Tool specialists in Pinchbeck and Bourne are leading the search for the country’s top handyman for homes and businesses in the area.

Screwfix, with stores in both areas, is running a competition to crown Britain’s Top Tradesman who could be a builder, carpenter, electrician or plumber.

The winner will be presented with a new van worth £28,000 and the deadline for entries is September 14.

Screwfix managing director John Mewett said: “We run this competition to reward quality tradesmen and to celebrate their success.”

For more details, visit screwfix.com/btt

A mother facing nine benefits offences, including making claims for two children who had died, had her cases adjourned by Boston magistrates on Wednesday to September 17.

Maria Pridmore (34), of Hall Lane, Moulton Seas End, was given unconditional bail. No pleas have been entered.

A man has been accused of 44 offences involving sheep at Surfleet Marsh, including causing unnecessary suffering through failure to provide appropriate care and attention and failure to properly dispose of dead sheep.

Courtney Green (55), of Lodge Farm, Laughton, near Sleaford, is due to appear at Boston Magistrates’ Court on October 1.

Members of Fenland Daylight Lodge in Long Sutton turned a Sunday lunch into a fundraising effort for Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance.

The volunteer lifesavers charity was presented with a cheque for £462 by Keith Savage, on behalf of Worshipful Master Norman Humphries who nominated the county’s air ambulance as his chosen charity for the year.

Emma Young accepted the cheque on behalf of the charity whose business manager Sally Crawford said: “Every penny raised from fundraising activities contributes to keeping our helicopter flying and fully equipped so we can continue saving lives.” Photo supplied.

A Spalding shopkeeper accused of having 7,000 illegal cigarettes and facing seven counts of possessing tobacco products without visible health warnings is due to appear before Boston magistrates on September 17.

Hardi Mohammed (29), of Kubus in Sheep Market, had his hearing adjourned on Wednesday.

A countywide service for patients with symptoms of heart failure has received national recognition.

Lincolnshire Heart Failure Service was a finalist in two categories at this year’s Patient Safety and Care Awards.

The service team, based at Johnson Community Hospital, Pinchbeck, and other hospitals in Lincolnshire, was considered in both managing long term conditions and cardiac care categories.

Specialists within the team play a vital role in helping to prevent conditions of heart failure from escalating and requiring hospital admission.

The service, run by Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS), is led by seven heart failure complex case managers based within community teams across the county to help coordinate care, both long and short-term.

Jane Scrafton, heart failure professional advisor at LCHS, said: “We are very proud to have reached the shortlists for two awards this year.

“We would like to thank all of our colleagues who enable us to provide a high quality service in Lincolnshire.

“We are committed to improving services for people with chronic heart failure and will continue to work with patients, carers and partner organisations to that end.”

LCHS Chief Executive Andrew Morgan said: “This is yet another example of the excellent, quality services which are available to patients in Lincolnshire.”

“Although the team did not win their categories on this occasion, I am very pleased they have had the opportunity to share their work and be chosen as finalists from a strong national field.

“It is good to see that they are getting the recognition they deserve.”

Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Hardwick will be at a community policing panel meeting in Spalding next month.

It will be at Spalding Baptist Church, Swan Street, on September 10 at 7.30pm.

About 120 people from the business community attended the first South Holland Business Awards last year where the success of industry and commerce in the area was celebrated.

Held at Springfields Events and Conference Centre, Spalding, in November 2013, the awards were recognised to have been an overwhelming success, not least by Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce which is organising this year’s event.

Chamber chief executive Simon Beardsley said: “The business community in South Holland has a lot to celebrate, so it is only right that a recognised awards ceremony is returning for a second year.

“Entering and winning awards can make a significant difference to a business as it helps to differentiate them from the competition, as well as helping to generate media interest.

“It can also help to boost staff moral and even recruitment but, most importantly of all, it positions you as the best in your field which is attractive to customers.”

Among the winners last year were West Elloe Pharmacy, Spalding, which took the Business Innovation Award, Bakkavor Group which lifted the Support in the Community Award and Demi Blackbourn of Drive by Websites, Spalding, who was named Apprentice of the Year.

After receiving her award, Demi said: “It was a bit of a shock but I’m really excited to have won and it proves that hard work pays off.”

