Terry Day, who lives in Spalding and is best known these days as a water taxi pilot, has had a full and very eventful life.

Growing up in Birkenhead, in Wirral, he joined the Royal Navy at 16, and spent the next seven years in the Navy.

In 1975, he received the Liverpool Shipwreck Bronze Marine Medal and Certificate from the Lord Mayor of Wallasey, Merseyside, for his part in rescuing a woman from drowning while he was working on the Mersey Ferries.

He then went on to join Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, spending 26 of his 30 years’ service at Spalding Fire Station.

Terry has always been active in his private life, competing in the 1989 London Marathon and spending two years as a volunteer with Tall Ships, taking part in voyages to help youngsters gain life-changing experiences. He was also a volunteer Games Maker at the 2012 London Olympic Games, giving assistance to visitors from all over the world.

He is a regular blood donor – he received an award for his 75th donation – has been a water taxi pilot since 2008 and has been branch secretary and delegate of Spalding Royal Naval Association for the past three years.

DOCTOR CALLING: By Dr Kevin Hill

Lincolnshire people and businesses are being urged by health leaders at South Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to take action on stress following Stress Awareness Day, which took place on Wednesday, November 4.

Stress itself is not a medical diagnosis, but severe stress that continues for a long time may lead to a diagnosis of depression or anxiety, or more severe mental health problems. Many of life’s demands can cause stress, particularly work, relationships and money problems.

Almost 11.3 million working days are lost each year in England and Wales because of stress. It is the single biggest cause of workplace absence, affects one-in-five people and accounts, on its own, for over a third of the 27 million sick days a year.

The main causes of workplace stress include a lack of control over one’s role, lack of support, excessive demands leading to long hours, boredom, workstation problems such as noise, temperature or fumes, an office culture that fails to discourage bullying and attacks weakness, repetitive tasks and low pay.

Employers who tackle stress issues can benefit threefold from their investment. It has been calculated that every £1 spent alleviating stress will return £3 in improved productivity.

Reducing stress increases workplace commitment, increases performance and productivity, reduces staff turnover, improves customer satisfaction and enhances corporate image and reputation.

Dr Kevin Hill, Chair of NHS South Lincolnshire CCG, said: “Being aware that you suffer from stress-related symptoms is the first step to dealing with it.

“Excessive or prolonged stress can lead to illness and physical and emotional exhaustion. There are many things you can do to manage stress more effectively, such as lifestyle changes; regular exercise, learning how to relax, adopting good time-management techniques and seeking professional help.

“For employers, recognising stress isn’t easy, particularly in its early days, but the earlier you can identify it, identify the cause of it and alleviate the symptom, the less likely it is that you’ll lose a member of staff for weeks at a time 
and the productivity that goes with sickness absence.”

Previously...

Changing position is key to beating pressure ulcers

WARD’S WORLD: Ny John Ward

I don’t think the batteries fitted in watches these days are coping all that well or rather as we (okay, me then) expect them to as the following may enlighten you.

It was in passing recently I picked up on a comment made about one of my old neighbours or somebody I went to school with or rather we went to the same school at the same time but we went different ways to get there – I think that’s what I mean but carry on as if you’re still interested anyway as I will be asking questions later.

I received an e-mail of sorts from a friend that related to how people are that we both know or in some cases, knew and what they are doing to maintain a steady flow of oxygen to the body etc as in the passing of time as we don’t get to see them much due to the fact they get word you are looking to see them and they hide away plus selling the binoculars doesn’t help but the joys (?) of the electronic highway or the internet if you prefer are quite enlightening but at the same time, as in this instance, I am going to bore you with (advance warning or what?) about the above mentioned school friend/neighbour/ and general soothsayer of bits and bobs that is Our Val.

It seems that in the passing of this thing called time, there are discrepancies like our Val above who although as outlined we went to school together but in different classes but the same year which is a clue or two here, it seems that she is now nine years younger than me. I like to think I am careful with things and thus I don’t lose or misplace them but nine years? – that is nearly a complete decade after all and at this rate the dodo will be back with us.

