The response to our toy appeal so far has been amazing – but there’s still time for you to do your bit to help give a child a very merry Christmas.

Toys for children aged from toddlers to 12 have been flooding in to our collection points and shops, businesses and even surgeries have been getting on board to help the cause.

This week Phil Scarlett, presidents of Spalding and district area chamber of commerce, has been out rounding up some donations and has enlisted the help of Pennygate Medical Centre in Spalding.

The surgery has collected a selection of cuddly toys, building blocks, books and even a bike to bring a smile to children on Christmas Day.

Harry Drury, of We’ll Let Your House, who is running the appeal with the help of Beales department store and the Lincolnshire Free Press, said he is delighted with how the appeal is going and amazed by the generosity of local people.

He is now busy tracking down the little boys and girls who will benefit from Santa’s sack of donated toys.

A handful of letters have already been received from struggling parents asking for a donation from the appeal – but we are hoping for more.

One mum has asked for help as she and her two children are currently living in a homeless hostel and hoping to move to their new home just before Christmas.

But she is struggling to find the money to buy Christmas presents for her children as she tries to set up a new home for them.

Another reader has askedfor help on behalf of another young mum who is struggling to make ends meet.

So please, let us know if you would like to benefit from the toy appeal and keep those toys coming in.

While most of us can look forward to tucking into fine food and unwrapping gifts from our friends and family this Christmas, some people will not be so lucky.

If you are a parent who is struggling to buy gifts for your children, you can apply for some help from our Give a Gift appeal.

Write a letter outlining why you need help and giving your name, address and telephone number, as well as the names and ages of your children.

Send your letters to Tracey Sweetland, Lincolnshire Free Press, Priory House, The Crescent, Spalding, PE11 1AB.

Toys can be donated at We’ll Let Your House’s office at Broad Street Business Centre, Spalding, the Lincolnshire Free Press office in The Crescent, or the toy department at Beales.

The closing date for applications and donations is Wednesday, December 18.

UPDATE THURSDAY 12.30PM: Two children and two adults have been taken to hospital after a two-car crash in Tydd St Mary.

All four people, whose details aren’t yet known, were hurt when a Renault Clio and Vauxhall Corsa collided on Wisbech Road just after 3.20pm yesterday.

They were taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, to be checked over but details of their injuries are currently unknown.

THURSDAY 10AM: Four people had to be cut free by firemen after two cars collided in Tydd St Mary on Wednesday.

A Vauxhall Corsa collided with a Renault Clio on Wisbech Road at its junction with Cross Road just after 3.20pm yesterday afternoon.

Firemen used hydraulic cutting equipment to free people from one of the cars, although their condition isn’t yet known.

The accident held up a number of parents collecting children from Tydd St Mary Primary School and headteacher Sonya Ripley said: “We did have quite a lot of traffic blocked up outside the school and our parents were a little delayed in picking their children up from school.

“But everybody was fine as far as we know.”

A fed-up Surfleet mum is taking on selfish dog owners who leave their pets’ poo behind on pavements in the village.

Fran Healands (37) is spraying yellow powder on grot spots in Surfleet to highlight the problem of dog fouling and persuade people walking their dogs to be more responsible.

She claimed that parents had to “hop, skip and jump” over dog mess left on pavements while taking their children to school despite there being several new dog bins in the village.

Fran, who has two daughters herself, said: “The amount of dog poo left on pavements in Surfleet has got ridiculous and children are walking into it when they come to and from school.

“I saw some dog mess on Station Road a few days ago and we’ve nicknamed it the Yellow Brick Road because it was so bad.

“Three new dog bins have been put around the village but it’s not helped the problem at all because people are too ignorant to use them.

“I’ve talked to some mums who’ve had to hop, skip and jump over dog poo on the pavement and it’s got to the point where people who have a bugbear about the problem should try and do something about it.”

Fran wants South Holland’s dog warden to step up patrols in Surfleet to try and catch irresponsible dog owners who could face an instant fine of £50.

She added: “It’s been an ongoing problem here for as long as I can remember and the only way of dealing with is to highlight the fact that it’s messing up the streets.

“We’ve even had dog mess left on our own driveway and it’s disgusting, so it would be good to have the dog warden around more to keep an eye on the problem.”

Parish council chairman Mary Hurst said: “I understand that dog fouling has taken place on a pavement near the junction of Station Road and School Crescent and that’s the reason why we’ve put extra dog bins in the village.

“Our district councillors were helpful in funding them and steps have been taken to help dog owners be responsible.