Leading South Holland businesses, including Boston College, Spalding, Duncan and Toplis Accountants, Pinchbeck, and South Holland District Council, gave their support to the awards by sponsoring one of the categories.

In sponsoring the Business Innovation category last year, a Duncan and Toplis spokesman said: “We believe in a strong local business community where firms support each other and thrive on each other’s success.

“Successful innovation is the lifeblood of future business success individually, locally and nationally, so those businesses that are succeeding deserve to be recognised and celebrated.

“Our sponsorship of the Business Innovation Award is a way of demonstrating our support of this community and rewarding those who are pushing the boundaries to come up with new ideas and products to meet demand.”

But the main businesses can show their support for the awards is to simply come along, with tickets priced £22 for chamber members and £27 for non-members.

Tickets include a three-course dinner before the awards ceremony.

This year’s awards have already been backed by Lincolnshire County Council whose executive member for economic development, Coun Colin Davie, said: “There is a lot to shout about at the moment in terms of business success.

“By highlighting these achievements at the South Holland Business Awards, we can hopefully inspire others.”

Shingles is an infection of a nerve that creates a painful rash across the infected area and it is estimated that one in four people will contract shingles in their lifetime.

The infection occurs in those who have previously experienced chicken pox. The virus remains dormant in the body and can be reactivated at a later point in life.

This reactivation usually occurs if the immune system has been lowered, for example from a virus or stress-related symptom. It is most commonly found in the 50+ age group.

Although you can contract chicken pox from someone who is suffering from shingles, a common misconception is that it is possible to contract shingles directly from someone with the virus. This is incorrect, however chickenpox symptoms in adults can be more severe than in children and may lead to further health complications.

This is a possible reason why parents may be keen for their child to contract the virus at an early age.

The symptoms associated with shingles include sensitivity, tingling or a burning sensation on the skin, followed by fever, headache, a painful rash and blisters.

A shingles vaccine programme started in September 2013, with routine vaccinations available for those aged 70+. For those aged 50+ there are antivirals available that if administered early on, can prevent the virus multiplying and significantly reduce symptoms.

During the recovery period, your GP will advise you to keep the affected area covered with loose fitting clothing and wait until the blisters have dried up before returning to work, although the virus is not airborne, it can be contracted via direct contact with the blisters.

You should aim to keep the blisters as dry and clean as possible. Try using a cool 
compress to achieve this, but do not share any cloths or 
towels during this time as it will encourage the virus to spread.

Pregnant women are advised to seek medical advice urgently if they are concerned they may have symptoms.

Angel is watching with some concern our resident muscovy duck on Spalding’s riverside and her gradually diminishing brood. What started off as 17 or 18 ducklings was down to about 11 on last count.

• How many men in high vis jackets does it take to clear a smallish piece of waste ground beside the railway line on Winsover Road? Five it would appear when Angel was passing on Monday.

• The man painting the smart looking exterior of the new shop planned for the Sheep Market told Angel he would be a millionaire if he’d been paid £1 by everyone asking if he was going to paint the lurid green shop next door – and he’s only been there a week!

• Two very sweet old dears were about to set off from Spalding’s Sheep Market by car the other day. The driver was standing in the road by the driver’s door and summoned her pal to the same side, telling her: “You’re safe – if anyone (meaning passing drivers) looks like hitting you, I’ll hit them with my stick!”

Hmmm. Angel’s not sure you’ll find that sort of advice in the Highway Code. Game girls, though.

• Remember the days when it was fashionable to have three flying duck ornaments on the living room wall?

Angel seems to recall Corrie’s Hilda Ogden had them along with her “muriel”.

Angel was having a cappuccino at McDonald’s in Spalding the other day when three real live ducks were flying in living room wall formation over the nearby Holbeach Road field. Life imitating art, perhaps.

• Angel settled down in Hall Place the other day, clutching her lunchtime coffee and sandwich, ready to listen to a busker playing a clarinet. He packed up just as Angel sat down.

Lots of you know that every year I use my annual leave entitlement to volunteer my veterinary skills and knowledge for rescue centre hospitals and charity organisations around the world.