It must be a sort of lady-type thing about age as in some film stars and suchlike people seem to have a sort of wasting illness where as they grow older their age decreases, much like a old woollen jumper where once it fitted like a glove its now reduced to something a seven year old would struggle to get into as with all the washes it’s had it’s shrunk but I never realised it happened with humans so I assume she has taken too many baths or showers and this has happened although you think, well I do at least, why with all the water contact she has not shrivelled up.

It makes you ponder how many years you could lose if you were a Channel swimmer as in the English Channel, the big bit of sea that separates and stops us from banging into France and bits of Holland on windy days and not something as found on your telly that still show the repeats of the repeats of the repeats of the repeats of the..

Our Val had a friend who used to have a girlfriend in the next class to us and we were amazed to see him carrying her school books home for her and this looked all rather choochy to us ‘die-hards’ but it wasn’t until a few years ago at a school reunion – another earlier chapter I scribbled about a while ago but if unsure ask nurse to get it out to read to you – that while all this looked a bit ‘lovey-dovey’ at the time it appears he was actually helping himself to books from the school library without the bother of having them stamped out so to speak but in fairness he did look after them as he made a wooden bookcase for them in the woodwork class and he paid for the wood.

I still watch Crime-watch OK on the telly to see if his photo should appear as being ‘wanted’ as I think I would know him even now although perhaps he wouldn’t be wearing the school cap or tie as he did in the last group school photo we had tooken before we all left to start our careers in the after-life that was called the Real World.

My mum knew Val’s mum, Peggy – not a wonderful combination all things considered but there you go – and when Peggy was in hospital, mum went in to see her while she was recuperating and not only that, also getting better as well at the same time.

Peggy was having problems with her leg and it had been operated on and now she was ‘on the mend’ and so mum went in one afternoon to visit and the physiotherapist was there having a word or two with Peggy about her walking stick she had used for some time leading up to the operation. The stick itself was a wonderful bit of craftsmanship in that it had a delightful carved handle that must have taken ages to carve due to the detailing but it seems the aforementioned physio lady was telling her it was the wrong size and was too long for her. Peggy said 
she could have it short-ened as she said it had 
great sentimental value 
and was, and had been, 
very supportive of her and had been for some time and then my mum added her input by saying shortening it would a be a great idea 
but would it be best to shorten it at the bottom end rather that the top end as Peggy would miss the handle part if it was shortened from the top or Plan B was to cut a portion out of the middle and join the two ends together. The end result was classified under the Official Secrets Act I believe.

If all things in life could be as simple as my mum - or thereabouts.

Back to age fast depleting Val.

The friend who had sent me news of her current situation was wondering what sort of birthday card to get her as it was coming up soon and I suggested one that said it was ten years younger than Val to give to her and he replied that despite everything, he couldn’t send his wife that. As I said at the beginning I would be asking questions, so hands up all those who knew my friend and Val are a married couple and to each other as well.

THOUGHTS OF A FRUITCAKE: By Carolyn Aldis

So, the presents have been exchanged, the food has been devoured in vast quantities and we are now in the no man’s land between Christmas and New Year…the relatives have got to the end of their welcome and gone home and I find myself thinking about the past year and how things have changed in the world and in my own little world.

The world is an unstable place at the moment, due to the unrest in the Middle East and the threat of terrorism. In my world, it’s the advancing wave of secularism that constantly undermines my beliefs and threatens all that I stand for…Happy Holidays replacing Happy Christmas as a greeting, nativities that don’t feature the birth of Christ and commercialism taking over the simple Christmas message of love and generosity, to name just a few. I have to edit my blog carefully, so that I can be honest without causing offence, which is difficult because I follow Someone who caused offence to many, simply by hanging out with what was perceived to be the wrong type of person…

Some change is good. Some change isn’t so good. Let’s focus on the good.

