South Lincolnshire growers looking for a more secure, long-term arable solution have a chance to find out about growing an energy crop.

With wheat prices continuing to plummet, arable farmers are increasingly considering miscanthus, according to Terravesta chairman William Cracroft-Eley.

Now the company has organised free ‘miscanthus walks’ in north Lincolnshire to showcase the commercial and operational rewards of the crop to potential growers.

The Lincolnshire farm walks will take place from September 30 to October 3 in Hackthorn, with a further two events in Northamptonshire.

Growers will be guided around working miscanthus sites and will be able to hear about new processes and techniques that are set to lower establishment costs.

They will also get the chance to meet existing growers who will share their experiences.

Book on 01522 731873 or visit terravesta.com

Cabinet Call by Councillor Christine Lawton, South Holland District Council Portfolio Holder for Housing Landlord

‘Papering over the cracks’ is perhaps a metaphor for a poor piece of work or for covering up something best not seen.

In my own case it is an accurate description of my decorating skills in an old house where it seems only multiple layers of wallpaper keep the whole edifice standing!

However, as a landlord with responsibility for almost 4,000 homes – the majority predating the 1980s – our residents can be reassured that this is definitely not the case at South Holland District Council.

We take the maintenance and improvement of our stock very seriously and invest huge sums of money in ensuring tenants’ homes are modernised and repaired.

This year alone we are investing £2.1million in new kitchens and bathrooms and £2million on general repairs to keep our houses at the decent homes level.

We have also replaced 361 boilers (approximately 9 per cent of our stock), and where it is possible we install new and innovative technology.

For a small number of homes we have replaced solid fuel and electric storage heating with ground source heat pumps – I feel a pang of envy in my draughty, papered-over, chilly old house.

I find it interesting when considering our repairs and stock improvement to reflect on the overall age profile of homes in our district.

Almost 70 per cent were built between 1920 and 1960. It was a busy building year for council housing in 1930 when 786 homes were completed and 1950 saw another surge.

These houses have weathered the intervening years well, but constant maintenance is obviously necessary.

We have kept in-house our own response and repairs team (the CSU) which covers electrics, plumbing, carpentry, plastering and the myriad of small but vital call-outs which our tenants need. This year there were over 12,000 calls on our service and 86 per cent of the jobs were completed on the first visit.

I am pleased to say that 99 per cent of our tenants expressed satisfaction with the work done and appointments kept, but recognise that with this large body of work there will be occasions when things go wrong.

We have recently embarked on a building programme for new homes and have ambitious plans for many more as we invest in the affordable homes so needed by young families in our district.

Think Green: By South Holland District Council’s waste and recycling officer Laura Simpkins

We all know recycling your waste is great but how can these helpful habits be used at home? Recycling doesn’t have to be a chore – follow some handy tips so you can become a top recycler too.

If you haven’t got a recycling bin in the kitchen already, make a little space for one. This makes sorting your rubbish simple. You could also print a list of what you can and can’t recycle off from our website and stick it on your fridge so you don’t have to keep checking what to put in.

To try and make it easier for our residents our green bags have items that can and can’t be accepted written on the side. This is handy if you forget, so please remember to read the side of your bag!

Don’t forget to recycle in the bathroom. Shampoo and shower gel bottles can be recycled after they have been washed out, so why not wash them out whilst you’re taking a shower – saving time and energy. It is also a good idea to have a small pedal bin for your recycling for your toilet rolls and bottles.

You can also ‘precycle’. By making smart choices when you are out shopping you can choose items with recyclable packaging, or buy in bulk to reduce the amount of waste you need to throw away.

Remember to make recycling fun. Ask your children (or grandchildren) to guess which bag certain items go into. If they get it right they could get a little reward. By making recycling a good habit now they are more likely to recycle in the future.

South Holland’s recycling rate is currently hovering around 30 per cent. If you follow these tips and make recycling a regular habit within your home you can help push this up further.

We would also like to welcome Dave Rodwell, pictured above, to the waste and recycling team. Dave has a wealth of experience out driving and loading on the recycling and refuse crews and will bring a new perspective to our team.

It is expected that items from South Holland will be included in an important exhibition about the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta next year.

A book of legal documents from Crowland Abbey, an early bible and an astrolabe, once used by astronomers and navigators, will be part of the display at Lincoln Cathedral.

They are just a very small selection of the historically important and precious artefacts contained in what has been described as ‘Spalding’s best kept secret’.

It is Spalding Gentlemen’s Society, which has the second oldest museum collection in the country in its 1911 museum in Broad Street.

The collection pre-dates the British Museum and includes things of national and international importance.