This year I went to an island called Carriacou, a small island off the coast of Grenada in the West Indies to work for the Grenada Society for Protection Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA)

On arrival at the hospital it was a warm evening. Obviously I was tired, but I was greeted by four lovely dogs, who lived at the hospital for one reason or another and were soon helping me to unpack! It’s a good job that no volunteer work ever requires smart clothes as mine at this point were being dragged around the floor...

The days were long, from 8am until 8pm, and it was very hot working in temperatures exceeding 30 degrees most days. Every day presented cases some good some not so good some with happy outcomes and some not so.

There were routine procedures, such as cat and dog spays and castrates, but as the hospital is not government funded and the owners of these animals can only afford to give a donation, items used such as antibiotics and general anaesthetics are all donated by people such as myself.

One of the biggest challenges that the hospital faced were dogs with ‘tick fever’. We don’t get it over here but the ticks over there carry a nasty virus which effects all the limbs and the circulation of dogs. Once bitten. dogs will loose the ability to stand and the limbs get very swollen – the prognosis is always guarded but if caught in time the dogs can be placed on IV fluids and given a special course of treatment that sometimes can pull them back round. But these dogs will remain in the hospital with round the clock care. I saw three cases and only one was a good outcome.

Another thing that owners do, which if I’m honest frustrated me greatly, was driving beaten up old 4x4s with open backs and tying dogs into the back with rope. This is supposed to prevent the dog from jumping out, but often the rope length is too long and doesn’t stop them. This is what happened to Brie.

This beautiful cross breed dog jumped out of the truck when some other dogs started chasing it. The owner drove for about 100 yards before he realised what had happened, by which time of course the dog had sustained bad scrapes to all four legs.

We saw Brie every day for the time I was there, replacing the dressing daily. The wounds did get better, but the dog was still allowed to travel in the back of the truck, although the rope was made shorter. I felt the dog should never have been put in the back again!

• To be continued.

I love the sound of the cell door clanging shut on a burglar: it’s the ultimate job satisfaction.

In the past few weeks I have had extra patrols out and about at night looking for burglars. There is some good work going on behind the scenes that I am unable to talk about while enquiries continue.

But this has brought to mind a time when I was tasked with looking for burglars who had been targeting the Royce Road estate. It was 10pm on a moonless September evening, with an autumnal nip in the air. I had just parked my unmarked police car up in Royce Road. It was a quiet night, with no one stirring but a local cat prowling along some front gardens.

As I watched the cat I noticed a man who was very well known to me: we’ll call him Billy Burglar.

Billy was stood in a garden in one of the cul-de-sacs off Royce Road.

As my eyes adjusted to the gloom I could see that Billy was motionless on the front path of one of the houses. He was staring at me as I was looking at him.

Billy and I had a history. He had assaulted me on a couple of occasions in the past and had a nasty violent reputation. I don’t mind admitting that Billy scared me. He was unpredictable.

Now, I should explain that being scared doesn’t make me a coward; it makes me human. Avoiding confrontation would be cowardly, but I was never one to avoid trouble.

However, it would be prudent to call for another officer to join me if I was going to approach Billy.

Unfortunately, all other officers were busy. So I continued to watch Billy. He was stood on the path of a house where he didn’t live. He just stayed there, looking at me. I waited for back up. I waited and waited. Forty agonising minutes slowly passed and Billy never moved. I got the impression that he thought he was in the shadows and hoped that I couldn’t see him.

I was in one of our CID cars, and Billy knew all our cars, so it was obvious that he knew who I was.

My stomach was starting to knot up with the anticipation of an impending violent confrontation.

Just as I was deciding that I was going to have to approach Billy without waiting for help, Billy forced the issue by finally walking down the path to the front gate to where a bike was leaning against the front fence. I couldn’t allow Billy to cycle off.What if he had just committed a burglary? What if the bike was stolen?

I got out of my car and ran across to Billy just as he was climbing on the bike. Although Billy knew me, I flashed my warrant card at him and identified myself. Before I could say any more, Billy shouted: ‘Why have you been trying to stare me out?’ I was still a couple of metres away as I started to explain that I thought he was acting suspiciously and I was going to search him.

‘I’m frightfully sorry PC Tyner, but I’m not going to allow that to happen’ is NOT what Billy said, but in his own monosyllabic way, that’s what he meant. And his intention was reinforced as he threw his bike at me.

