ON THE BEAT: With Community Inspector Jim Tyner

I would like to update readers about reports of recent anti-social behaviour in Spalding.

It started last week, when officers responded to several reports of a large group of boisterous young men gathering in The Sheepmarket.

The group weren’t our usual street drinkers but appear to have been foreign farm-labourers, mainly sheep-workers with a few sheep.

The Sheepmarket hadn’t seen this many sheep for decades. When spoken to, the shepherds gave various accounts of why they were in Spalding.

Most claim to have been visited by some sort of ‘Guardian Angel’. This was treated with suspicion as we all know no one has ever seen the Spalding Guardian’s ‘Guardian Angel’.

Anyway, they said they were here to see a new leader. Despite this strange claim, the large number of shepherds meant that people could not carry out their Christmas shopping unhindered, so I put a Dispersal Order in place and they were moved on.

Next, ‘Spotted: Spalding’ on Facebook was alive with grumbles about excessive mud on the Cowbit Road coming in to Spalding. When the county council’s highways department cleared the mess, they reported back that it wasn’t mud but some strange animal dung.

No one was sure what it was until our CCTV volunteers picked up images of camels lumbering through town.

Later the same day, a PCSO on cycle patrol came across the camels on the Vista car park next to the old Bull and Monkey site. They were being tended by a group of travellers.

They said they were from the East (no, not King’s Lynn) and claimed that they had come to Spalding to meet a new spiritual leader. They had parked themselves, their caravans and their camels on the site close to St Mary and St Nicolas Church as this seemed to be a likely place for their religious experience.

My officers carried out checks with Immigration Enforcement and the travellers were here legally. The RSPCA checked the camels over and they were tired but well cared for.

My officers also used their powers of stop and search. One of the travellers was carrying a large quantity of gold jewellery. We checked but he had receipts for it and it didn’t match any that had been reported stolen.

Another of the travellers was carrying what looked like a controlled substance. Analysis revealed it might’ve da be a legal high thought to be called ‘Frank In Cents’. The third traveller was found to be in possession of a strange oily substance, but we checked our list, and no one had heard of myrrh.

Anyway, as the travellers were trespassing, we informed South Holland District Council, so that they could begin eviction proceedings.

On Christmas Eve my officers were on routine patrol with the Framework Street Outreach team, checking on the welfare of rough sleepers.

When they got to the Castle Sports playing field they came across a strange sight amongst the other homeless people and asked me to join them there.

When I arrived I was surprised to find that the sheep-workers from earlier in the week were also there. We were also joined by the travellers from the Bull and Monkey encampment.

I managed to fight my way through the throng. I almost slipped in a mix of sheep droppings and camel dung and avoided being bitten by a bellicose Bactrian. One of my officers introduced me to a man called Joseph Carpenter.

He and his wife, Mary, had travelled to Spalding because of the new law saying everyone had to return to the town of their birth in order to register to vote in the next election.

Unfortunately the Travelodge was full of shepherds so there was no room for the couple.

His wife had been close to giving birth, so in desperation Joseph had used some discarded wooden pallets to build a shelter. He proudly told me that his wife had given birth to a baby son and invited me to meet them.

As we approached the BMX track there was a strange light above, which I think might have been the International Space Station passing overhead.

It was at about this time that there were lots of comments on Twitter about loud music in the area. No one could tell where it was coming from and it sounded like angelic singing.

My attention was drawn to the most humbling sight. It was a beautiful star-filled night, and ice was starting to form all around, twinkling playfully in the moonlight. A newborn baby was lying in a bed made of wooden pallets. There are no words to explain the look of serene contentment on the faces of mother and child.

No one could explain it, yet everybody knew they were here to see this newborn. All thoughts of Police Protection Orders and Children’s Services were gone from my mind. I don’t know why and I don’t know who started it, but when I looked around everyone was kneeling in awesome wonder.

In a while, practical considerations began, starting with medical care for the mother, emergency housing arranged by the council and a trip to the lovely people at Lighthouse Church’s Agape Care food bank.

