday (Monday) a furious Mr Hayes said he had been straight on the phone to the Mail on Sunday to ask why the newspaper published an article that was “full of untruths from top to bottom” and why the reporter responsible had not contacted him for a response to the allegations.

Mr Hayes said: “It’s complete rubbish from top to bottom.

“The meeting was a routine one I had with the energy company.

“When I was energy minister, I would regularly talk to energy companies and those meetings were certainly not secret – they were official meetings with civil servants present.

“I am proud of the work I did there to curb the spread of wind turbines around our area and elsewhere.

“My move to No 10 had been arranged before the date mentioned in the article, which also proves it was untrue.

“Obviously when I was promoted it was a great honour. I am involved in all strategic government meetings.

“When David Cameron appointed me he made it quite clear that, if I chose to, I could remain Minister of Energy and that I was under no pressure to accept.

“But obviously the chance to be part of the core team was great and a chance I did not want to miss.”

Susie Squire, Tory press chief, said Mr Hayes had No 10’s full support. She said: “He sits in on daily meetings with the PM and we value him highly.”

Parents across South Holland have been chewing over a report calling for unhealthy packed lunches to be banned in a government bid to increase the take-up of school meals.

Headteachers are being urged to back a drive for free meals for under-11s in the report by the food company Leon.

But in the week the Government introduced a cap on household benefits, making the weekly budget even tighter, parents commenting on the Free Press Facebook page said the thought of losing the packed lunch option would be hard to swallow.

Mum Jackie Taylor said: “Who do the Government think they are keep telling us what we can and cannot do with our children?

“Mine has pack lunch because at least I know what he is eating as he goes to the Gleed school and he can buy junk food there.

“They (MPs) have nannies bringing their’s up – they make me sick telling us normal parents what to do.”

Charlene Bishop, of Holbeach, said: “I have four children. How am I supposed to afford to pay nearly £10 a day for school dinners? My children have very good packed lunches and a good cooked meal after school, so I won’t be joining in with this my kids – they will be having what I pack them.”

As well as banning pack-ups and calls for free dinners for under-11s and subsidised meals, the report claims parents spend £1bn on packed lunches, but only one per cent of them meet the nutritional standards required for optimum pupil performance.

Chris Brewis, vice chairman of Lincolnshire County Council’s health scrutiny committee, is a firm believer that you are what you eat.

He said: “Educating parents on providing healthy meals is what is important. There seems to be too much stick here and not enough carrot.”

Lisa Meacher, headteacher of Moulton Chapel Primary School, believes any legislation the Government tried to bring in on school meals would be difficult to dish out.

She said: “It isn’t always about money – it’s about choice.

“Here at Moulton Chapel we bring in outside caterers who provide a fortnightly menu so on days the children don’t like what is being served they can bring in a packed lunch.

“We also live in a rural area where children are used to eating vegetables and will eat them in hot meals.

“The take-up is greater in the winter, but our parents support our healthy packed lunch policy and when the weather is good the pupils enjoy having picnics in the field, which is also an important social activity.”

Coun Patricia Bradwell, executive councillor for children’s services at the county council, said: “We’ve been working hard to improve the quality of school food and having a hot lunch in school is a healthy option for children.

“Parents are free to choose if they would prefer their child to have a packed lunch at school, but we would hope they try to ensure this is as healthy as possible.

“We could really encourage people who are eligible to take up free school meals for their children though.

“As well as benefitting the child, it also enables the school to access more funding.”

Singer songwriter Ria Woods had one of the biggest live gigs of her life at the weekend, playing at The Willow Festival in Peterborough.

Ria has the purest voice you could ever wish to hear, akin to the likes of Eva Cassidy or Hayley Westenra, and accompanies herself on acoustic guitar.

Ria (32), from Sutton Bridge, has already recorded an album in a duo called Sugar Kick with a friend, Steven Slater, from Holbeach.

Her dream of stardom – and a full-time career as a musician – is fired by an ambition to get her music heard.

She said: “It’s just for people to actually hear my songs and for me to hear people singing my songs and relating to them.”