At this time of year, it’s usual to make New Year’s Resolutions. In the past, it has been too easy to make ridiculously unrealistic ones, setting the bar far too high and knowing full well that within a week, instead of jumping over it and succeeding, I would be doing a fat belly flop of a limbo to get underneath it and feel defeated. My New Year’s resolutions were always the same:

1: Lose weight by eating only healthy food.

2: Never eat chocolate again (like THAT’S going to happen).

3: Do more exercise.

4: Don’t gossip about anyone.

Every time I would fail and to be honest, January is a depressing enough month as it is, without the added burden of guilt.

So, no more. A well-known shop had a campaign a while ago about changing 1 thing in your life to make it better…whether it was to stop smoking, or limit your alcohol intake, or to bring exercise into your daily routine. They suggested choosing 1 thing and working really hard to make it a new habit, the idea being that once you have achieved that goal, you would feel such a sense of achievement, you can then tackle the next one. Like the old joke “How do you eat an elephant?” “A little bit at a time”, by focusing on 1 thing, you were more likely to succeed. Sounds like a plan.

So at the start of 2016, the first of the many things that need tackling for me is to get rid of what I like to call “stinking thinking” – that is, getting control of what I am thinking about by focusing on the positive and chucking out the negative. This 1 thing alone has the power to change my life for the better and once I have nailed it, I will be in a better position to tackle the next problem…

Try it…our world could look so different in 2016.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust is asking anyone planning to visit Lincoln County, Pilgrim Hospital Boston and Grantham and District Hospital to stay at home if they, or their family members, have had diarrhoea, vomiting or ‘flu-like’ symptoms in the past 72 hours (three days).

A number of medical wards at Lincoln County Hospital are still closed or restricting admissions due to ongoing cases of the bug. This is a precaution to prevent the spread of the virus. The affected areas will reopen to admissions once the patients have either been discharged and/or the area has been symptom free for 72 hours.

Due to the outbreak, restrictions are being placed on the number of visitors permitted into hospitals. Anyone visiting a relative will be asked if they have had any symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting in the past 72 hours, and will not be permitted to visit if they have.

A ULHT spokesman said: “Visiting restrictions will be enforced on a case-by-case basis, and where visitors are allowed, the number of visitors per patient should be strictly limited to a maximum of two at a time in all but exceptional circumstances. No children will be permitted to enter medical wards during this outbreak.

“We are still asking everyone who wants to visit a friend or relative in hospital to ring the ward at Lincoln before visiting. The ward will then advise whether it is appropriate to come to the hospital or not. Wards can be contacted via the hospital’s switchboard.

“A&E remains open as usual but is exceptionally busy. We would ask people to only attend A&E with serious or life threatening illnesses and to seek alternative support for on-going problems or minor injuries. Those who attend with minor conditions will still be treated, but will have long waits.

“We urge everyone to think twice before they go to A&E – if it’s not serious or life threatening, you shouldn’t be there. Many illnesses can be better treated by visiting your local pharmacy, calling 111, visiting your local GP, GP out of hours services, or attending a walk in centre or a minor injuries unit.”

The virus is not uncommon in the winter. These stomach bugs are highly contagious and can spread rapidly in places like hospitals who see hundreds of visitors every day.

Andrew Prydderch, deputy director of operations said: “We know that people feel that they must take every opportunity to visit their sick friends or relatives, particularly at this time of year. However if they have been unwell, they could be putting their loved ones and others at risk. Symptoms of norovirus include diarrhoea and vomiting and, just like flu, the virus can seriously affect vulnerable patients.

“If you have norovirus symptoms, please do not attend A&E. The best thing you can do is rest, and take plenty of non-caffeinated drinks to avoid dehydration.”

