As the Independent candidate for the Moulton, Weston and Cowbit ward in the forthcoming local elections, I am writing in response to the letter printed from the three Conservative candidates for this ward.

Unfortunately I find that the letter previously printed is somewhat selective in the advice given and hope that you will print this so as to provide a balanced view to voters.

Whilst their letter points out that voters can vote for all three Conservative candidates, it fails to point out that the choice for voters is considerably greater.

Voters in the Moulton, Weston and Cowbit ward will be able to “vote for not more than three candidates”. 
Accordingly they are permitted to vote for one, two or three candidates.

If a voter wishes to vote for more than one candidate they can choose from any of the seven candidates and these do not have to be from the same political party.

This is important as I have found that at local level many people vote for the individual rather than “the party”.

For example, many voters prefer to vote for candidates that live within the ward and/or who are active in that ward too.

I do hope that this clarifies the situation clearly for all residents of the Moulton, Weston and Cowbit ward.

I was disappointed in your report of the hustings that you did not report Mr Hayes’ reply that even in the event of a Tory government not getting concessions from the European Union, he would still campaign in a referendum to take Britain out of the EU and away from our natural trading partners.

Natural Conservative voters should think very carefully before they vote for this.

This country exports more to the five million people in Ireland alone than the three billion people in Brazil, Russia, India and China combined and this constituency with its heavy reliance on the food industry and agriculture would suffer more than most by the diminution of this trade that would be inevitable should Britain exit.

In conversation with friends, they say they will try to persuade him otherwise; I think it unlikely.

A vote for Mr Hayes is a vote to leave the European Union.

Is that what you really want?

Police are looking for man in his mid 20s and wearing a “goatee beard” in connection with a theft from a Spalding restaurant.

A photograph of the man has been released in relation to a theft from the Crystal Inn Restaurant in Churchgate on Wednesday.

The man is described as about 6’2’’ tall, slim build, with cropped brown hair and a goatee beard.

At the time of the alleged theft, he was wearing dark jeans, grey jumper with black trim around the shoulders and the number 86 in black across the front.

Anyone with information should call 101, quoting incident number 405 of April 29.

I would like to urge all your readers to vote for their local Independent candidates in the forthcoming District Council Elections.

Independents keep main party politics out of local government, which means party politics does not influence their decisions,

Independent s are free to vote as they wish to benefit the residents they represent.

Independents are not bound by any party political manifestos,

Most of all, they are people who care about the community, YOUR community.

My letter firstly is to say thank you to everyone so far who has shown great support to me during the election campaign for Holbeach.

It has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience, one that has given me the opportunity to hear lots of people’s different views and also given me the pleasure of meeting lots of new people.

I am extremely passionate about the election and I really would urge that everyone gives me their confidence and vote. I may not be as well known as some of the other candidates but what I do have is many abilities that I truly believe would really assist Holbeach to be heard. I fully admit and accept I have still have things to learn but i am fully committed to doing so as soon as possible and will do my utmost to serve the residents of Holbeach well if I am given this chance.

Please remember that you have three votes in Holbeach and I ask please that one of those is given to me.

Young people need to be given this opportunity. It is a very responsible position but I certainly have the maturity to appreciate the role.

I wish all the other candidates well in Holbeach and all other wards in South Holland.

Give youth, fresh Ideas and (lots of) energy the chance it deserves. I will ensure it is deserved and will do my best for our town of Holbeach.

CHAMBER CHATTER: By Spalding and District Area Chamber of Commerce vice president David Norton

Young Enterprise Awards

On March 19 our president, Phil Scarlett, was a judge at the South Holland Young Enterprise Awards.

This year there were entries from nine schools. The winners were from Spalding High School who will go through to the next stage of the competition.

Their model company and products were excellent and would have stood up well if they had retailed on the high street.

The standard of entries was exceptionally high and our appreciation goes to Chamber members who have offered to mentor future applicants.

Transport Issues

On Monday, March 30, the Chamber of Commerce facilitated a visit by Coun Richard Davies, the Lincolnshire County Council portfolio holder for transport. Three separate meetings were arranged.