Ria performs a mixture of covers, from the likes of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Emeli Sande, and her own compositions such as When We Were Five and The Real You.

She said: “Some songs are based on true stories.

“When my friend was at primary school, she met her partner and he knew he loved her then but they didn’t get together until 20 or 30 years later.

“The Real You is about if you believe in yourself you can do it.”

Long Sutton born Ria studied popular music at The College of West Anglia, but music currently has to play second string to her job with a property maintenance company in Wisbech.

She’s now appearing with a fellow acoustic guitarist, but sings solo.

l You can hear Ria singing by clicking on this article on www.spaldingtoday.co.uk and the Sugar Kick album is available on iTunes, Amazon and spotify – she also has a Facebook page Ria Woods Music. Ria hopes soon to have her own website to get her music more widely heard.

Almost 40 jobs are “at risk” at South Holland District Council due to the end of a contract.

The Supported Housing Service helps about 1,600 of the council’s sheltered housing tenants to live independently.

The district council delivers the service under a contract with Lincolnshire County Council, which ends on September 30.

Both councils had been working on a revised contract to drive down the cost to taxpayers.

Last year the district council agreed the principle of new arrangements that would see it continue to deliver support services to its most vulnerable 
sheltered housing tenants, while achieving significant savings.

South Holland District Council leader Gary Porter, said: “Despite assurances that the new contract – which would have made tens of thousands of pounds of saving on the old one – would be re-let to South Holland District Council, the county council have reneged on this agreement at the eleventh hour.

“I’m angry and frustrated that we have been forced into serving notice to our staff.

“And I’m disappointed that after renegotiating the contract with the county council, they have still turned round and said no.

“However, I’m confident that the county council or its new contractor will deliver a service equal to that which the district council currently does on their behalf.”

A total of 36 staff posts are affected.

Three other local authorities within Lincolnshire are also in a similar position.

Life assurance is an important part of financial planning. Taking out a life assurance policy is the first step towards providing security for your dependants when you die.

You’ll want to make sure that your policy reaches your dependants quickly. The emotional trauma of a death in the family could be made worse by legal delays, tax or debts having to be paid out of the money you want your dependants to receive.

Placing your life assurance policy in trust is one way of helping make sure it is given to those you want it to go to, without delays.

A trust allows the policy proceeds to be given to the beneficiaries without giving them full control or access to the proceeds.

The settlor – the person giving away their life policy is called the settlor. The settlor chooses the trustees and the beneficiaries.

The people who receive payment from the trust fund are called the beneficiaries.

The trustees – the trustees take legal ownership of the trust fund from the settlor. They then look after the trust fund, and, following a claim will make arrangements for the payments to be made to the beneficiaries.

A discretionary trust offers most flexibility as the trustees can appoint from a wide range of beneficiaries, including your spouse and your children. The trustees have discretion about which of the beneficiaries will receive any benefits, how much they will receive and when they will receive it.

When an absolute trust is used the beneficiaries are chosen at outset and are absolutely entitled to the trust fund. The beneficiaries are fixed at outset and cannot be changed in the future.

It should also be remembered that whilst it is a good idea to put your policy in trust at outset, most insurance companies allow their protection plans to be placed in trust at anytime. If you think that this may be relevant to your situation then please get in touch.

Anglers are being urged not to panic if they see dead fish in waterways around Spaldiing.

George Croft said he contacted the Environment Agency after seeing eight dead fish where the River Welland meets Coronation Channel.

Mr Croft (74), of Priory Road, said: “My concern is the water is polluted or someone is killing them.”

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: “We have investigated, but found no evidence of pollution or poor water quality.

“One good sign is that the fry and juvenile fish are doing fine; these would be the first to die if any pollution was present.”

People drinking on Spalding’s Coronation Channel riverbank are being told to clean up after a fire caused by sun rays reflecting off a beer can.

Firemen from Spalding used a hose reel jet to put out the blaze on the riverbank off Low Road just after 2pm last Tuesday.

A Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue spokeswoman said: “The fire was not started deliberately but caused by sun rays magnifying from a beer can onto cut grass.

“This is a reminder as to the importance of clearing up and putting bottles and cans in the bin.”