People worried about prolonged symptoms should contact NHS 111 or ring their GP, not visit their surgery. They will be able to provide advice for people who are at greater risk from dehydration from diarrhoea and vomiting, such as children under the age of five or the elderly.

William Stukeley Primary School staff at Holbeach performed Snow White as a surprise for the children.

Staff rehearsed behind closed doors for six weeks after school, at weekends and at any given opportunity to present Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to the whole school on the last day of term.

The cast managed to keep the whole performance a secret from the pupils so it came as a big surprise to them. They didn’t need any prompting to cheer and boo in the right places! The children were amazed at the characters’ costumes and really enjoyed the whole experience. The cast were advised and directed by parent helper Vicky Robinson.

Chair of governors Richard Nicholas said: “I have always been hugely proud of our outstanding team at William Stukeley Primary School; their commitment to outstanding education knows no bounds. Their ability to enrich the children’s learning in so many ways is astounding. So I was expecting good things when I took my seat for the panto, and was truly enthralled to see the children’s reaction. The excitement was electrifying! Well done to all the staff and volunteers for putting on such a spectacle. I can’t wait for next year’s show.”

Police are appealing for witnesses and information after a commercial burglary at a fish and chip shop in Crowland.

Sometime between 7pm on Monday and 7am on Tuesday, offenders forced entry to Frydays in North Street. A quantity of cash was stolen from inside.

A number of enquiries are under way in relation to the burglary and investigating officers would like to hear from anyone who may have seen or heard anything in relation to the incident.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Lincolnshire Police on 101, quoting incident 80 of December 30. Alternatively contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.

The introduction to meditation on January 14 is followed by weekly classes during term time.

The format of the classes is that people – men and women of all ages – sit in chairs and start with a ten to 15-minute guided breathing meditation to settle the mind and help them let go of busy lives.

Nyingpo will then talk for about 30 minutes on a particular theme – the first one in the New Year is described as a “mind detox”.

The talk is then followed by another meditation based on the subject of the talk.

Nyingpo says: “It could be a meditation on a positive decision or determination, for example to try not to follow negative thoughts during the week.”

Apart from the first ticketed event on January 14, it is not necessary to book classes.

Sessions cost £5 each but if people book a whole term in advance there is a 20 per cent discount, so classes work out at £4 each.

To book a term in advance, visit drolmacentre.org.uk and click on the link to classes and events in Spalding.

Most of us have all the material possessions we could possibly desire.

The majority of people in the UK have plenty of clothes, electronic gadgets, cars and other possessions.

But are we happy?

Material things don’t bring happiness: that has to come from within, says Buddhist nun Gen Nyingpo.

Gen Nyingpo, who has been teaching meditation in Spalding since September, says what creates happiness is a peaceful mind.

“Happiness has to come from inside because it is a feeling, so it is an internal experience,” says Nyingpo – the ‘Gen’ in her name simply means ‘teacher’.

She continues: “We turn to things outside ourselves for happiness and then feel frustrated and disappointed and let down because actually we are still not happy.

“In fact there is so much talk about depression, anxiety and stress, and yet externally, compared to even 20 years ago, we have really good (living) conditions.

“The main benefit of meditation is it enables us to deal directly with where our happiness is, which is on the inside. Meditation gives us a peaceful mind, which is the foundation of happiness.

“If your mind is not peaceful – even if you are just a little bit stressed – even in the best situation, such as a celebration like Christmas, you just remember something that somebody said that upset you a little bit, and that’s enough to take away the happiness and enjoyment.

“With a peaceful mind you can actually experience happiness wherever you are, and it is so much easier to let go of things.”

Meditation also gives people what Nyingpo calls “mental space” to see problems from a new perspective.

She explains: “Often our minds are very cluttered and if we find ourselves in a difficult situation then we just get stuck and can’t see a solution, and the more stressed we are the more cluttered our mind is and it feels like our mind is completely full.

“Meditation gives us the space and clarity and the ability to focus. That space and clarity then gives us a new approach to life’s problems.”