Coun Davies was firstly briefed about the fact that the fresh produce industry in South Holland was growing and that growth was forecasted to exceed 20 per cent per annum during the next three years.

Currently 37 per cent of the UK’s fresh food comes in/out of South Holland, with over a million truck movements per annum, of which 67 per cent go south on the A16.

The current road infrastructure is only just coping, but local businesses did not want a repeat of Kent’s food businesses experience which is at the point of strangling itself due to its poor road infrastructure.

A discussion followed on the key “pinch points” for traffic congestion. It was agreed that various roundabouts (the one at Eye in particular) needed improvements and the introduction of a third lane would greatly assist traffic flow and safety at some locations.

We will keep on lobbying for these improvements and will meet again in two months’ time when Coun Davies will be accompanied by the relevant officers from Highways.

Dennis Hannant, town centre manager, then asked Coun Davies to look into the possible use of the Market Place, Hall Place, Red Lion Street and Bridge Street for commercial enterprises on non-market days, Sunday to Monday and Wednesday to Friday. 

This would be for use by specialist markets, car dealerships, local flea markets and other relevant and suitable activities, all of which would be required to abide by current road closure restrictions and licensing obligations.

Coun Davis agreed to check out the details of the Market Charter. He also asked if we could consider having buses going through the town centre (as in Boston) and we now understand that there is a process under discussion for this to take place.

Finally, the Spalding and Peterborough Transport Forum expressed the desire for a new station at Littleworth, which was supported by their research.

Coun Davies urged them to pursue the train operator to provide more passenger trains, including a Sunday service. The Forum chairman agreed to contact the operators of East Midland Trains to arrange a meeting which Spalding Chamber is prepared to attend to give their support for a more frequent service.

Lincolnshire Forum for Agriculture

Our continued lobbying for South Holland to be recognised by the county council as a key food distribution area within the UK has resulted in an invitation for Trevor Hyde (logistics chair) and Phil Scarlett (chamber president) to attend this forum’s next meeting on April 27 in Horncastle.

Diary Date

Thursday, November 19, is the date for this year’s Business Awards, to be held again in Springfield Events and Conference Centre.

Look out for details of the various award categories in the Spalding Guardian to make sure that you celebrate and share the successes your business is enjoying in South Holland.

A Moulton Chapel man who is fighting his way back to mobility after two brain tumours has vowed he will never give up.

Robert Hunt (65) was expecting to have been officially asked to leave Spalding’s Johnson Community Hospital today, in spite of fearing he was unready to cope after suffering two falls at home.

But after a meeting with hospital staff yesterday the request was postponed until Lifeline and Telecare support is put in place.

However, his wife Annie said it was the friends and family who turned out to support him who had really made the difference because they still believed in him.

Annie said: “We can’t fault the nursing and care at the hospital but we didn’t think he was ready to leave.

“Before the meeting he was feeling very down about his future after being offered psychiatric help - it was like being told to accept he would never get any better. But after today he’s ready to fight back, with the support of the NHS.

“He did it before with hours of pilates and exercises at the gym, as well as private physiotherapy sessions – and he will again.”

The Spalding Guardian was touched by the story of Robert Hunt’s fight back after operations for two brain tumours following a call from a family friend, Deborah Scales.

She said: “He’s always been a glass half full sort of guy. After everything he’s been through, he’s not the sort of person to complain.

“Until 10 years ago when he had his first operation for a brain tumour, he was a highways engineer at Peterborough City Council – he’s got three university degrees.

“Robert astounded doctors by the way he recovered – but he put in the hard work.

“The last operation two years ago affected three limbs. Recovery is slow but there has been some improvement – and a lot of laughter along the way. You should see us going through the woods with a wheelchair.

“It’s been heartbreaking seeing his mood change since his falls after Christmas and ending up in hospital again. All he needs is physiotherapy and people to believe in him.”

I have only recorded 70mm or just under 3in of rain since January the 1st, writes Nicholas Watts.

Rainfall records around here were started in 1829 and there has only been one dryer start to the year than this year since 1829.

That was in 1976 when only 60mm or 2½in of rain fell.