Academics and people from the museum world have long known about the treasure that is Spalding Gentlemen’s Society, and many visit to carry out research, such as the curator from the British Museum.

Unfortunately, the museum is rather less known on its own doorstep, but that is something its 350 or so members have agreed they would like to change.

The society would like to return to its roots, to looking outwards to and engage with the world, something honorary secretary Michael Chisholm admits the society has, “to a considerable degree”, moved away from.

He is being harsh: the museum is open to the public on Mondays (9am to noon), although it’s wise to ring first to make an appointment. It is also open to groups that would like to make a pre-arranged visit.

The society holds fortnightly public lectures at Spalding Grammar School on Friday evenings during the winter months.

It is also opening its doors during Heritage Open Days, on Saturday, September 13 (10am to 4pm) for people to tour the exhibits as well as a significant display of World War 1 items; and on Sunday, September 14 for a talk at 3.30pm on the Royal Flying Corps. The talk is free but as space is limited it is necessary to pre-book.

And space is at the heart of the museum’s current dilemma: torn between wanting to make the collections accessible to the greatest number of people, but with the real difficulty of lack of room to display the holdings.

Michael says: “This building is full to the gunnels and we need more space, if only to be able to show what we have properly.

“We want members of the public to come in without being escorted by stewards, but we are nowhere near that at the moment. It’s a long-term goal, perhaps within ten years.”

And what visitors see on display are many thousands of items from prehistory to 1960, such as flints and arrow heads, beautiful Chinese porcelain, manuscripts, paintings, scientific instruments and a Roman shoe rescued from a Lincolnshire bog and donated to the society about 250 years ago. Items found with it and given to the Royal Society were lost.

The number of treasures increases dramatically if the coin collections and books are included – many of the latter are early editions given by 18th century members who could choose to pay £1 or donate a book on admission to membership of the society.

Much of the collection has been donated, by society members or members of the public, and reflects the diverse and wide-ranging interests of donors. For instance, a metal detectorist recently gave four items he had discovered.

Pieces are also bought at auction, such as the recent acquisition, thanks to funding from the Friends of the National Libraries, of a manuscript compiled by the society’s founder, Maurice Johnson, detailing the histories of the main families of Lincolnshire in his time. It is intended that this will be shown at Ayscoughfee Hall Museum in a special exhibition.

Honorary curator Tom Grimes says: ”Because we have been going so long and collecting so long we have some things which are unique and well worth seeing, certainly comparable with the things you see in a big London museum.

“The problem we have is where do we put things we get, and it’s a real problem.

“We refuse anything that is over-size and that is going to take a significant amount of space, unless there is a good reason to take it.”

The society, which has its roots in 18th century London coffee houses – to “discuss everything but religion and politics, which is still the case,” says council member Julia Gant – has also opened up its membership.

From 2007 women were admitted – interestingly, Julia says Maurice Johnson speculated in 1740 or thereabouts about the inclusion of women, but was voted down.

More recently, the society has switched from a secret ballot to a more open admission system, so that almost anyone over 18 who supports the objectives of the society, other than known felons, can apply and will normally be accepted.

Contact the museum on 01775 724658 or visit the website at spalding-gentlemens-society-org

People from South Lincolnshire are invited to find out more about the county’s largest integrated mental health and social care NHS Trust at its annual public meeting.

Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust meets on Thursday, September 4 at The Epic Centre on Lincolnshire Showground from 9.30am to 4pm.

The meeting will highlight the variety of mental health and social care services available to local families.

Members of the public can pose questions to the Trust’s board of directors and hear Falklands hero Simon Weston OBE share his account of recovery towards mental and physical wellbeing.

To book a place at the free event, telephone: 01529 222277 or email: info@lpft.nhs.uk. To view the full agenda, go to: www.lpft.nhs.uk

On THe Beat with Inspector Jim Tyner

‘I’ve not seen so many police in the town centre at the same time since Greggs had a two for one offer on doughnuts!’

That was the amusing Facebook jibe referring to our engagement event in The Sheepmarket last week.

One or two people asked me how I could justify so many cops in one place not doing ‘real’ police work, when I’m always in the paper saying we’re short-staffed.

Actually, most of the staff were volunteers: our enthusiastic police cadets; our wonderful special constables; the dedicated street pastors and indefatigable CCTV volunteers.

Also present were some of our local PCSOs, doing what they are paid to do: engage with their local community. There were also one or two police officers who had given up their days off to take part.

The officers from roads policing and the dog unit were on routine duty, and both dealt with other incidents during the course of the day.