I am pleased to report that the shepherds moved on after a few days and the travellers appear to have returned home, leaving nothing behind. Well, almost nothing... the gardeners at Ayscoughfee tell me that the camel manure is very good for their roses.

A Mercedes car parked in a street in Deeping St James has been damaged in what is suspected to have been an attempted break-in just before Christmas.

It happened in Church Gate, near Priory Church, overnight on December 21.

Anyone with information should call 101, quoting incident 233 of December 22.

Police are looking for someone who sprayed graffiti on a wall in Exeter Street, Bourne.

It is thought to have been done overnight on December 19.

Anyone with information should call police on 101.

Celia Laverton is retiring this Christmas, after 16 years of volunteering at Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance Charitable Trust.

Celia, who is originally from Essex, began working at the shop in Spalding in 1998.

The shop, which was originally in Red Lion Street but now in the Sheepmarket, has raised a whopping £315,598 over the past six years alone.

Celia, who began working in the shop after she retired from her job in the health care sector, said: ““It wasn’t an easy decision to leave the shop as I really enjoy meeting all the lovely customers who pop in to pick up a bargain and help us raise money for the air ambulance.

“Over the years, I have made many new friends that I have met working here, both customers and other volunteers.”

It costs £1.8m a year to keep the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance flying.

The Spalding shop is only one of 15 in Lincolnshire and is consistently named as best performing shop.

Shops Co-ordinator for the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance Charitable Trust Sally Marsh said: “We were so sad to hear from Celia that she was ready to retire.

“She has been the backbone of the Spalding shop for many years and has helped build an amazing team of volunteers.

“Not many people know that the air ambulance receives no direct funding from government, which is why we rely so much on our army of dedicated volunteers to raise funds.

“We will find it hard to replace Celia as she has been instrumental in the shop’s success, but we would love to welcome as many new volunteers as possible because, without our team of amazing volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to keep the air ambulance flying and fully equipped and carry on saving so many lives.”

Celia concluded: “I will miss all my friends and the camaraderie but, after 16 years, it is time for me to spend more time with my family and I know whoever comes to work here will have wonderful time, just like I did.

“After my husband died, the people I met at the shop kept me going.

“I would urge anyone looking for something to do in their spare time to give volunteering a go.”

If you are interested in volunteering for the charity, or you would like to donate, those who would like to donate should contact the Lincolnshire office on 01522 548469 or email volunteer coordinator Sue Walker on s.walker@ambucopter.org.uk

A Bourne metal recycling firm has been prosecuted for safety breaches after a worker was left with broken ribs when he fell from a sloping conveyor belt.

The 49-year-old worker, from Deeping St Nicholas, suffered multiple rib fractures following the incident at BW Riddle on February 7, 2013.

Lincoln Crown Court heard last Monday that the worker was carrying out maintenance on the conveyor belt, leaning over the top end while working on the bearings.

When the main power was switched on again, the whole line, including the belt, reactivated.

The man fell from the belt onto a heap of scrap metal below, and then onto the concrete floor, breaking ribs on both sides of his body.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the conveyor belt had not been isolated.

The court was told HSE had taken previous enforcement action against the company. In August 2010 it was found there were no formal procedures for isolating the conveyors during maintenance. An improvement notice was issued and complied with.

Further enforcement action was taken in 2010 relating to failing to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery, and again in 2011.

BW Riddle, which has been established 50 years and has sites in Boston, Corby and Peterborough, was fined £70,000 and ordered to pay £18,000 in costs for breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The company, of South Fen Road, Bourne, had pleaded guilty at a previous hearing.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Neil Ward said: “The incident could easily have resulted in a death and only luck saved this worker from more serious injury.

“Had the company put in place the correct, formal procedures for locking off and isolating the conveyor belts, this incident could have been prevented entirely.

“However, it is clear that while BW Riddle had complied with previous enforcement action, the firm neglected safety again and again, and disregarded lessons that should have been learned from previous HSE interventions.”

Bourne Grammar School welcomed parents and students into a packed Bourne Abbey to celebrate the individual academic and personal achievements of students across all year groups at its annual speech night.