May was a short relief to the drought in 1976 when 1.4in fell, but during June and July we might as well have been in the south of France.

No doubt many of you will remember the drought and the heat of that summer and the prices we received for our crops, so perhaps it will be a good thing to have a drought as we have just experienced a winter of low prices of nearly every commodity that we have grown.

That is as a result of every farmer having good crops of everything.

You can still see the value of hay as some of the round bales from last year are still in fields; farmers had too much hay and they just didn’t have room in their sheds.

It has been very pleasant farming in this dry time. There has been no mud sticking to my boots and I have been able to do what I wanted when I wanted but I can’t help thinking that one day the heavens will open and we were wishing it was still dry.

It is quite usual for a very dry time to be followed by a very wet time so look out boys, the heavens will open before too long.

HEALTH MATTERS: A monthly column by Jenny Hinchliffe, Head of Clinical Services for the South at Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust

Nationally this year we have seen unprecedented pressures within the health and social care community this winter. Within Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS), we have risen to the challenge to support the people that are medically fit for discharge to return to the community.

This has been supported by our Assertive In-reach Teams. We now have teams in Peterborough City Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn and United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust. The staff are employed by LCHS and work with any patients in hospital who are registered with a Lincolnshire GP.

The Assertive In-reach Team are experienced nurses who work with the acute hospital team to identify those patients who are medically fit for discharge. The team then work with the patient, their family and carers to arrange a safe discharge into the community.

Patients can be supported on discharge in a variety of settings, which include Johnson Community Hospital Spalding. Our Independent Living Team also supports patients who are discharged into a local care home or to their own home.

The Independent Living Team consists of therapists, care staff and nurses support patients to gain their independence and confidence following discharge form hospital.

This year LCHS has been successful in securing additional funding to enhance the team due to the huge success it has made in reducing the number of patients that are medically fit for discharge and cannot be discharged because of ongoing need.

This is enabling us to have a proactive approach in identifying patients registered with a Lincolnshire GP in hospital and to work with the wards to ensure we facilitate the discharge as soon as the patient is medically fit. We are also able to educate ward staff of the services which are available in Lincolnshire.

Ensuring patients are assessed as individuals is key to the success of the Assertive In-reach staff. This includes assessing patients nursing needs, mobility needs and activities of daily living, and ordering any equipment that is required or making arrangements for adaptations to be made in order for the patient to live as independent and full a life as possible.

The Assertive In-reach teams work with colleagues across Lincolnshire Community Health Services and other health and social care colleagues to ensure the transfer from acute care to the community is a smooth transition. With consent from the patient, records are shared from the Assertive In-reach Team to the Community Team to reduce duplication of assessments for the patient.

The death of a Surfleet microlight pilot following a mid-air crash was accidental, a coroner has ruled.

Stephen Spavins (46) was killed on his commute to work at a funeral directors in Sandy, Bedfordshire, when his Kitfox machine hit a Cessna light aircraft on September 23 last year.

The crash happened at between 2,000ft and 3,000ft.

Both aircraft spiralled downwards and Mr Spavins crashed into a field near Rectory Farm, near the Black Cat roundabout on the A1.

The inquest heard Mr Spavins died instantly from multiple injuries.

The surviving Cessna pilot, Graham Waller, was flying to Sywell Aerodrome, Northamptonshire, that day.

He described seeing “a flash of red” before the crash and then struggled to pull his four-seater plane out of a nosedive.

An expert from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), Anthony Severs, told the inquest that “both aircraft were trying to take evasive action but they had just not seen each other soon enough”.

Bedfordshire Coroner Tom Osborne accepted the findings of the AAIB and recorded a verdict of accidental death.

In February, a report from the AAIB said the accident happened because neither pilot saw the other aircraft “in sufficient time to take effective avoiding action”.

Mr Waller told investigators he did not see Mr Spavins’ plane until it was about 20ft away.

The AAIB said a low sun position may have contributed to the problem.

Mr Waller said he suddenly saw a red, light aircraft that he “thought was climbing towards him”.

Considering a collision was imminent, Mr Waller pulled the control panel back and to the left.