Even if you feel that 2015 has been a bad year, Nyingpo, who is based at the Drolma Buddhist Meditation Centre in Peterborough, believes it’s possible to let go and start the new year with fresh energy and “move forward with a positive mind”.

Her weekly meditation classes at South Holland Centre in Spalding begin with a ticketed event on Thursday, January 14 (7.30-8.30pm), an introduction to meditation called Fresh Start to the New Year. Classes then continue on a weekly basis during term time.

Tickets are £5 from the South Holland Centre box office – 01775 764777.

Columnist James Waller-Davies gives his views on some of the recent festive television.

Back in the television olden days, getting the most out of the Christmas TV bonanza needed planning.

The festive edition of the Radio Times was one of the publishing events of the year and the start of Christmas was marked by the meticulous scrutinising of all three channels and planning the TV binge.

Most of it was missed, of course. When the irresistible force of dinner time crashed into the immovable object of a TV programme before the days of video recorders, iPlayer and internet streaming, then the stuck-in-the-schedule show was lost for ever.

Now, however, everything is always on, every day, all the time. It’s impossible to ‘miss’ anything. But a shiny ‘Christmas special’ sixpence can still enliven the pudding stodge.

Top Gear A-Z (BBC2) provided one last Christmas special fix of Messrs Clarkson, Hammond and May, albeit a reheating of leftovers from the glory days. It seemed a strange form of masochistic nostalgia for the BBC to remind us just what the BBC has thrown out in its best and most enduring entertainment show.

The two compilation shows reminded viewers just how many bits of ironic and unforgettable pieces of TV came from Top Gear’s series and specials.

It has been one of those “worth the price of the licence fee alone” programmes. Top Gear’s production, writing, design and all-round creativity is second-to-none. Whatever re-emerges from the BBC for the next version will have to be equally so, or it could be short-lived.

The old gang’s move to Amazon Prime is a logical one, having already a huge global audience reach via BBC Worldwide sales. The DVD is already on my next year’s Christmas list.

The Agatha Christie leftovers got yet another reheating, this time a reworking of arguably her best novel, And Then There Were None (BBC1).

Dramatisations of Christie tend to end up like a caricature of Cluedo. Nice Mrs Can’t-Be-Her, in the drawing room, with the art deco candelabra. Soft and a little fluffy – the sorts of murder plots the WI might hatch in between scones. But this version was sinisterly claustrophobic and chilling.

Previous film versions have tended to lighten the novel’s grim ending with plot changes, but this darkly fascinating adaptation kept the gruesome finale of the last survivor having to contemplate suicide or being innocently hanged as the convicted murderer of the ten others.

The tiptoe-tottering, noose-tightening climax stretched just enough to leave a glimmer of hope for a reprieve, before kicking the chair away.

The twenty episode postmodern mock epic of Dickensian (BBC1) has begun skipping its way across the author’s cannon, with wit, charm and a subtle, but not too showy, knowledge of the novels.

Dickens’s characters have been reanimated and converged into a time seven years prior to his A Christmas Carol, to loiter and plot around the murder of Scrooge’s partner, Jacob Marley.

This approach to the Classics is not new: Jane Austen, the Bronte’s, most of the Fin de Siecle writers, have had the postmodern pastiche treatment.

Dickens is a bigger deal though. One of his novels alone has an almost biblical cast of characters, but put them all together and the options are limitless. Each episode plays out like a game of Dickens Top Trumps: I’ll bet you Mrs Gamp against Miss Havisham. Bill Sykes and Nancy trump the Cratchit kids.

Dickensian is a Victorian version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but in morning coats and petticoats. And just like MCU, if you don’t get in early, the Dickensian plot is likely to lose you, so watch now – there are twenty episodes in series one, and the second is already being written. There’s also the bonus of being able to blag Dickens once and for all without having to read those tedious tomes.