The day was planned as an opportunity for locals to meet some of the departments that support our local policing.

There was also an opportunity to speak with the police and crime commissioner, Alan Hardwick.

I planned the day as a fun event, with activities for children, but also with important opportunities for people to tell us what their concerns are.

Community engagement is an important part of community policing. We don’t do it because it’s a nice thing to do (although it is a nice thing to do and we do enjoy it).

We do it because decades of research that show that, if you get community policing right, it reduces crime and anti-social behaviour and reduces the fear of crime.

This reduces the demand on the emergency response teams and CID.

There are four key principles to community policing: access, influence, intervention and answers.

‘Access’ is about giving people access to our policing services. The 101 number was introduced to make it easier to contact your local police.

The force website and the crime statistics on www.police.uk give people access to policing information.

Some people like the easy access of social media and Twitter. I would love to see a text message system introduced to make it easy to report non-urgent ASB (anti-social behaviour), such as street drinkers.

There are many different facets to our community and they all have different needs and expectations.

We therefore need to balance our visibility in our rural communities with the need for emergency response to urgent incidents in areas of higher population.

‘Influence’ is the formal process of local residents taking part in their local community policing panels. It doesn’t matter how many engagement events we do: if we aren’t dealing with the things that matter most to our community, people are going to feel let down.

So these local panels set the local priorities for their local community policing teams. You don’t get more influential than that.

‘Intervention’ is about the police and other agencies, such as the council and the road safety partnership taking action to deal with the issues raised by the policing panels.

A lot of the issues raised by local panels are not crime or ASB issues, so it’s not always the police that need to take action. Also, taking action doesn’t always mean enforcement: it can be about education as well.

‘Answers’ is simply about telling you what we’ve done. We do this through traditional media and social media.

This isn’t something the police service has been very good at doing in the past. The attitude used to be ‘what do we HAVE to tell the media’ (ie: only the bare minimum).

My attitude is that I will be as open as possible and only refrain from releasing information if there is an operational or legal need.

So, everything we do in community policing should be addressing one or more of these four principles.

Our use of Twitter is a good example: it gives people access to their local police and allows us to provide timely answers. In a way, my weekly column in this paper does the same thing in a less expeditious way.

Our community engagement event allowed people access to their local officers. Several people spoke with me and expressed their concerns about lack of policing in their area.

This is to be expected. Every time I go on foot patrol people tell me they never see an officer. People have been telling me this since I first went on foot patrol 25 years ago.

However, the overwhelming message I got from people last week was how pleased they are with the reduction of ASB in Ayscoughfee Gardens and The Vista, and the reduction of street drinkers within the town centre.

Several people were complimentary about my hard-working PCSOs. When people come up to me and talk to me about their local PCSO, referring to them by name, then I know that PCSO is doing the right thing in their community.

It was still a normal policing day last Tuesday and other officers were on foot patrol in the town centre and the dispersal zone of Ayscoughfee Gardens and The Vista.

Street drinkers on the riverbank were dealt with, other officers were on cycle patrol in their villages and the emergency response teams dealt with incidents throughout the day.

There was also a bit of ‘real’ police work in The Sheepmarket, where we seized a vehicle for no insurance and also dealt with a shoplifter.

However, I was embarrassed to learn on social media that we all, including me, missed a car travel the wrong way round The Sheepmarket!

What a shame: I would have loved to see Bobby Bear stop a motorist.

Thank you to everyone that came to meet us. I hope you got what you wanted out of your visit.

Oh, and for the record... not a single doughnut passed our lips all day.

Wildlife enthusiast Julie Ellison has got together with the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust to help local people make a real contribution to wildlife conservation.

In addition to feeding garden birds and making sure gardens are generally wildlife-friendly places, recording the wild animals, plants, birds and insects we see around us is one of the most important ways to help local wildlife.

A free one-day training course with tutor Julie, Making Your Sightings Count, will take participants through the process of wildlife recording.

It’s to be held next Sunday, September 7, at Willow Tree Fen Nature Reserve near Tongue End.

To find out more contact Julie on 01724 735349 or book a place on info@lincstrust.co.uk or 01507 526667.

Three-quarters of arable farmers surveyed by the Kleffmann Group said they intended to grow hybrid oilseed rape varieties in future.

Of those questioned, 65 per cent grew at least one hybrid variety this year.

The dog that really stole my heart during my stay in Carriacou was called Demi.

She was brought into us by a man who had stopped someone throwing her into the sea to drown.

Demi is about four months old and had a really severe case of demodex mange – hence her name.

Her condition was so bad she could barely open her eyes.