“Now we’d like them to exercise that responsibility wisely by not allowing their dogs to cause situations that could be unhealthy for children in Surfleet.”

Surfleet district councillor Sally Slade said: “I thought the problem had gone away after we decided to put dog bins near the school which were paid for out of our designated budgets from the district council.

“There’s no excuse for it and it’s down to dog owners to be more responsible about their pets and less inconsiderate of other people.”

This month Tina Parkes Blewett one of our physiotherapists writes on one of her areas of expertise, the Achilles’ tendon.

She finds many patients ask her: “How can I help the pain that I feel in the tendon at the back of my heel, as I really want to start exercising again but my heel is so stiff and sore in the morning?”

The usual cause is Achilles tendinopathy, an overuse injury causing pain, inflammation and/or wear and tear of the large Achilles tendon at the back of the ankle.

The Achilles pain can come on suddenly and be very painful, or it can come on more gradually and get worse over weeks but not so sore to stop you doing things.

Typically you feel the back of your ankle is stiff and sometimes painful in the morning and eases as you walk around because everything warms up.

Signs of Achilles problems are that the tendon starts to become thickened about 3cm above the heel and will be tender to touch. Mostly you can bring on the pain if you suddenly start doing more like increasing the speed you run at, running further or walking/running up hills which you do not usually do.

If you want to increase the distance you run or walk then you should really limit any increase in distance to ten per cent per week.

Individuals with flat feet are more likely to suffer from Achilles tendinopathy.

In this case orthotics (inserts) can be worn, but choosing shoes or trainers that support the arch of the foot will help. Also, ladies who only wear high heels, shorten the length of the calf muscle and therefore the tendon so if they suddenly change to flat shoes (like flip-flops in the summer) the tendon will get irritated because it’s not used to it.

The best treatments are; identifying the cause of your pain and then reducing any inflammation with rest, ice, anti-inflammatory tablets if you can take them (check with your GP or the pharmacist), and possibly initially a heel raise to reduce the stretch on the tendon.

Physiotherapy exercises then start to lengthen any tightness, strengthen any weaknesses and work on any other areas of the body such as hip, core weakness (specialised tummy muscles) and spinal stiffness probably caused by poor running and walking postures (Pilates can really help with this - see January’s article).

The annual general meeting of South Holland Growers’ Club is due to take place on Monday, December 16.

The event will be held at Whaplode Manor at 7.30pm.

Following the formal business of the evening, there will be a film show presented by the Lincolnshire Film Archive.

It will feature agriculture, horticultural and scenes from the local South Holland area.

A new survey by Aquila Capital has revealed that 23 per cent of institutional investors are looking to increase their holdings in farmland over the next year.

A further 74 per cent are expected to maintain their holdings at 1.3 per cent of portfolio.

Two people were taken to hospital after being trapped in a car that overturned because of a crash in Weston.

An air ambulance was called to Delgate Bank where two people had to be freed from a car which was upside down in a ditch at about 11.45am yesterday.

The pair were treated by paramedics at the scene before they were taken to Pilgrim Hospital, Boston, for further checks.

Firemen from Spalding and Long Sutton who freed the pair then made the car they were in safe.

Some women are meeting in secret to indulge in one of their shared guilty pleasures.

However, Lesley Challans has no truck with secrecy and is prepared to be open about the pastime that gives her such gratification.

In fact, Lesley, of West Pinchbeck, is rather hoping that other women who are just as passionate will be interested in meeting up to talk about it, share tips and even try each others... cakes, bread or whatever item of baking they would like to bring along.

Television programmes such as The Great British Bake Off have encouraged a renaissance in baking, although Lesley, mother to four grown up sons, says she has “always baked”.

When Lesley decided she wanted to meet up with other people who are passionate about baking she did consider the Clandestine Cake Club, which meets all over the country and has a branch in Boston.

However, she, says: “You can only bake big cakes and it is quite strict in its guidelines. You can’t bake breads or cup cakes. And it’s supposed to be in a secret location each time – I imagine it is in a cafe or something.”

Instead, with the help of one of her sons, Lesley has created a website – www.cakesandbakesinspalding.co.uk – and hopes to follow this up with a Cake and Bake Club, if enough people are interested.

She says: “I am hoping there are some like-minded bakers out there who would like to meet up to sample goodies, have a chat and make new friends, with no discrimination against any form of baking.

“This is absolutely not about producing a perfect product or in any way a competition.