Miranda (BBC1) got married. Finally. One of the great ‘girlie’ comedies of recent years came to its inevitable end, even if it did jettison all its feminist credentials in doing so. But hey, the ‘wedding reward’ ending motif worked well for Shakespeare, but not even he thought to end with a mass wedding gallop to the Black Beauty music. The funniest moment of Christmas.

Long Sutton firefighter of 23 years Richard King has been awarded the BEM in the New Year’s honours list.

Richard (47) is retained watch manager for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service and the award is in recognition of services to Fire and Rescue and to Emergency Medical Care.

Long Sutton station has attended 722 calls this year, and Richard believes this makes it one of the busiest retained stations in Lincolnshire.

Of those calls, 699 have been medical emergencies undertaken since last summer when the station took delivery of a fully-equipped ambulance as part of the Joint Ambulance Conveyance Project.

Richard, who runs his own stonemasonry business, says he has been acting as a firefighter co-responder in medical emergencies for 13 years, as have colleagues.

The delivery of the ambulance strengthened that life-saving partnership between Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue and East Midlands Ambulance Service.

His citation says Richard led the first crew to test the concept of the Joint Ambulance Conveyance Project.

It reads: “The first project of its kind in the country, its initial success has very much been down to his energy and determination to make the project work.”

Richard, married to Joanne and a father of four and grandad to two said: “I am really honoured to accept the award on behalf of myself as an individual and as part of the work the whole station has done.

“I am really proud of the work me and the lads do. I don’t go out on calls on my own. Although the award is in my name I do feel it’s for Long Sutton station as a whole and I am really proud of that.”

East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) is putting out a stark plea for revellers to be careful tonight (New Years’ Eve) with the phrase ‘don’t start 2016 in an ambulance’.

The Trust sees more demand on crews on the traditional party night than at any other time of the year with many calls about alcohol related illness and injuries during the early hours of New Years’ Day.

Last year, between 10pm and 6am, EMAS recieved a new call every 24 seconds, twice as many as an average night, however, only 52 per cent of patients required further treatment at hospital.

The Trust’s associate director of operations Pete Ripley said: “Alcohol clouds people’s judgment and can make them take risks that they usually wouldn’t.

“This can result in an accident or injury and a 999 call for help.

“We want people to enjoy the celebrations but they must take responsibility for themselves and their friends.

“Many 999 calls can be avoided if people drink alcohol in moderation and take care. You don’t want to start 2016 in an ambulance.”

Spalding man Luke Arons faces five charges of dishonestly making false statements to obtain benefits by failing to declare he was in receipt of income.

Arons (35), of Winsover Road, is accused of three counts of making a false statement to the Department for Work and Pensions to obtain Jobseeker’s Allowance and two counts of making a false statement to South Holland District Council to obtain housing benefit.

At Boston Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Wednesday) the cases were adjourned to January 27.

Residents in South Holland are being invited to have their say on where new homes, businesses and roads should be built over the next 20 years.

A new Local Plan is being prepared for South East Lincolnshire (the areas of Boston Borough Council and South Holland District Council) to guide the development and use of land up until 2036, including the provision of some 18,000 dwellings.

The South East Lincolnshire Local Plan is being produced by Boston Borough Council, South Holland District Council and Lincolnshire County Council working in partnership.

As part of the preparation of the Local Plan, a public consultation is being held from January 8 to February 19 which will see a series of ‘drop-in’ exhibition events held across the area.

Residents and business representatives are invited to come along and have their say on a variety of topics, including housing site options for towns and villages and where facilities such as schools, GP surgeries and open space should be located in order to support the new homes. This will help determine which sites are most suitable for development.

The Local Plan will also help to determine sites for future business use, to assist in the creation of the 17,000 jobs needed in South East Lincolnshire.

Other proposals concern the delivery of the Spalding Western Relief Road and the Boston Distributor Road.