Demodex is a cigar-shaped parasite that burrows under the skin, hence the inflammation. Demi’s little legs were swollen and her entire body was red raw from the scratching and self-trauma she had caused herself from biting.

The wounds had become infected and she really looked in a bad way. So, as I said, she stole my heart.

Her treatment began with a special bath in a really strong shampoo that deals with demodex. She instantly looked better and started to eat.

Demi had daily doses of a really strong antibiotic and, of course, lots of love and cuddles from me.

I posted her story on our Facebook page and before long she had gone viral – with followers in Germany, France, Ireland, the USA, Britain and even Thailand.

By her second bath in the same solution, she was finding her puppy bark and character.

I fell in love with Demi and we looked into me bringing her over to the UK once she is better but, sadly, this is not an easy process.

The hospital founder promised me she would go to a great home, but it’s so frustrating when it is so easy for people in the USA to import dogs. I shed a tear over this...

The morning came of my last day volunteering at the hospital and I spent it with a very sad heart.

Obviously, I was sad to be leaving the hospital and finishing my time there, but the real sadness was leaving Demi.

We had a cuddle and a walk on the beach, which she loved, and this is the memory and the picture I will cherish forever

So, I started my trip back to the UK with a list of things I was going to send out – mops being one of them. They don’t have good ones over there, so cleaning is hard.

People ask me why I give up my annual holiday to travel overseas at my own cost and work for free. The answer is simple: Because that’s what I want to do – take my skills, love and funds to a country that really needs them.

I have since had updates on Demi, who is doing really really well, getting cheekier by the day, and it looks like she may have a new home waiting for her... in the USA.

THURSDAY 10AM: Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Hardwick will be in Spalding next month to answer questions from the public.

Mr Hardwick will be the guest of Spalding Estates Community Policing Panel at a meeting to be held at Spalding Baptist Church on Wednesday September 10 at 6.30pm.

Doors open at 6pm and Mr Hardwick will be available for 30 minutes to answer questions about policing across the county.

The meeting comes after Mr Hardwick’s visit to Spalding last Tuesday for a police engagement event which also featurd stars of TV’s Police Interceptors series and volunteers from Spalding Street Pastors.

FRIDAY AUGUST 22 6PM: Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Hardwick will be in Spalding next month to answer questions from the public.

Mr Hardwick will be the guest of Spalding Estates Community Policing Panel at a meeting to be held at Spalding Baptist Church on Wednesday September 10 at 7.30pm.

It follows the Commissioner’s visit to Spalding on Tuesday for a police engagement event also featuring stars of TV’s Police Interceptors series, police officers from the county’s Wildlife Crime Unit and volunteers from Spalding Street Pastors.

Listings from Thursday, August 28 to Wednesday, September 3

Thursday

Summer fun: arts and crafts, 11am-3pm, Ayscoughfee Hall Museum, Spalding, 01775 764555.

Archery: have a go with Silver Spoon Bowmen, 6.30-9pm, Gleed School field, Neville Avenue, Spalding, book 01775 710342.

Sailing: for people with disabilities, 10am-3pm, Rutland Water, LE15 8HJ, book 07957 223039.

Art exhibition, 10am-6pm, St Matthew’s Church, Sutton Bridge.

Friday

Music in the Market Place: South Holland Centre’s Youth Takeover, mini music festival, noon-5pm, 01775 764777.

Three Little Pigs: drama day with ACT II Theatre Company, 10am-3pm, culminating in a short performance to family and friends at 3pm, South Holland Centre, Spalding, book 01775 764777.

Walk4lifesk: Fen Friday Health Walk Group Pointon/Millthorpe, meet pub car park, 01775 750479.

Mini monsters: bug hunt, 11am-noon, 2-3pm, RSPB Frampton Marsh, PE20 1AY, book 01205 724678.

Art exhibition, 10am-3pm, St Matthew’s Church, Sutton Bridge.

Taekwondo: Summer Fun with Spalding Kickers Taekwondo, 7.30-8.45pm, Castle Sports Complex, book 01775 760190.

Saturday

Kustom Kulture Blastoff: kustom art, tattoo, burlesque, live music, kustom vehicles, vintage, Springfields Events Centre, Spalding, www.kustomkultureblastoff.com

Quiz: 8.30pm, Elizabethan Centre, Whaplode Drove, 01406 330315.

Mad Soundz: karaoke, 8.30pm, Lamb and Flag, Whaplode.

Go-Ride: Summer Fun with Spalding Cycling Club, 10am-11.30am, Castle Sports Field, Albion Street, Spalding, book 07831 737715.

Rock up and row: taster session for juniors, noon-2pm, Boston Rowing Club, book 01205 365233.