“I am just a home baker and not everything turns out as expected, but it would be nice to meet and enjoy sharing recipes, successes as well as disasters.”

Lesley and husband Ken have lived in South Holland for the past six or seven years, and Lesley admits the social aspect appeals to her too.

“It’s difficult to get to know a lot of people as you get older, especially when you do something like move away.”

The couple share an interest in classic cars and have friends in that circle, some of whom are interested in the Cake and Bake Club.

If there aren’t too many people, meetings could be held in Lesley’s home and there might even be space for workshops.

Contact 07908 581140 or lesleychallans@btinternet.com

Even if people interested in baking are not able to join Lesley Challans’ proposed Cakes and Bakes in Spalding club, they will enjoy a visit to her website.

As well as talking about her personal life and enjoyment of baking, Lesley shares some of her recipes.

Some of her latest updates include Festive Chocolate Brownies, a recipe taken from the BBC Good Food Magazine, and a link to a recipe for Ciabatta Bread, something Lesley says she has tried in the past either plain, or with olives or sundried tomatoes.

Other recipes include Spiced Apple and Pecan Cake; Scrumptuous (Pineapple!) Carrot Cake; Lemon, Almond and Poppy Seed Cake, and others, all attributed to the original source – she has an enormous stack of cookery books – and with Lesley’s tips where she has them.

Visit the site at www.cakesandbakesinspalding.co.uk

There is a link on the website for people interested in finding out about meetings.

Youngsters from St John’s Primary School in Spalding had an educational outing to the town’s Sir John Gleed School, where they learned how to make bread.

Head of food technology Sue Rees and food technology teacher Zoe Bryant showed children to weigh out the ingredients, mix, knead, shape and bake the dough.

Pupils made cottage loaves, twists, plaits and even hedgehogs – and were allowed to take their baking home with them.

Mrs Bryant said the Sir John Gleed School regularly opens its doors to primary school pupils to give them a taste of “big school”.

She said: “I suppose it’s just different from what they normally experience in their primary schools because we have bespoke facilities.”

The primary pupils were given a helping hand on the day by the Gleed students.

A man posing as a property developer searched a pensioner’s coat pockets and drawers after conning his way into a house in Gedney.

It happened at about 3.50pm yesterday when a man knocked on the window and back door of the pensioner’s home before taking them outside to look at missing roof tiles and tarring on the garage roof.

When the elderly man who lives at the house got back inside, he found that coat pockets had been searched and furniture drawers left open.

Police are looking for a man described as white, aged 35, with short brown hair, 5’9’’ to 6’ tall, stocky build and clean shaven.

A grey or silver-coloured Ford Mondeo-type vehicle seen in the area is also being looked for by police and anyone with information should call 101, stating incident 269 of December 4.

Almost 33,000 motorists were handed tickets for parking illegally in Lincolnshire in the last 11 months – almost 2,000 of them in South Holland.

A report to the county council reveals half the tickets were issued in Lincoln, but Spalding councillor Roger Gambba-Jones says the enforcement is having the desired impact in South Holland.

Coun Gambba-Jones told the Spalding Guardian: “If we could rely on people to behave themselves when they are in their cars – and not act selfishly – then there would be no need for it.”

He said when people realised there were no longer traffic wardens, they were abandoning their vehicles wherever they fancied and for as long as they liked in places like Spalding’s Sheep Market.

Coun Gambba-Jones said the aims of parking enforcement are to keep traffic flowing freely and to allow more people to use on-street parking, which cannot happen when selfish drivers overstay their allotted time.

“Absolutely well done to the county council,” he said. “I hope they can keep up that level of enforcement. I am always pleasantly surprised to see how often the wardens are in town.”

Lincolnshire County Council appointed APCOA to take charge of civil parking enforcement and there are currently 26 officers and four supervisors working across the county.

Parking on double and single yellow lines is the most common reason for issuing penalty charge notices.

The top five contraventions for parking are:

l Restricted street (11,720)

l Longer than permitted (9,238)

l Resident’s space (2,885)

l Disabled bay (1,986)

l Loading space (1,793)

Spalding’s population boom is the spark for a new transport plan to keep people and businesses on the move.

Lincolnshire County Council and South Holland District Council are urging residents to have their say on existing and potential traffic and travel problems so a planning blueprint can be devised to solve them.

The authorities say Spalding has potential for “significant growth” over the coming years – and it will have an inevitable impact on traffic and travel.

District councillor Roger Gambba-Jones believes the most obvious priority is a western relief road for the town “to counter some of the issues that may be caused by increased level crossing down-times”.