Yes, there was a flying bike hurtling towards me (did I mention that Billy was incredibly strong.) The more perspicacious among you will already have worked out that this was not going to end well. The bike landed on the ground with such a thud that it buckled the rear wheel. I managed to side step the bike as Billy turned tail and ran up the cul-de-sac towards a small alleyway that lead to Holbeach Road.

Billy ran from my sight and I was a couple of seconds behind him. As I ran in to the darkened alley, Billy was waiting for me in a half-crouched position. He sprung up and threw a right hook at me.

Luckily, he missed me but knocked my glasses flying, breaking them. Now this was the time before CS spray and taser, but I had a torch in my hand, and I managed to get one good swing at Billy, knocking him to the ground. I then jumped on top of Billy and kept him restrained on the ground until help arrived. I knew that if Billy had a chance to get up, I would be in big trouble.

Help was about three minutes away, but that’s a long long time when you’re struggling to restrain someone. The first officer to come to my aid was my colleague John (who I had previously left on the roadside, Spalding Guardian, August 7). Once we got a very belligerent Billy handcuffed, we took him to the police station and searched him properly.

I never did find out what he was doing on the garden path: I suspect that when Billy saw me, it prevented him from carrying out whatever nefarious deed he had planned. However, in his pockets I found some cannabis and some evidence linked to a previous burglary a couple of days earlier.

In many ways our fight against burglars remains unchanged and my officers are still out there actively stopping and searching those people of our twilight community who we suspect of being involved in burglaries.

So, whether it’s my policing reminisces or the next generation of ‘thief-takers’ that have been out there in recent weeks, I still delight to the sound of the cell door clanging shut on a burglar.

Dimitrijs Afanasjeves (27), of no fixed address, has been remanded in custody by Lincoln magistrates until August in connection with a burglary charge after a hearing on Thursday.

Afanasjeves is accused of burgling a house in Pinchbeck Road, Spalding, which was reported to police on August 9.

A four-year-old border collie called Ben has a new-found respect for firefighters after being rescued from a riverbank in Spalding.

Ben was stuck in reeds along the riverbank near West Marsh Road at about 5pm on Thursday.

But firefighters from Spalding and Boston helped the dog to safety.

The police and co-operating organisations put on a very good show in the Sheepmarket on Tuesday.

Congratulations on the special effort. I noticed a sign amongst the displays, that invited: ‘Ask any question’; so I asked one. It was a policy question, and I put it to one of the officers standing near. That was unfair on him really, but I could see no senior-looking person around at the time.

I didn’t get a substantial answer, so here’s the question again, in the hope that someone in the hierarchy will give an answer: Why is there no policy statement by or on behalf of the police, on the matter of cycling on footways? This practice has become pretty well accepted now, to the extent that, by default, the law has effectively been changed. I don’t think that that is an acceptable way of changing law. If it is, what other law may become similarly changed in future?

As the officer to whom I spoke said: ‘We stop them if we see them, but it’s not often we can do that.’ No, of course not, and if you don’t catch offenders often enough, it’s no deterrent. To be effective, being caught needs to be a common enough experience to form a deterrent, and that must mean some special approach. Relying on the chance of catching enough offenders on the normal beat, plainly won’t work.

The police did do a one-off big raid on offenders in the early-ish hours some time ago and caught a number; but that exercise was useless as a deterrent, simply because it plainly was a one-off. Perhaps a programme of smaller, random, unannounced raids would help, with a regular (weekly?) appearance of well-reported court judgements in the paper.

I suspect that, given the calculated undermanning of the police force, there has been a decision by the police authorities simply to let the matter go, in favour of what are judged more important things. That’s comfortable, but is it acceptable? There’s also a political dimension to all this, in two ways: first, the undermanning of the force; and second, the long-standing lack of provision of adequate cycling facilities, which would reduce the temptation to resort to the footway in the first place.

Perhaps our MP would care to join some senior police person in giving a plain statement on policy and suggesting what might be done to recover control of the situation.

John Tippler

Spalding

The East Lincolnshire Community Safety Partnership is calling on people from South Holland, Boston Borough and East Lindsey to help set crime-fighting priorities, with a chance of winning £30 in high street vouchers.