Richard Custis: and his amazing dancing dogs, noon and 2pm, Brotherhood Shopping Park, Peterborough.

Sunday

Music in the gardens: Spalding Folk Club concert, 2-4pm, Ayscoughfee Hall Gardens, Spalding, 01775 764555.

Car boot: Spalding Town Cricket Club’s last car boot of the season, sellers 6am, buyers 8am, Spalding Rugby Club, St Thomas’s Road, Spalding.

Transported: Fen Boy, mask and puppet theatre, take a picnic, Hall Place, Spalding 07747 271820.

Spalding Ramblers: meet Wainfleet Market Place (return by train from Skegness), 10.30am, 01775 680404.

Kustom Kulture Blastoff: kustom art, tattoo, burlesque, live music, kustom vehicles, vintage, Springfields Events Centre, Spalding, www.kustomkultureblastoff.com

Car boot: 8am, Moulton Chapel Road, Cowbit, PE12 0XD, 07445 436136.

Family den building: competition, morning and afternoon session, Friends of Bourne Wood, booking essential 07760 468052.

Taekwondo: Summer Fun with Spalding Kickers Taekwondo, 7.30-8.45pm, Castle Sports Complex, book 01775 760190.

Monday

Roller disco: Leo Promotions, 2-4pm, Castle Sports Complex, Spalding, 07788 958078.

Volley fun: Summer Fun volleyball, 6.30-8.30pm, Spalding Grammar School Sports Hall, book 07506 409308.

Martial arts: 4.30-8pm, Budokai Blackbelt Academy, Spalding Common, book 07950 833099.

Taewondo: Summer Fun with Jon Cooper’s School of Taekwondo, 7-8pm, Castle Sports Complex, Spalding, book, 07941 069510.

Tuesday

Pond dipping: 10.30am, 11.30am, 1pm, 2pm 3pm, RSPB Frampton Marsh, PE20 1AY, book 01205 724678.

Pottery painting: 10am-4pm, Doodles, Unique Cottage Studios, Fulney Lane South, Spalding, 07940 449424.

Introduction to riding: 10.30am-noon, Four Winds Equitation Centre, Leaveslake Drove, West Pinchbeck, book 01775 640533.

Wednesday

Stamp Club: philatelic literature/literature on stamps, 2pm, Constitutional Club, Broad Street, Spalding, 01775 762661.

Martial arts: 4.30-8pm, Budokai Blackbelt Academy, Spalding Common, book 07950 833099.

Own a pony day: 10.30am-4pm, Four Winds Equitation Centre, Leaveslake Drove, West Pinchbeck, book 01775 640533.

Improve for horse jumping: 11am-12.30pm, Four Winds Equitation Centre, Leaveslake Drove, West Pinchbeck, book 01775 640533.

Indoor bowls: Summer Fun with Spalding Indoor Bowls Club, 1-2pm, Castle Sports Complex, Spalding, book 01775 762178.

For the regular weekly listings visit www.spaldingtoday.co.uk or see next week’s Lincolnshire Free Press.

The information in this column is supplied to us, please ring the organisers where possible to confirm the event before setting out on your journey.

Listings from Thursday, August 28 to Wednesday, September 3

South Holland Centre

The Nut Job, Thursday 2pm; Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Thursday 7.30pm; Planes: Fire and Rescue, Friday 10am, Saturday and Monday 2pm, Sunday 3pm, Tuesday and Wednesday 11am; Hector and the Search for Happiness, Tuesday 2pm, 6.30pm.

For more information visit www.southhollandcentre.co.uk

Peterborough Showcase, from Friday.

As Above So Below, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Deliver Us from Evil, Earth to Echo, Guardians of the Galaxy, Hercules, How to Train Your Dragon 2, If I Stay, Into the Storm, Let’s Be Cops, Lucy, Million Dollar Arm, Planes 2: Fire and Rescue, Postman Pat: The Movie, Sin City: A Dam to Kill For (and 3D), The Expendables 3, The House of Magic, The Inbetweeners 2, The Nut Job, Transformers Age of Distinction, What If.

For times visit www.showcasecinemas.co.uk

Music

Friday

Dom Stockbridge, 9pm, Rose and Crown, Holbeach Hurn, 01406 426085.

Saturday

Retrospekt, 8pm, Moulton Seas End Village Hall; Mark Diamond, 8pm, Donington RBL, 01775 821112.

Sunday

Billy J, 8pm, Donington RBL, 01775 821112.

Wednesday

The Willows, 8pm, South Holland Centre, Spalding.