He told investigators that he thought Mr Spavins had not seen his aircraft because he did not appear to have taken evasive action.

The AAIB said the tip of the right wing of Mr Spavins’ plane then hit the Cessna’s propeller.

Nearly half of the microlight’s wing was found over a wide area, suggesting the damage had been caused in the air.

Last September, a friend of Mr Spavins revealed he used to live in Sandy but bought a plot of land near Spalding so he could fly to work.

Drivers are facing a travel nightmare on the A17 in Gedney this morning after a lorry overturned and shed it load of potatoes.

It happened near the junction of Main Road, causing slow traffic towards Long Sutton.

There will be more details as soon as we get them.

Kirton-born Joseph Travis was hanged for murder at Lincoln Castle in 1848.

It would have been a spectator event, with 10-20,000 people standing outside the castle walls for what was regarded as a good day out.

Today, we can hear Joseph’s story – his crime and what prison life was like then – for the first time in over 150 years thanks to a £22 million transformation.

When the castle’s gates swung open again in the spring following the work, they revealed a visitor attraction containing three separate, but equally important, aspects.

For the first time in 500 years, visitors can walk all the way round the castle walls, exploring its towers and dungeons and uncovering a violent past of battles, sieges and public hangings.

They can visit the imposing Victorian prison and chapel, hearing the stories of some of the prisoners, and learning about the Victorian prison regime.

Visitors can also see the Magna Carta, one of just four original copies in existence, and the Charter of the Forests.

Even a visit to the coffee shop in the prison building is an experience, with a large sign listing the daily rations prisoners would have eaten, much of it consisting of oatmeal gruel and bread.

A visit to Lincoln Castle is a journey to the past when debtors and murderers received rough justice. The debtor was incarcerated until his debts were paid off, and the felons – murderers, rapists, thieves – were either hanged or sent to the colonies. Women who ‘concealed a birth’ were also imprisoned, as well as children.

Castle development manager Rachael Thomas said: “We are trying to recreate the Victorian prison experience and we have recreated some cells and others tell the stories of prison life and its characters.”

That is cleverly achieved through digital interpretation displays within some of the cells, with visitors able to touch screens, swipe for different information or use a digital magnifying glass to highlight something of interest.

There is also a dressing up cell, where visitors can pretend to be matron, surgeon, prison governor or warden. Rachel says the outfits are incredibly popular – many of the images taken ending up on social media.

At weekends during the summer there will be costumed performances, with four original plays being performed by a mix of professional actors and volunteers.

Eight-year-old John Cook was held in the adult prison at Lincoln Castle accused of setting fire to a haystack.

The jury recommended leniency but the judge sentenced him to ten years’ imprisonment. Tragically, he fell ill, was released from prison, and died.

It’s these kind of stories, as well as excerpts from staff journals, that bring the prison to life for visitors.

Films also help to explain the past, both in the prison and in the Magna Carta vault, where two films – one leading up to the signing of the charter and the other explaining its significance – are shown on a wide screen.

For visitors who want to get the most out of their visit, there are four or five guided tours a day, as well as an audio guide.

There is an all-inclusive entry ticket, covering the wall walk, the Magna Carta vault as well as the Victorian prison.

These are £12 for adults (which allows a free return visit, including event days), £9.60 concessions and £7.20 children – a family ticket for two adults and up to three children costs £31.20.

Alternatively, visitors can visit the elements separately at reduced prices.

There is also a castle (open 10am to 5pm) and Lincoln Cathedral join ticket: £16, £13, £10 and £40 for families.

Entry to the grounds themselves is free and is worth a visit, if only for a picnic on the grassy slopes.

The grounds also contain an Eleanor Cross, Oriel window, statue of George III and the Heritage Skills Centre.

Bourne Grammar School ran its first European football tour, visiting Valkenburg in the Netherlands.

Some 47 students and members of staff spent a week of the Easter holiday in Holland, playing competitive matches against youth teams from other countries.

They wore kit sponsored by Safeguard Hire Services and Cawood Electricals and supplied by Chromasport of Peterborough.