This stage of the Local Plan is about involving local communities in making choices from many options – and, as yet, no firm decisions have been made on where growth will happen.

Responses to this consultation will be taken into account in finalising the Local Plan which will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for independent examination in late 2016.

Coun Roger Gambba-Jones, South Holland District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Planning and current Chairman of the South East Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee, said: “The new Local Plan is going shape the future growth of South East Lincolnshire, so it’s vitally important that people have their say on the proposals.

“The plan will identify opportunities for growth and set out guidance on the development that will be permitted and where it will go.

“So please don’t miss out on this rare opportunity to be involved in shaping our area’s future.”

The draft Local Plan and Policies Map are available to inspect at:

• www.southeastlincslocalplan.org;

• at each council’s offices; and

• at any libraries in the area

There will be permanent exhibitions at Municipal Buildings, West Street, Boston, PE21 8QR and at Council Offices, Priory Road, Spalding PE11 2XE during the consultation period between the hours of 9am and 4.30pm.

The Policies Map Insets show whether any new development is planned in your area.

A list of the drop-in sessions is below. If you would like to have your say on the Local Plan but can’t attend any of the events, you can write to: South East Lincolnshire Local Plan, Municipal Buildings, West Street, Boston, Lincolnshire PE21 8QR; or email southeastlincslocalplan@sholland.gov.uk

The deadline for responses is 5pm on February 19.

Drop-in sessions take place at the following dates/venues between 3.30pm and 7.30pm:

• Swineshead Village Hall, North End and Pinchbeck Village Hall, Knight Street on Wednesday, January 13.

• Wyberton Parish Hall, London Road and Sutton Bridge Curlew Centre, Bridge Road on Friday, January 15.

• Old Leake Community Centre, Furlongs Lane and Long Sutton Market House, Market Street on Monday, January 18.

• Kirton Town Hall, Station Road on Wednesday, January 20.

• Butterwick Village Hall, Church Road and Donington Ruby Hunt Centre, Church Street on Friday, January 22.

• Sutterton Village Hall, Park Avenue on Monday, January 25.

• Gedney Hill Memorial Hall, Hill Gate on Tuesday, January 26.

• Holbeach Community Centre, Fishpond Lane, on Thursday, January 28.

• Surfleet Village Hall, Station Road on Tuesday, February 2.

• Crowland British Legion Hall, Broadway on Friday, February 5.

• South Holland Centre, Market Place, Spalding on Tuesday, February 9 (from 11am – 3pm).

• Cowbit Village Hall, Barrier Bank on Wednesday, February 10.

There are only two weeks left to nominate your hospital heroes for an award.

Have you experienced great care in Lincolnshire’s hospitals? Do you know of an NHS worker who has gone above and beyond to do the best for you or your family? Then nominate them for a staff award.

There are now only two weeks left to nominate your chosen staff member or team for a United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) Staff Awards for 2016.

So far, over 260 nominations have been made across all 12 categories of the awards and for staff and teams working at hospitals in Lincoln, Boston, Grantham and Louth.

The closing date for nominations for the 2016 award is Friday January 15, 2016. This will be followed by a judging process and awards being handed out to the winners at a glittering ceremony at the Princess Royal Sports Arena in Boston in April.

The awards are a chance to recognise great care and compassion, team work or innovation within Lincolnshire’s hospitals, either from individual staff members or teams.

Non-executive director of ULHT, Penny Owston, said: “We are delighted by the number of nominations we’ve had for the awards already, which is more than we have ever had before.

“But we know that there is some amazing work going on within our hospitals that is yet to be recognised, and I’d encourage our patients and staff to consider nominating an individual or team for a staff award to give them a thank you for all that they do.

“We’re also planning to run a raffle at our staff awards event next year to help raise money for our hospital charities, and we’d like to invite local businesses to support us with this by donating raffle prizes.”

If you know someone who deserves to be recognised, fill in a nomination form on the front page of the Trust website at www.ulh.nhs.ukor pick up a form at hospital reception desks and departments.