Theatre

South Holland Centre, Spalding

Two Gentlemen of Verona (RSC live), Wednesday, 7pm.

Stamford Corn Exchange

A Night of Queen – The Bohemians.

Blackfriars, Boston

Rocking all over the World, Status Quo tribute.

Spalding and District Area Chamber of Commerce president Phil Scarlett writes his monthly column

Markets and Car Parks

We welcome South Holland District Council’s initiative to review its market and car parks long-term plans and have submitted our views to Quarterbridge who are carrying out the work on their behalf.

We strongly believe that a thriving market leads to a vibrant town centre and that the council must make this happen. Our main criticism is that there has been no enthusiasm or ownership within the council for the markets and they seem to look at it as a hassle that they would rather not have to deal with.

I welcomed the introduction of traffic wardens to free up on-street parking and allow residents the opportunity to visit the town and shop for short periods of time.

We were assured that the re-introduction of traffic wardens was not an income generation scheme for Lincolnshire County Council but its aim was to stop all-day parking which had become the norm.

I have been told of the traffic warden’s no tolerance attitude and the frustration of getting a parking ticket on a Sunday but to see a traffic warden on duty on Bank Holiday Monday at 8am only proves that they have one purpose and that is to make money.

South Holland

Business Awards

Following last year’s successful Business Awards lunch our members asked us to move the event to a gala dinner and to have a separate networking/enterprise event at a later date.

The awards dinner will take place on Thursday, November 20 at Springfields Event Centre and the enterprise event next February.

There are six award categories and entries are open to all businesses across South Holland, including Crowland, Holbeach, Long Sutton, Pinchbeck and Spalding. Companies do not have to be members of Chamber to enter.

Entry forms are now available by emailing enquiries@Lincs-Chamber.co.uk All applications must be submitted before the deadline of Friday, October 3.

Making an entry is not difficult and I would encourage businesses to take the time and effort to enter. Entering and winning an award can make a significant difference to a company.

It helps to differentiate them from competitors as well as generating significant media interest. Possibly of more importance is the boost that it gives to staff morale as it recognises their contribution to your company’s success.

This year we are delighted to welcome Work Based Learning Alliance as overall sponsors for the 2014 South Holland Business Awards.

Our other sponsors are: Business of the Year – the Butters Group; Small Business of the Year – Chattertons Solicitors; Supporting the Community – Definitions Health & Fitness; Business Innovation – Duncan & Toplis; Apprentice of the Year – Holbeach Academy; Customer Care – Ringrose Law. South Holland District Council have agreed to sponsor the event programme.

Tickets to attend are now available for £22 for Chamber members and £27 for non-members. Tickets include a three-course dinner before the award ceremony starts.

Join Us

Learn more about Spalding and District Chamber of Commerce: visit our website at www.spaldingareachamber.co.uk

A weekly column by Dr Miles Langdon of South Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group, addressing topical health issues

As autumn approaches, have you made any travel plans for a final bit of summer sun?

Sunny España has been ranked amongst the top European holiday destinations for UK travellers. But before you put on your sombrero and sip a well-earned sangria, have you considered the all important travel insurance?

Take out travel insurance before you visit another country to protect and cover all members of your family or holiday group.

In addition, you can apply for an EHIC card which lets you get state healthcare at a reduced cost or sometimes for free. Find out more at NHS Choices: http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/about-the-ehic.aspx

If you do require medical attention and think you will need to make a claim, try to keep all documents and receipts as they may be required by your insurance company.

If you’re planning a visit to Spain, here’s a list of useful contacts I hope you won’t need during your trip!

112 or 061 – ambulance (ambulancia)

091 – national police (policía nacional)

092 – local police (policía municipal)

062 – civil guard (guardia civil)

080 – fire brigade (bomberos)

900 202 202 – sea rescue (salvamento y seguridad marítima)

You can find emergency service details for other holiday destinations here: http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/countryguide/Pages/EEAcountries.aspx

Finally, if you have a condition that requires you to bring your own medicines to a foreign country, you should have a letter from you GP stating what the medicines are and why you need them.

Holidaymakers travelling abroad need to be aware of the health issues associated with contaminated food and drink.

Travellers’ diarrhoea is the most common illness contracted abroad, affecting 20-60 per cent of overseas travellers. It’s important to check whether tap water is suitable to drink or brush your teeth and where you can buy bottled water. Find out more at http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/advice/general-travel-health-advice/water-purification.aspx#boiling

Similarly, foods that may have been rinsed in contaminated water such as salads should also be avoided.

As a rule, only eat freshly prepared food that is thoroughly cooked and served very hot!