Guest of honour was former Bourne Grammar student Mark Sedwill CMG, who is permanent secretary at the Home Office, the most senior non-political post in one of the major Government departments.

After giving out the many prizes to students from all year groups, Mr Sedwill gave an inspiring talk, outlining how his career had evolved when he joined the diplomatic service after degrees at St Andrews and Oxford.

Students were given a fascinating insight into a career that they might not have considered or known about previously; one that involves working overseas as Mark did in Iraq, Cyprus, Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he was HM Ambassador and then Senior NATO Representative, or meeting senior figures in the world of politics.

Students were particularly impressed when he recounted how he had dodged assassination attempts, become fluent in Arabic and met with the President of the United States in the Oval Office.

Headteacher, Jonathan Maddox told the Free Press: “This was another wonderful celebration for students, parents and teachers.

“It is always a delight to welcome back former students at this event, many of whom are now at university and a chance to hear from a distinguished guest, especially when he is a former student of Bourne Grammar School.”

LOWER SCHOOL PRIZES

Year 7 form prizes

Tiya Bali, Munashe Chifamba, Ruby Darwin, Rebecca Earth, Lauren Gapper, Samuel Hallem, Ashley Hammond, Cody Homfray

Sophie Kelly, Harriet Laugharne, Arceni Smirnov, Nicholas Smith, Milan Spasojevic, Ebony Tolo.

Year 8 form prizes

Selma Abuzoda, Jared Carver, Chloe Dix, Aaron Hunt, Olamide Karim, Sinead Mandy, Owen Merriman, Alysha Rice, Idabel Spinley, Mark Thompson, Jasmyn Waddingham, Molly Welling.

Year 9 form prizes

Iyanuloluwa Abioye, James Brooks, Hannah Catterall, Lily Fitch, Adam Hawkins - The Young Historian Trophy & The Junior Physics Prize, Emmalee Higgins, Andrew Martin, Chaciera Skelton, Charlotte Ward, Stuart Westley, Charlotte Pratte – The Cecil Hodkinson Junior Art Prize, Morgan Fountain – The Junior Drama Cup, Bethany Ramsden – The Ormulum Young Philospher’s Cup, Francesca Gardner – The Marijke Harris Shield for Performing Arts, Benjamin Woodward – The Junior PE Shield, Emily Key – The Lower School Public Speaking Prize.

UPPER SCHOOL PRIZES

Year10 form prizes

Eshanee Aubeeluck, Mikayla Bessent, Lucas Fidler, Emiley Maker, Alistair Pitts

Anjali Popat - Also Year 10 Mathematics Prize, Saskia Rai, Roma Taylor, Melissa Tupholme, Robert Ward, Sam Showler – Year 10 English Prize, Rashmi Ramesh Shankar – Year 10 French Prize, Wikoria Obarska – Year 10 German Prize, Alfred Hick – Year 10 Mathematics Prize, Benjamin McCormick and Lucy Parker – Year 10 Science Prize, Aymen Memon – Year 10 Spanish Prize.

Year 11 prizes

Jessy Roberts - The R A Gardner Memorial Prize for Art, Sarah-Anne Hill - The E C Dunbar Memorial Prize for Biology, GCSE Physics & Best Examination Performance at GCSE, Anjuli Banerjee – GCSE Chemistry, English Language, Mathematics, Statistics & Best Examination Performance at GCSE, Amber Oliver- Robinson - GCSE French &Best Examination Performance at GCSE, Oliver Cressell - GCSE English Language, Roslyn Fisher - GCSE English Literature, Philip Smith - GCSE English Literature, GCSE German & The Ruth Collins Memorial Prize for History, Nicole Kenyan – GCSE French, Leah Friend – GCSE Geography, George Cooper – GCSE Mathematics, Spanish & Best Examination Performance at GCSE, George Hick – GCSE Mathematics, Alex Wray – GCSE Mathematics, Joshua Henson – GCSE Music, Emilly Waddell – GCSE Physical Education, Alice Stephen-Rowlett – The Rose Bourn Wilson Memorial Prize for Religious Studies, Rebecca Flatley – Science: Double Award, Angus Mellor – GCSE Systems & Control, Michael Cawood – Senior PE Shield.