He wants better traffic flows through town, which could be achieved by synchronisation of traffic lights and pedestrian-controlled lights.

Coun Gambba-Jones also wants the county council to again look at closing the railway station end of Swan Street because that would ease traffic flows without harming businesses based in Swan Street.

In an ideal world, he would like either “the train over the road or the road over the train” in Winsover Road.

But he said: “We know that’s something that’s highly unlikely ever to happen because the cost would be extraordinary for any bridge along there.”

Coun Gambba-Jones said Spalding’s population has grown by something like ten or 11 per cent in the last ten years so it is important to address travel problems now.

County councillor Richard Davies, executive member for highways and transportation, said: “This transport strategy will help us to support and promote economic growth in Spalding.

“It’s important that local people tell us what their traffic and travel issues are so that we can properly address them.

“If you would like to put your views forward, please get in touch via our website or through our customer services team.”

To get involved visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/transportstrategies or call 01522 782070.

Parts of Spalding will be lit up with “magic lantern” shows on Saturday night as West End Lights hits town.

West End Lights started in Lincoln with homes lit by lanterns or windows turned into film screens – and now light fever is taking off in Spalding.

Professional film maker Sophie Currell, from Sutton Bridge, is joining forces with Chain Bridge Forge, in High Street, Spalding, to show two film montages that will be projected onto a window at the forge – and on the wall of a nearby building.

Spalding artists Carol Parker and Amy Lee will have their own display at their Art on the High Street studio in The Crescent – and promise a big surprise as they project pictures of a figure onto buildings in town.

Carol said: “We are keeping it secret, but it will be a figure that moves.”

Sophie’s films feature blacksmithing at the forge and historical pictures of familiar buildings – there’s also a shot of Spalding Guardian photographer Tim Wilson when he visited the forge to take pictures.

Sophie said: “I have never done anything like this before. I am really thrilled to be taking part.”

Chain Bridge Forge will have its lights display from 6pm-9pm while the artists hold theirs between 7pm-9.30pm.

Carol and Amy started in a small way last year, with Carol lighting her house and Amy turning a car into a colourful fish tank, but they would like more Spalding people to join in.

Carol said: “I would like to get all of the shops involved. It would be nice to light up Spalding like they do Lincoln.”

l The forge promises a weekend of fun in collaboration with Strawberry Glass – including demonstrations of blacksmithing and stained glass making from 10am-9pm on Saturday and noon-4pm on Sunday.

A parish council is checking out a new generation CCTV system before it hands over cash to pay for cameras to be monitored.

Sutton Bridge Parish Council signed up to the former South Holland system and discovered one of its two cameras wasn’t working – and couldn’t get any statistics on numbers of arrests made as a result of having cameras.

Cameras were monitored only part of the time by volunteers, but mostly they were left on record with police left to trawl through footage to pick up specific incidents.

New generation cameras are being rolled out across South Holland and parishes have options to pay for round-the-clock monitoring by professional staff based at Boston – or 18 hours a day at a reduced cost.

Sutton Bridge parish councillors are to visit the monitoring station at Boston before deciding whether to opt in.

Capital costs of the new system are being met by council tax income on second homes, with some district councillors contributing from their community budgets.

South Holland District Council’s portfolio holder for community safety, Nick Worth, told Sutton Bridge councillors: “To be fair, I don’t think anybody was particularly happy with the provision they had where it wasn’t monitored on a regular basis.”

Councillors heard 24/7 monitoring will cost a little over £1,135 per camera – reducing to £851 for 18 hours.

Coun Chris Brewis said Sutton Bridge could opt for three cameras at very little extra cost to two and cover a wider area, but no decision was made on numbers of cameras.

Parish council vice-chairman Michael Booth told Coun Worth: “Your biggest job is to try to sell us a system when we have had such a – dare I say it – crap system.”

The council will make its decision later this month.

Homes in Sutton Bridge were saved from flooding last night as water poured down Lime Street.

Residents said a 10ft high tidal surge led to river water cascading through a riverside drainage valve – but Environment Agency workers put a huge sandbag over the top of the valve and a line of sandbags across the top of Lime Street.

Residents said the river level was between 2ft and six inches from the top of the riverbank and Cross Keys Bridge had to be closed at about 8pm for half-an-hour as around 100 sightseers gathered on the bridge to watch the Nene.

Riverside resident Tom Rowe said it was the worst flooding he’s seen by far.