For more help and advice on food and drink whilst abroad, visit http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/travelhealth/Pages/Food-and-water-abroad.aspx

The following decisions have been made by magistrates at court hearings. In all drink-drive cases the legal limit is 35 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood or 107 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of urine. Addresses of defendants published here are taken from the legal records held by the magistrates’ courts.

Boston Magistrates’ Court

August 4

Thanasi Greenfield (19), of Havelock Street, Spalding. Failing to give driver ID (Nettleham). £300 fine, £30 victim surcharge, £300 costs, disqualified from driving for 42 days.

Luis Freitas (37), if Millgate, Whaplode. Speeding (Gosberton). £100 fine, £20 v/s, 4pts.

Lee Overton (37), of Spinney Lane, Stretton. Driving while using a mobile phone (Market Deeping). £100 fine. Defective tyre. £185 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Stacey Wing (30), of Crosslands, Donington. No insurance (Boston). £600 fine, £60 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

Arthur Zealand (65), of Churchill Way, Heckington. Speeding (Quadring). £230 fine, £23 v/s, 385 costs, 6pts.

August 6

Scott Biggs (22), of Spalding Common, Spalding. Possession of amphetamine (Spalding). 12 months conditional discharge, £15 v/s, £85 costs, drugs to be forfeited and destroyed.

Richard Chapman (32), of Harriet Close, Sutton Bridge. Drunk and disorderly (Sutton Bridge). 12 months conditional discharge, £15 v/s, £85 costs.

Martin Greenfield (46), of Frampton Place, Boston. Stole cosmetics belonging to Boots (Spalding) and other theft offences in Boston. Six weeks prison sentence concurrent.

Nikolaj Rusanov (30), of London Road, Spalding. Drunk and disorderly (Spalding). £50 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs.

Egidijus Stasiulaitis (35), of Crocus Walk, Spalding. Drunk and disorderly (Spalding). £50 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs.

Aaron Barker (18), of Hurn Road, Holbeach Hurn. Had a knife in a public place (Holbeach), two counts of theft of pedal cycle (Holbeach). Community order with 8 week curfew order, knife to be forfeited and destroyed, £60 v/s.

Darius Mazeika (22), of Hannam Boulevard, Spalding. Drink driving (Spalding). Community order with 175 hours unpaid work, £60 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 30 months.

Kieran Sands (18), of Park Avenue, Sutterton. Possession of cannabis (Sutterton). 18 months conditional discharge, £15 v/s, drugs to be forfeited and destroyed.

August 7

Alexanders Cernuchins (35), of Carrington Road, Spalding. Drunk and disorderly (Spalding). £95 find, £20 v/s, £85 costs.

Dominic Cooper (26), of Holyrood Walk, Spalding. Stole a pedal cycle (Spalding). 12 months conditional discharge, £15 v/s, £85 costs.

Shaun Smith (36), of Hereward Road, Spalding. Intended to cause racially aggravated harassment, alarm or distress (Spalding). Community order with 75 hours unpaid work, £60 v/s, £200 costs.

August 11

Brian Fulcher (80), of Mayflower Gardens, Bishop Stortford. Driving without due care and attention (Spalding). £160 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Darren Jenkins(38), of St Thomas Way, Hawkesyard, Rugeley. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £140 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Raimondas Liogerpusis, of Arundel Road, Peterborough. No insurance (Crowland). £600 fine, £60 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

Karnail Singh (55), of Marlingford Road, Easton, Norwich. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £200 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Marcin Cyganowicz (37), of Queens Road, Spalding. No insurance (Spalding. £600 fine, £60 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

Angelo Melisi (50), of Wignals Gate, Holbeach. Speeding (Spalding). £215 fine, £21 v/s, £85 costs, 4pts.

August 13

Ashley Chapman (21), of Downes Crescent, Long Sutton. Two counts of assault (Long Sutton). Community order with 70 hours unpaid work and alcohol treatment requirement, £60 v/s, £85 costs.

Joshua Bloodworth (23), c/o Roman Bank, Spalding. Assault (Spalding). Community order, £60 v/s, £85 costs.

Ashley Bray (24), of Green Lane, Spalding. Breach of a non-molestation order. Community order, £60 v/s, £85 costs.

Christopher Baggaley (34), of Bridge Road, Sutton Bridge. Stole packs of meat belonging to Co-op Stroes (Long Sutton). 18 months conditional discharge, £20 compensation, £5 v/s, £50 costs.

Jacob Hart (18), of Oxford Gardens, Holbeach. Possession of cannabis (Holbeach). 6 months conditional discharge, £15 v/s, £85 costs, drugs and cannabis grinders to be forfeited and destroyed.