Lower Sixth prizes

Georgina Hall - Art , Theatre Studies & Best Examination Performance at AS Level,. Chiara Leadbeater – Biology, Chemistry, Physics & Best Examination Performance at AS Level, Lewis Goold - Business Studies & Best Examination Performance at AS Level, Joseph Crickmore - Economics & History, Rachel Parker - English Language, Alice Eva - English Literature, Psychology & Best Examination Performance at AS Level, Laura Baker - French & Italian, Amelia Elliot - Geography, Mathematics & Best Examination Performance at AS Level, Emily Green - German, Oliver Bates - Law, Lauren Denial - Further Mathematics , Henry Morley – Further Mathematics & Best Examination Performance at AS Level, Phillip Mainwaring - Music, Hannah Fytche - Religious Studies &Best Examination Performance at AS Level, Richard Gandeborn - Spanish, Lillian Hughes - Sports Studies, Luke Ford - Systems & Control, William Aspinall, Meghan Bird, Joshua Collins, Lucy Pickering, Rebecca Ward and Alexandra Wilshaw - Best Examination Performance at AS Level, Joshua Garnham - A Level Computing, Darren Robinson - Contribution to School Music, Eliot Bates - Contribution to School Sports.

Upper Sixth prizes

Matthew Hussey - MarThe Cecil Hodgkinson Art Prize, Georgia Galloway - Biology & Extended Project Qualification, Sophie Stafford - Business Studies, Geography, Mathematics & Best Examination Performance at A Level, Liam Jones - The Geoffrey Grayson Prize for Chemistry. Best Examination Performance at A Level &The Ileene Jones Memorial Prize for Head Boy, Charles Hick - Economics, Philippa Atkinson - English Language & Theatre Studies, Matthew Hassall - English Literature, History, Best Examination Performance at A Level, Extended Project Qualification & The Upper School Public Speaking Prize, Danielle Turner – French, Harry Jervis - German, Stephanie Coundon - Law & Psychology, George Wynne - Further Mathematics, Dominic Eustance - Music, Lawrence Shepperd - Physics & Best Examination Performance at A Level , Jamie Tupholme - Product Design, Tess Stephan-Rowlatt - Religious Studies, Laura Beckingham - Spanish, James West - Sports Studies, Elizabeth Emery - The Senior Drama Cup, Lawrence Copeman - Extended Project Qualification , Sarah Fountain - The Ileene Jones Memorial Prize for Head Girl, Alistair Brown and Jordan McCormack - The Ileene Jones Memorial Prize for Deputy Head Boy, Eleanor Riley and Katie Shales - The Ileene Jones Memorial Prize for Deputy Head Girl, Eliot Bates - The Foundation Cup for Services to the School, Georgia Galloway - The Stanton Cup for Personal Achievement.

I am writing to you on behalf of the committee of the Welland Seniors’ Forum, of which I am vice-chairman.

The Forum is a society of approximately 100-plus members from 55 years old upwards.

Many are in their seventies and above. Some are, in some form, disabled. Many of them have senior rail cards and travel by train regularly.

A substantial upgrading of the rail track between Peterborough and Lincoln has recently taken place.

The result of this work has meant that the walkway between platforms one and two at Spalding station has been blocked off and all trains, with the exception of the 8.51am and the 1.03pm services to Lincoln, are now using platform one.

There is therefore no access to disabled passengers and other passengers who are unable to negotiate the steps to the foot bridge, to either of these two trains still using platform two.

The advice from East Midlands Rail was that prospective passengers who cannot negotiate the footbridge steps, wishing to travel to Lincoln on the 8.51am and 1.03pm trains, should travel by road to Sleaford (20 miles) and board the trains there.

As well as being ludicrous, this suggestion is also an insult to disabled travellers.

Probably it was made by a young executive of East Midlands Rail who is “dripping” with educational certificates but totally devoid of all common sense.

As I appreciate that criticism should be constructive, I give what I think could be an answer to the problem.