Following are extracts from student Tom Smith’s (Year 12) trip report:

Saturday: We met at school at 4am and set off towards Dover where we hopped onto the ferry for a choppy 90 minute journey. Once we arrived in Calais we had a four hour journey, travelling through France and Belgium until reaching our final destination… the world famous ‘Amsterdam Arena’, home of Ajax and the Dutch national team, to watch Holland play Turkey. The atmosphere was amazing.

Monday: Our first training session began with a squad photo, with one member forgetting their school jumper already!

The 3G facilities were a joy to play on, and we split into our three squads and got to work. Game time! All teams were overwhelmed by the quality (and size) of the opposition and the torrential rain. All teams battled valiantly but failed to come out with a good result, but there was something to build on.

Tuesday: A junior and senior tournament took place, including a team consisting of the staff on the trip. Although, to everyone’s surprise, the staff won more games than any other, they were excluded from the finals.

The intermediate game finished in a 2-0 victory for Bourne. The junior team fought valiantly agains much older opposition and with the help of some ‘loanees’ from the older squad they managed to only lose 4-3 after Jacob Westley’s calm and collective finish at the end of a stunning move.

Wednesday: After a day in Phantasialand theme park, we travelled directly to the final games of the tour. All teams continued to play well, with the necessary determination and dedication. The junior and intermediate squads lost, while the seniors fared slightly better, with a well-deserved 2-2 draw after a nail biting end to the match. .

Manager’s players of the tour went to Jacob Westley (Junior), Harrison Dee (Intermediate) and Ben Philby (Senior), with ‘Boy of the Tour’ going to Lewis Fountain.

A special thanks to the bus driver for getting us from place to place every day and for Mr Graves for making the trip happen through his passion for football.

Everyone cannot wait until next year as the trip was brilliant... although we would like better weather.

Spalding High School U13 and U15 indoor cricket teams both reached the regional finals of the English Cricket Board’s National Indoor competition.

After impressive wins at the county finals against arch rivals Lincoln Minster School both teams were invited to represent Lincolnshire at The Emirates, Old Trafford Stadium (home of Lancashire County Cricket Club) in the regional finals.

With teams competing from all across the North including Lancashire, Cumbria, Northumberland, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Durham and Westmorland, the girls did not disappoint. 

The U13 team (pictured below) finished third overall and the U15 team (above) finished runners-up after being narrowly defeated in the final against Ormskirk High School of Lancashire. Both teams narrowly missed out on a place in the 
national final at Lords Cricket Ground.  Congratulations to both the girls and the coaches.

A case manager is the latest to be honoured in Lincolnshire with a Queen’s Nurse title.

Claire Walpole, who is based at the Long Sutton Medical Centre, has been awarded the prestigious title of Queen’s Nurse by community nursing charity The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI).

The title is not an award for past service, but indicates a commitment to high standards of learning, leadership and patient care.

“I was nominated by a patient for the title because she was really pleased with the care that I give. I was really overwhelmed,” said Claire.

She added: “My hope through the title is to continue to develop the profile of my fantastic team who work incredibly hard. The Queen’s Nurse title is very much about improving standards of care and leadership which is what I intend to do.”

Clarie’s NHS career began 18 years ago when she completed her nurse training at Peterborough Hospital in 1997.

She left the hospital for community nursing in 2005 and became a case manager in 2009.

Her current position sees her leading nine members of staff, palliative care and dealing with complex visits.

Claire said: “I really do love my job. It’s so rewarding and to receive this recognition for simply doing my job makes me feel quite overwhelmed. My children told me how proud of me they are, which means so much to me when they see me working so hard.”

There are now 16 Queen’s Nurses within Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust.

Sue Cousland, chief nurse and director of operations at Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust, said: “We are very proud of the growing team of Queen’s Nurses at Lincolnshire Community Health Services, who are being rightly recognised for the positive contributions they continue to make, to ensure patients receive the best care possible.

“As an organisation, we feel privileged to be closely involved with the Queen’s Nursing Institute Network and fully support the future development of our nurses and leaders. I would like to offer our very best wishes and congratulations to Claire for her achievements.”