He said: “We had a catastrophic tide, a surge of approximately 10ft came up the river and engulfed everything in its path.”

Tom had previously lifted his boat out of the water and left it on the riverbank, but both the boat and its trailer were washed into his garden – the garden was also flooded.

His pontoon was wrecked as the surge flipped it over – and the pontoon landed upside down on his jetty.

This morning’s high tide passed off without incident.

Scores of householders received Environment Agency flood warnings yesterday, but it’s understood no one left their homes.

Parish council chairman John Grimwood said: “There wasn’t any actual overtopping, but it was very, very close.”

Crime in South Holland is falling – that’s official.

Residents are being urged to ignore claims other police forces may manipulate statistics – and celebrate a 12 per cent reduction in recorded crime.

Insp Jim Tyner said: “In South Holland, and across Lincolnshire, we accurately record all crimes that are reported to us.

“There is no manipulation of these figures and we have strict audit systems in place to ensure officers comply with the national crime recording standards.”

At this time of year, police normally expect a seasonal increase in certain crime types, however across South Holland there have been 116 dwelling burglaries – 39 less burglary victims than this time last year and a 25 per cent reduction.

There has also been a reduction in assaults.

Insp Tyner said: “I often hear that Spalding town centre isn’t a safe place to go out. Actually, since April 1 there have been 98 assaults in Spalding town centre (that’s an average of three a week), which is a reduction of 15 crimes compared to the same period last year.

“The assaults in the town centre tend to be linked to the night-time weekends, so I am pleased with this reduction, as it is the result of a lot of work with licensees and door-staff and increased police patrols.”

However, there has been a rise in assaults on the Spalding Estates beat area – 106 assaults compared to 85 last year.

Insp Tyner said: “Many of these assaults tend to be linked to domestic violence. We encourage an increase in reporting of domestic abuse because for far too long those suffering from domestic abuse were often the silent victims.”

In spite of the reduction in crime, Insp Tyner said more officers are still needed.

He said: “Recorded crime may be down, but not everything that is reported to us is a recorded crime for the purpose of the national crime recording standards.

“Two of the most consistent themes of correspondence this year have been street drinkers and cyclists without lights or cycling on pavements.

“Readers of your paper or followers of our Twitter account will already be aware of the significant amount of officer time that is devoted to these two issues.

“Although every incident is recorded, neither of these issues is a recorded crime, so the falling crime figures do not necessarily represent the issues that matter most to our community. However, in South Holland we are currently enjoying a 12 per cent reduction in crime.

“What is important to me, though, is that this means, across all crime types, in South Holland there are 332 fewer victims than this time last year.”

Pupils from Gedney Drove Primary School can claim to be eggheads on their new specialist subject – road safety.

Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership’s Kay Taman visited the school and children were asked to design and make their own model vehicles with one special feature.

The vehicles had to be capable of transporting an egg down a steep slope without it breaking.

As well as challenging the pupils’ inventive minds, the aim of the lesson was to teach them to be safe on the roads by belting up in cars and using cycle helmets on their bikes.

School administrator Angela Lintott said: “It was very useful and the children thoroughly enjoyed it.”

A top Lincolnshire business leader hopes firms in South Holland “feel a direct benefit” from measures announced by the Chancellor in his Autumn Statement.

Ursula Lidbetter MBE, chief executive of Lincolnshire Co-operative and chairman of Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said a two per cent cap on business rates from April 2014 and a 50 per cent cut for traders moving into empty shop premises could boost the area’s economy.

Other measures unveiled by Chancellor George Osborne on Thursday include a rise in the state pension age to 68 in the 2030s and £1 billion worth of loans towards new housing.

Ursula said: “The Autumn Statement brings mixed news to the business community, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises which account for about 40,000 businesses in Greater Lincolnshire.

“We hope that our business community will feel a direct benefit from some of the positive measures announced on Thursday.”

Morale is on the rise at accounting firm Duncan and Toplis at the same time as it is looking for new staff to join them.

An independent survey carried out among its 300 staff at Pinchbeck and nine other offices across the East Midlands showed that almost three quarters of them (74 per cent) were happy with their employer.

More than a third of staff (39 per cent) thought Duncan and Toplis had a number of strengths compared to other firms and just six per cent identified weaknesses.

The survey’s findings come as the firm plans to take on new graduate trainees, accountants, tax and audit specialists.

Human resources director Debby Brewin said: “There are lots of positives to discuss with the team and we will be working with them to look at areas where we can improve further because we want them to be happy.”