I understand that the upgrading has included a cancellation of the 10mph restriction to all trains at the farm crossing at Deeping St Nicholas.

This has made the journey time for all the trains between Peterborough and Spalding five or six minutes quicker.

One the days I did a survey, both the 8.51am and the 1.03pm were arriving in Spalding early and were held on platform two until the timetable departure.

My proposed solution therefore is:

n Re-time the departure of the 8.51am to Lincoln to 8.45am.

n Change the departure time of the 1.03pm to 12.57pm.

n Change the departure time of the 9.01am service to Peterborough to 9.06am.

n Change the departure time of the 1.06pm to 1.11pm.

This I believe would give time for both northbound trains to be in and out of platform one before the southbound trains arrived.

Any “waiting time” could be taken care of at Sleaford station to ensure the correct time of arrival at Peterborough and Lincoln in accordance with the timetable could be maintained.

Geoff Perkins

Spalding

EDITOR: This letter has also been sent to East Midland Trains.


HAYES IN THE HOUSE: By MP John Hayes

The 19th Century politician Lord Acton is nowadays chiefly remembered for concluding that “power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.

Even this idea was not entirely his own; a far greater statesman, Pitt the Elder, had said something similar a hundred years earlier. Pitt knew that the basis of all wisdom is the knowledge that man has sinned and is fallen.

At this special time of year many of us will be entertained by Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’, or perhaps the wonderful film adaptation starring Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge – the personification of the potential of power to corrupt.

His redemption comes after visits, over a single night, from the ghost of his late partner Jacob Marley and the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come.

Dickens’ message is a Christian one. The Spirt of Christmas Yet to Come forces Scrooge to visit his own grave and experience the desolation of death without the promise of redemption.

But the miracle of Christmas is that a child was born to save us all from our sins.

Christmas is a time of selflessness and giving, a time to remember that we all have the power to do good; to open our hearts to all around us. Those of us that hold office, whether in national or local government, are missioned with a special duty to lead by the example of observing the core principles of public life, including honesty and integrity. Or, put more simply, to follow Dickens’ words of advice – ‘I will honour Christmas in my heart, and keep it all the year.’

Watching Ken Clarke (Andrew Marr Show, December 21) reminds me, all too painfully, how much we miss the once sensible, Tory idea of ‘one nation politics’.

What we have today from the Tory party is a little sad, and, in most cases odd.

Our own MP, is ‘Europhobic,’ 
albeit in a muted,career-minded, oportunist way; while his leader, David Cameron, is (and, in my view, quite rightly) a keen ‘Europhile’.

Are we, the British people, now disregarded to such an extent we are expected to put up with this nonsense? If so, then it is no wonder we are allowing an alien (to most of us) and an irrational, one policy, (anti immigration) party, UKIP to prosper.

TORIES GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER. Please Cameron, start making the same case as Ken Clarke, by giving us a vision of what the EU can and will be, instead of ‘hedging your bets’ by offering an ‘in-out’ referendum that will, disasterously, take two years of ‘name-calling’ political campaigning and cost us tax payers millions.

Tories, why are you prepared to do this? We will never leave Europe... we never have in the past and will never in the future. Disbelievers, do a serious history check.

Finally, Ken Clarke was once a very competent ‘Chancellor of the Exchequer’ (unlike ‘deficit-denier’ Osbourne) and a true man on Europe. We need more of his ilk.

David Turp

via email

A Pinchbeck couple are finding that the skills of the pub trade are easily transferable to a cosy tea room on the evidence of current business.

Tiffins Tea Room in Knight Street is fast becoming the number one choice for parents, the elderly and visitors to Pinchbeck.

Louise and David Anthony, along with Richard Daubney whose pastry delights are rivalling those made by more established bakeries, left the pub industry after ten years for a less stressful and more relaxing way of serving people well.

“We love doing what we do and get up in the mornings being quite happy to come to work,” Louise said.

“This is something I wanted to do ten years ago but when the unit came up for sale originally, we wanted to open a pancake house until we had the idea of taking a complete step away from the cafe culture and coffee shops.