To offer support to the awards in the form of a raffle prize, contact staffawards@ulh.nhs.uk or call 01522 573986.

A man who broke a window at a house his ex-girlfriend shared told police that jealousy got the better of him.

Matthew McKay (24), of Anfield Road, Long Sutton, felt “taunted” by text messages from his ex, including one saying she had a new boyfriend, Boston magistrates heard.

After breaking the window with a brick, McKay spat at PC Paul Cooper as he was being taken to the police station.

McKay pleaded guilty to criminal damage and assaulting the officer when he appeared in court yesterday (Wednesday).

Magistrates ordered him to pay £150 for the window broken in Queens Road, Spalding, and £50 to PC Cooper. He must also pay £25 towards prosecution costs.

Ruth Snodin, prosecuting, said McKay went to the Queens Road address in the early hours of November 29.

She said there was a verbal disagreement and McKay picked up a pot plant and threw it at the window. He went outside and threw a brick at the window, causing it to smash.

Mrs Snodin said police attended and McKay swore in the police car, asking to be let out, and kicked the rear of the passenger seat.

She said when interviewed, McKay admitted spitting at PC Cooper but claimed the officer had first hit him on the head.

Mrs Snodin said: “He said he regretted going to the house and smashing the window but jealousy got the better of him.”

Solicitor Anita Toal, mitigating, said McKay felt taunted by the text messages and believed the police officer was “rather rough with him”.

A man was three days late in complying with the terms of the sex offenders register, which orders weekly reporting to a poice station when a sex offender has no fixed address.

Mark Vinall (31), now of Kellett Gate, Spalding, was fined £80 and ordered to pay a £20 victim surcharge and £25 towards prosecution costs when he pleaded guilty at Boston Magistrates’ Court to failing to comply with the register’s notification requirements.

Ruth Snodin, prosecuting, said Vinall reported on the tenth day instead of the seventh.

She said Vinall was placed on the register indefinitely in October 2006 for a sexual assault on a female.

A man accused of arson at Trinity’s Wine Bar in Crowland has been sent by magistrates to Lincoln Crown Court.

John Carr (51), of South Street, Crowland, is charged with damaging by fire bar stools and flooring belonging to Elizabeth Carr on November 25, intending to destroy or damage that property or being reckless as to whether that property would be destroyed or damaged.

Carr entered no plea when he appeared at Boston Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Wednesday).

He was sent on bail to appear at the crown court on January 27.

Police say there was an attempted break-in at Linchfield Primary School in Deeping St James last week.

The incident happened overnight on December 22/23 when someone tried to gain entry via the skylight on the roof.

A spokesman for the Market Deeping Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “If you saw anything suspicious please call Lincolnshire Police on 101, quoting Incident 167 of December 23.”

Police arrested a Spalding drink-driver after his car broke down and was “causing a dangerous obstruction” in Baker’s Lane at Freiston, near Boston.

Thomas Bell (25), of The Wende, was found to have 50 microgrammes of alcohol in breath – 15mcgs above the legal limit, Boston magistrates heard.

Bell, who pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol, was fined £200 and ordered to pay £85 towards prosecution costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

Magistrates on Wednesday also banned him from driving for 14 months, but he can cut 14 weeks off the ban by completing a rehabilitation course.

Ruth Snodin, prosecuting, said police were called out in the early hours of December 2 following a report of a broken down car causing a dangerous obstruction.

She said the front bumper was missing from Bell’s Vauxhall Astra and he told police he had heard a bang and a scraping noise – he pulled the bumper off but the car wouldn’t start again.

Mrs Snodin said Bell was unable to describe what he had hit.

She said he was “slow in his responses” to police questions and he was breath-tested.

Solicitor Mike Alexander said Bell and his girlfriend had intended to stay at a hotel in Skegness that night, but he decided to drive home when the hotel had no record of his booking.