TRISH TAKES FIVE: By blogger Trish Burgess

When my son was young he reviewed books for The Book People magazine. From the tender age of seven he was the recipient of a number of books which popped through the letterbox for him to read.

Several of these books were uncorrected proofs and he was very excited to receive these as it meant that he was one of a select few to sample the offering before the general public.

I experienced this same excitement when I turned up at Bookmark in Spalding last Thursday evening to attend their World Book Night celebrations. Whereas children who celebrate World Book Day go to school as their favourite book characters, adults mingling in the coffee shop of Bookmark last week were more soberly dressed ­ not a pair of fairy wings amongst them.

The idea of the evening was for visitors to peruse the advance copies that Bookmark receive prior to their publication and take one home. It was such a lovely atmosphere, walking around the tables, with a glass of wine in hand, picking up titles that you wouldn’t necessarily make a beeline for in normal circumstances.

The rest of the family were attending the hustings at the South Holland Centre that night so I was tempted to choose a book which had a link with the elections.

I spotted ‘How To Run a Government’ but it looked a bit heavy for me. I was more tempted by ‘Love, Sex and Other Foreign Policy Goals’ and wondered whether that was on the political agenda: now that would spark interest in the election race.

I could have taken a title that my husband would enjoy: two Irvine Welsh novels were available and I knew my Edinburgh-born hubby would lap them up. But I decided this was my night and I would choose something for myself.

I clutched a copy of ‘The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir who got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe’ purely for the wackiness of its title which was reminiscent of ‘The Hundred Year Old Man who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared’. Eventually I put it down for the childish reason that the print was too big and I wanted to bring home a book with lots of words in it to make the effort worthwhile.

In the end I plumped for ‘War of the Encyclopaedists’ written by two authors, Christopher Robinson and Gavin Kovite. Why? It was a large book, with plenty of words so would keep me occupied for some time.

The blurb on the cover was intriguing: best friends, one of whom has been told he is being deployed to Iraq, keep in touch with each other by editing their own Wikipedia article.

But do you know what clinched it for me? The book isn’t officially published in the UK until 28th May so I will have that delicious pleasure of reading it before everyone else.

I left the shop happy, with the book clutched to my chest.

* You can follow Trish on Twitter @mumsgoneto and read her blog at www.mumsgoneto.blogspot.com

A 20-year-old man has been charged in connection with an attack on Holbeach Police Station where a window was damaged.

Mantas Busevicius, of no fixed address, is due before Lincoln magistrates today after he was charged with criminal damage and using threatening behaviour following an incident at Holbeach Police station on Bank Holiday Monday.

As well as damaging a window, it is also alleged that Busevicius threw a brick at a police officer that missed.

Busevicius was remanded in custody to appear before Lincoln Magistrates today (Tuesday).

Police are investigating a series of burglaries in Bourne.

Several power tools including strimmers and chainsaws were stolen from the park keeper’s shed in the Wellhead yesterday morning (Monday).

People were seen in the compound at abut 10.40am. Anyone with information should call 101 quoting incident 457 of May 5.

Thieves tried to break into a home in South Road at 10pm on Sunday. They activated the burglar alarm and two people were seen leaving the back of the house towards Spinney Woods. Incident 417 of May 3.

And thieves also tried to break into a shed in South Street between 8.30pm and 10pm on Thursday. Incident 54 of May 1.

Around 150 special educational needs children had a whale of a time at the Roger Tuby fun fair in Spalding on Thursday.

The showman always donates free rides at an annual afternoon event organised by Spalding Lions.

Children enjoying two hours of fun were from Gosberton House School, The Priory School, Garth School, the speech and language department at Monkshouse Primary and The Chappell Centre.

Lion Sally Sneath said: “It was brilliant. We had lots of lovely, smiling faces and lot of thank yous as the children went round all of the rides.”

Youngsters went on rides including the dodgems, Disco Fever, the tea cups and waltzers.

“We are very grateful to Roger and his wife, Sophie, for allowing us to do this,” said Sally. “Some of the children would perhaps not get the chance to go to the fair without a day like this.”

There were adult helpers from the schools and the Lions lent helping hands too.