“The tea room has been completely refurbished, bringing out features that people didn’t know were here before and inspired by things we had previously.”

The tea room’s name comes from the slang term for a second breakfast or lunch often used in colonial India and Nepal.

Louise said: “We’re slowly building things up through word of mouth and we feel that we’re bringing back an old English tradition that seemed to be dying out.

“It about changing what people expect from a tea room and doing something a bit different.”

A seasonal message to the toe rag that stole my daughter’s rose bush from our front porch steps.

This was a rose bush she had bought to commemorate the memory of her stillborn baby.

I hope it made you feel good. It’s not the cost of a replacement rose that upsets us – it’s the fact that the rose was bought purely for that 
purpose to remember what would have been her first child.

If you had knocked on our door and asked I would have given you the £6 to go and buy your own.

Yes maybe it was to you a drunken or selfish prank or even a “sorry” for forgetting your anniversary, but to my daughter it is just one more kick in the teeth that she did not need at this time of year.

We as a family hope you had a miserable Christmas, just as you deserve.

Please do not bother trying to nick the other one as it has been moved.

Maybe your object could have been to nick our Christmas tree – tough, it’s locked to the railings.

Rachael Lynn

Spalding

Councils are reminding residents to recycle responsibly as they clear up the mountain of post-Christmas waste.

South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) is urging people on its patch to recycle their real Christmas trees in their green bins or take them to household waste recycling centres like the one in Bourne.

But, for those who don’t have green bins, the council is also offering to take the trees away as long as they are put out on green bin collection day.

Christmas tree lights, household batteries and electronic equipment should also be taken to the household waste sites.

SKDC will also take away “unlimited recycling” as part of its silver bin and clear bag collections.

Ian Yates, SKDC’s executive manager for the environment, said: “We understand that lots of extra waste is generated at Christmas.

“That’s why we will take away an unlimited amount of recyclable items in any clear bags or cardboard boxes, items that are visible to our recycling team that can be recycled – as long as they are not placed in black bags.

“Please flatten and crush cardboard for ease of transport to the recycling facilities we use and to fit more into your kerbside collection.”

Among the Christmas items that SKDC says can’t be recycled are tinsel, tree baubles, artificial trees, wine bottle corks and wreaths – these should be placed in black bins or pink bags.

For information on recycling and waste collections in South Holland please visit www.sholland.gov.uk/environment/waste/news/Festive+collections.htm

Advice from South Holland District Council (SHDC) includes the kinds of things you can put in your green bag, such as wrapping paper, Christmas cards, large sweet tins, bottles and jars, used crackers and catalogues – but not decorations, tree lights, broken toys or batteries.

Congratulations to Act II Theatre Company on the production at Ayscoughfee Hall – short sketches about events of 2014 – very funny and clever wit.

What a pity more people did not go as it was very good entertainment from the company.

J Arnold

Spalding

UPDATE MONDAY DECEMBER 29 1:25PM: Detectives are examining CCTV footage from a Kirton foodstore from where a man stole cash after threatening staff at knifepoint.

A man wearing a balaclava and grey and knee-length grey coat went into Co-op in Station Road and got away with cash after brandishing a knife at staff on Saturday night.

The robbery left staff shaken but uninjured, according to a spokesman for the Co-operative Group which is helping police with their hunt for the knifeman.

“A man entered our Station Road store in Kirton at about 10.40pm on Saturday when he threatened staff with a knife before escaping with a quantity of cash,” the spokesman said.

“No one was hurt, although the staff involved were badly shaken by the experience, and CCTV footage has been given to the police who are investigating the incident.”

“As with any incident such as this, we would appeal for anyone with information to come forward.”

Anyone with information should call 101, quoting incident 436 of December 27, or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.

MONDAY DECEMBER 29 11:50AM: A man held up staff at knifepoint before stealing cash from a store in Kirton - the second time it has been targeted within two months.

It happened at the Co-Op in Station Road where staff were threatened by a man wearing a balaclava at about 10.40pm on Saturday.

The raid lasted about ten minutes before the man, who is described as white and English-speaking, finally got away with an unspecified amount of cash.