The body’s annual survey will ask local communities what problems they feel need addressing, so they can take steps to prevent them in the future.

Based on last year’s results the partnership produced a three year strategy for tackling crime and boosting saftey.

The current priorities are anti-social behaviour, violent crime, community cohesion, alcohol misuse, theft from shops and cycle thefts.

In South Holland the group already works with various campaigns and schemes such as Alcohol Concern and Activate to alleviate concerns over drinking and anti-social behaviour.

The survey results will be used to fine tune current plans going forward.

Coun Nick Worth, portfolio holder for community safety, said: “This is an opportunity for the public to tell the partnership what issues concern them.

“Your input is vital to help the partnership tackle key problems in local areas.”

The survey is available now online at www.sholland.gov.uk/ or you can pick up a hard copy at the council offices.

The closing date for responses is October 10.

I write to pass on the thanks of Spalding and District branch of the RNLI to Sainsbury’s shoppers who generously donated a total of £260 to the charity on August 16.

Such donations are vital to maintain the rescue services of the RNLI, which are not government funded. Our volunteer lifeboat crews have rescued an average of 23 people a day this year, saving many lives.

I would like to extend our thanks to the manager and staff of Sainsbury’s for their help and support.

Peter Warren

RNLI Hon Treasurer

Spalding Branch

I would like to thank Mel and Colin Carpenter, Pete Wright and Kevin Pritchard for their generous help throughout the fundraising weekend for the Smile Charity.

Thanks to Anne Stevens, Tracey Clarkson and Pat Baxter for their work in the kitchen, supplying tea and coffee; Jason Waltham and Stacey Dickenson for keeping the beer flowing and Spalding Lions and The Ship at Pinchbeck for their very kind donations.

Also thanks to the two football teams, Pinchbeck United Juniors and Boston United Juniors, the veterans of Pinchbeck United Reserves for their kind donations and last of all and by no means least Pinchbeck United Football Club for allowing us to host the weekend at their club.

Once again, thank you to everyone who put all their time into making it a very successful weekend, raising £1,050.

Nigel Stevens

Pinchbeck

The latest set of EU rules which could mean we have to separate our rubbish into six different bins is ludicrous but sadly does not really surprise us.

It’s indicative of the meddling bureaucracy we have come to expect from the EU and its officials.

We know recycling is important and opinion polls tell us the British public realise its importance in many cases but it is farcical that we could end up with six bins.

Where do people house all these bins?

Will it mean collections are farther apart from each other as bin collectors will struggle to collect six bins weekly, or even fortnightly?

The whole proposal shows how disconnected these bureaucrats are from everyday working families in this country.

Roger Helmer and

Margot Parker

UKIP MEPs

for the East

Midlands

Local councillors don’t have long holidays like Members of Parliament who break from July 30 until October 13.

South Holland District Council members have less meetings in August.

However, members still gather for planning meetings and for the Policy Development Panel and Performance Management Scrutiny Committees to discuss matters which need attention before September.

Also, members of the Executive, myself and Coun Bryan Alcock continue to meet with officers during August.

Other time is spent on constituency matters.

I work closely with my co-ward member, Coun George Aley, and we tour our ward to see if the road sweeper is needed.

This is often necessary when some of the trees have been trimmed or weeds sprayed in gutters.

We also meet people who have requested additional litter bins and then discuss their requests with grounds maintenance staff to find suitable places for them.

The County Council no longer allow us to place bins on posts.

They have to be placed on concrete bases, capable of being fixed down to avoid vandals using them as footballs, and positioned where they will not be a hazard to partially sighted people or residents with wheel chairs or prams.

These bins costs around £450 each and we fund these out of our members’ budgets as we both agree they are a good asset to our area.

Coun Aley and I also do evening tours to see if we have sufficient footway lights in our ward.

With new developments, the developers are now required to provide adequate lighting to meet present day requirements and, on our main roads, the County Council provide street lighting.

Any resident who notices a light not working can report it direct to the South Holland District Council office, quoting the lamp post number, and the fault will be dealt with.

Hopefully other councillors will also conduct similar visits.

People in Spalding Monks House Ward can contact me via email on anewton@sholland.gov.uk if you wish to report areas needing attention.

Contact details for other councillors can be found on South Holland District Council website www.sholland.gov.uk