Anthony Holmes (33), of Hall Road, Haconby. Drunk and disorderly (Spalding). 12 months conditional discharge, £15 v/s, £40 costs.

James Caraccio (43), of Balmoral Avenue, Spalding. Rode a cycle on a road without consideration for other road users (Spalding). £37 fine, £20 v/s. Commission of a further offence during period of a suspended sentence order. Suspended sentence increased from six to seven months. No action taken on breach of conditional discharge.

Kirton is to lose its branch of the NatWest bank in November.

However, customers will still be able to do some transactions at the local Post Office, as well as use the bank’s mobile app, online banking or the telephone. If unable to use these services, they will then have to travel 3.8 miles to the nearest NatWest branch in Boston.

Transactions at the branch in Kirton have fallen significantly over the last few years, according to a spokesman for NatWest.

The spokesman said: “We have taken the difficult decision to close the NatWest branch at Kirton.

“The branch is only open for 15 hours a week and has no technology so it’s not linked to our computer systems.

“Over our whole branch network there has been a 30 per cent drop in branch transactions since 2010 as people do their banking where and when it is convenient for them, whilst online and mobile transactions have grown by over 200 per cent.

“We expect these trends to continue as more and more of our customers bank with us through our mobile app, by online and telephone and through our upgraded ATM network.

“Overall, we are investing over £1bn over the next few years to give customers greater choice in how they bank with us.”

A number of measures are being taken to ensure customers still have access to banking in the area.

NatWest has come to an agreement with the local Post Office, so that customers can withdraw cash and check balances free of charge. In the coming months they will also be able to pay money in and businesses will be able to get coinage.

The last day the bank will be open is November 25.

Nacro, the crime reduction charity, is here to help for anyone who hasn’t done as well as they might have hoped in their GCSEs.

The charity, which has an office in Spalding, is offering support and guidance to help students gain the results they need to proceed to college or employment.

Joyce Cooper, senior trainer at Nacro in Spalding, said: “The first thing to remember is; don’t panic.

“Come and see us and we can discuss options for the future and can look at where we go from here.

“We offer support and guidance to build up confidence and help to get the young people the grades they need to get into college.

“We cater to all needs and abilities, and work hard to improve maths and English skills either, short-term or long-term, to get students into college next term or next year.”

Young people are welcome to drop in to the office at Broadgate House in Westlode Street to see how working with the team at Nacro can help them.

Sessions are run throughout the week, and the team works with small groups as well as giving one-to-one sessions.

Nacro also works alongside employers to help young people get the grades they need to begin apprenticeships.

Joyce said: “It’s important to point out that not all hope has gone and we can work together to help you to get the grades you need.

“We are committed to working to meet the needs of each individual we help.”

Drop in to the office or call Nacro in Spalding to make an appointment on 01775 714105.

For more information, visit the website at www.nacro.org.uk

A motorist stopped by police for a faulty rear light has a stash of cannabis in his car, Lincoln Crown Court was told.

Nicholas Thompson was driving along Pinchbeck Road, Spalding, when the defective light was spotted.

Jonathon Dee, prosecuting, said: “When the police stopped him they asked him to open the door and they could smell cannabis.”

A set of scales was inside Thompson’s trousers and 53g of cannabis was found underneath his seat. £1,500 cash was in a jacket.

Thompson, of School Crescent, Surfleet, admitted possession of cannabis with intent to supply on August 30, 2013. He was given a four-month jail sentence suspended for two years with 100 hours’ unpaid work and a £100 victim surcharge.

Recycling stars across South Holland have been bagging £100 in prize money.

Winners of the latest round of awards are Maria Da Silva, Spalding; Mr Radeloff, Long Sutton; Mr and Mrs Cleary, Spalding; Mrs Newson, Whaplode; Mrs Mason, Spalding; and Miss Watts, Spalding.

So far there has been 51 winners who have been rewarded for recycling in the correct way. The latest round of winners will be receiving the grand prize draw entry form through the post in the next week.

Mrs Newson said she was very surprised to be a winner.

She said: “We heard about it in the press, but we never thought we would have a chance of winning the prize.”

Spalding Business Club is opening its own version of Dragon’s Den to allow firms in the South Holland area to promote themselves.

The chance to pitch your services “in the den” takes place at Bookmark Spalding, The Crescent, on Thursday at 7am.

One representative from each firm will have five minutes to tell club members about themselves, their business and their services or products they provide.

To book, email Ken Maggs at moore thompson@e-newswire.co.uk with your full name, job title, place of work and the names of any guests you wish to bring.