Detective Constable Sue-Ellen Wilson of Lincolnshire Police said: “Staff were left shaken up by the incident which lasted around 10 minutes but, thankfully, nobody was physically injured.

“A number of enquiries are being made in relation to this robbery and I am keen to hear from anyone who might have been in the area near the shop at the time.”

The store was hit by a raid last month when a gang used farm machinery and a truck to rip out a cash machine from the wall outside before driving off.

Anyone with information should call 101, quoting incident 436 of December 27, or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.

A 59-year-old man remains in a critical condition in hospital after the wheelchair he was in collided with a car in Long Sutton on Christmas Eve.

It happened in London Road, at the junction of Seagate Road, where a car and the electric wheelchair in which the man was sitting collided just after 10.30am on Wednesday.

The man was airlifted to Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, with critical injuries and is still being treated there at this time.

In Cowbit, two people had to be freed from their cars by firefighters using cutting equipment after a crash on Sunday afternoon.

Two cars collided in Mill Drove North shortly before 2.40pm but it was unclear whether anyone suffered any injuries.

Meanwhile, two people were hurt after a car crashed into Kirton Medical Centre just a few hours before the start of Christmas Day.

A man driving a Renault Megane was taken to Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital and a woman passenger also suffered injuries from the crash which happened outside the medical centre in Boston Road at about 8.35pm.

The road was closed for almost two hours while the car was recovered, but both the man and woman weren’t seriously injured.

Finally, firefighters dealt with a car on fire on the A17 on Wigtoft, also on Sunday.

No one was injured.

We reach the end of the year and while many winter drilled crops look reasonably promising it’s probably the politics of agriculture and horticulture that occupy most people’s minds at this time of year, writes Chris Carter.

May I suggest a ‘Magnificent Seven’ wish list for those in food production next year?

Common sense from RPA so that during the initial registration period they will stop moving the goalposts weekly.

Prices of commonly produced commodities grown in Lincolnshire can actually start to reflect production costs.

Acceptance from the Government that withdrawal of the majority of our crop protection armoury will affect yields and profitability.

Realisation that the countryside is not a playground and should be treated as a food production factory.

Those who live in rural areas need to understand that tractors on the road aren’t there to create traffic disruption but are actually bringing foodstuffs from place of production to the market.

Let us try to live harmoniously by attempting to keep roads clear of mud which is dangerous, irritates many drivers and should embarrass us all.

Let’s hope the NFU can manage to establish decent lines of communication with the Government to at least allow them to operate with the same effectiveness as the Soil Association etc.

May I wish you all a very happy and more profitable new year.

Three people have been charged with drink driving in Spalding and south of Boston as the number of arrests made nears 50.

They include Mareks Sivickis (42) who is accused of driving while more than twice over the legal alcohol level limit on Christmas Day.

Police arrested Sivickis in Pinchbeck Road and a roadside breath test is alleged to have shown a level of 89mcg (microgrammes) of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, when the legal limit is 35mcg.

Sivickis is due to appear before Boston magistrates on January 22.

Another motorist, Wayne Marshall (54) is due to appear before Boston magistrates on January 21 accused of drink driving after he was arrested on the A17 at Bicker on Christmas Eve.

Marshall is accused of driving while having an alcohol level of 52mcg per 100 millilitres of breath.

Police have also charged Stasys Krisciunas with drink driving after arresting him while driving on the A16 in Kirton on Saturday.

Stasys is due to appear before Lincoln magistrates today charged with driving when more than three times over the legal alcohol level limit.

A roadside breath test is alleged to have shown a level of 113mcg per 100 millilitres of breath.

In total, police have charged 46 people across Lincolnshire with drink driving since the launch of their Operation Blackwater Christmas campaign on December 1.

Santa’s reindeer have been eating their way through thousands of carrots this Christmas, and in doing so have raised more than £3,000.

The reindeer arrived at Baytree Garden Centre in Weston with Santa at the start of November, and have been visited by lots of children and adults who have helped to raise heaps of cash.

Proceeds are to be split between seven charities, including the Royal British Legion, Parkinson’s UK and Callum Pite’s Smile Charity.

The total, so far, stands at £3289.88 . Reinhard Biehler, owner of Baytree, said: “It’s incredible how much money has been raised!

“The reindeer can eat lots of carrots - each one eats up to 40 or 50 carrots a day.”

Each week, a new charity becomes the beneficiary of the funds, and this will continue right up until January 5.

Reinhard said: “People can still come along in the new year and meet the reindeer.

“It’s a great day out and the reindeer absolutely love meeting new people.”

Reinhard looks after 11 of Santa’s reindeer throughout the year and six of them stayed at the garden centre in the run-up to Christmas.

He said: “Some of the reindeer have been up to Scotland this year and they came back on Christmas Eve.”

The carrots have been donated by Lincolnshire Field Products completely free of charge, in order for the charities to make as much money as possible.

General manager at Baytree Garden Centre Nigel Wallis said: “Big thanks must go out to Robin Hancox of Lincolnshire Field Produce who has supported the charities and Baytree so much.

“Thanks to him, we have been able to raise this money.

“There has been an amazing reaction to all of the charities and we are chuffed to bits 
to see how much has been raised.

“For Children in Need, two girls from the village (Weston) made cakes and then helped with the carrots too and we supported World Challenge because the daughters of two people who work here are going on a world challenge to do a general project working with kids in Venezuela.

“Macmillan Cancer Support and Parkinsons UK are two charities which Baytree have supported for a long time.

“Parkinson’s UK is particularly close to my heart as one of my best buddies has the disease.

“All of the charities are very worthwhile and it’s great to see so many people coming along to support them.”

The reindeer arrived back in Weston on Christmas Day, following a busy night on Christmas Eve and will be there until January 5.

It’s claimed, among other things, that King John’s lost treasure is under someone’s grandma’s kitchen.

Over the years, there have been a number of searches in secret locations to try to uncover the hoard.

To add to the mystery – the jewels were supposedly lost in the Wash in 1216 – are the local legends that have built up concerning the coincidence of the king’s death just a few days later.

Now, just ahead of the 800th anniversary of that medieval document signed by King John, the Magna Carta, a new book attempts to throw more light on that time in history.

Richard Waters, bridge engineer for Lincolnshire County Council – he has overseen strengthening work on many bridges in South Holland – has brought out the third, updated edition of The Lost Treasure of King John.

The loss of the treasure in the estuary of what was called the Wellstream, where the Nene runs through Sutton Bridge, means the historical event is very much a part of this district’s history.

However, what is less known is that although King John died at Newark in the early hours of October 19, 1216, legend has it that it was a monk at Swineshead Abbey who was responsible for his death.

The king spent at least two nights at the Cistercian abbey, where the baggage train carrying the treasure was meant to have caught him up, before continuing his journey.

Richard says: “There are two local legends I have picked up and both relate to a character called Brother Simon, a monk at Swineshead Abbey who is said to have poisoned the king.”

The legend, depending on the version being told, either has it that Brother Simon did it because he unwittingly gave the king information that would lead to higher taxation and starvation among the people, or because the king asked for the abbot’s sister to be brought to his bed.

Richard says: “To lose the treasure and be potentially poisoned is too much of a coincidence. It was a plot possibly, or the treasure was disposed of by the king because he was short of money. The country was really bankrupt before he inherited it.”

The book is being launched at the Wheatsheaf Hotel, Swineshead, on Thursday, January 15 (7.30pm).

The Wheatsheaf Hotel at Swineshead has no direct link to the loss of King John’s treasure or his subsequent death a few days later.

However, the hotel has a website which makes reference to one of the legends surrounding the king’s death after staying at Swineshead Abbey.

A previous landlord at the hotel wrote: “He (King John) was poisoned with a drink spiked with toxin from a toad by Brother Simon, who was reputed to be a Knight Templar. On either 14 or 15 October the King, suffering from poisoning, left Swineshead for Newark, where he died on 19 October.”

There is a discount on books bought at the launch event on January 15. The book (ISBN 978-1-907516-33-7) sells for £8 and is also available from Bookmark in Spalding.