Alcohol and food store Nasza Biedronka in Sheep Market, Spalding, will have its licence reviewed tomorrow (Friday).

The review comes at the request of Lincolnshire Police, who, the committee will hear, have made several visits to the premises since June 2015.

A follow-up operation on December 2 involving Trading Standards and a sniffer dog found contraband cigarettes and breaches of the CCTV conditions. The tobacco detection dog found illegal cigarettes upstairs, underneath the kitchen sink and in a hold-all on the outside of an open window in the toilet.

In total, 2,240 contraband cigarettes were seized. There were seven different brands, including several previously found to be unsafe.

Some of the cigarettes have never passed ignition propensity testing and always found to be unsafe.

The report goes on to say the reality of unsafe cigarettes was highlighted by the death of June Buffham in a Spalding house fire in April 2012.

Trading Standards said in a statement: “The store has a ready supply of consumers wishing to purchase cheap cigarettes and alcohol, thus undermining the local retailers selling genuine products.”

And when CCTV cameras were examined, although four of the eight were working, there was no footage available to show people coming or going from the shop and no footage of till transactions.

Premises licence holder and supervisor Saman Ahmad Mahmood was present during the raid.

The store has a licence to sell alcohol from 8am until 11pm seven days a week.

The committe can decide to modify licence conditions; exclude something from the licence; remove Mr Mahmood from the licence; suspend the licence for up to three months; revoke the licence; or leave it as it is.

The RSPB is asking you to take a look at your garden this weekend, January 30-31.

People taking part in this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch will be providing conservation scientists with valuable data about the changes in numbers of birds using our gardens in winter, enabling them to help protect our wildlife for future generations.

More than half a million people are expected to watch and count their garden birds this weekend in what is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey.

For almost 40 years, the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch has helped raise awareness of those species in decline like starlings and song thrushes, whose numbers have dropped by an alarming 80 and 70 per cent respectively since the Birdwatch began in 1979.

There is slightly better news for the house sparrow, as its long term decline appears to have continued to slow and it remains the most commonly spotted bird in our gardens. However, its numbers have dropped by 58% since 1979.

Dr Daniel Hayhow, RSPB Conservation Scientist, said: “Last year’s survey was another great year for participation. More than half a million people took part and more than 8.5 million birds were spotted in gardens across the country.

“With so many people now taking part, the results we get from gardens are very valuable. And as the format of the survey has always been the same, this data can be compared year-on-year. The results help us create an annual ‘snapshot’ of bird numbers across the UK, which, combined with over 30 years’ worth of data, allows us to monitor trends and understand how birds are doing.”

With the last month of 2015 being reported as the wettest and warmest December on record but with temperatures set to plummet, the results from Big Garden Birdwatch will also help the charity understand how recent unusual weather conditions have affected birds visiting gardens this winter.

Ben Andrew, RSPB Wildlife Advisor, said: “If the UK experiences a continuation of these milder temperatures, those taking part in Big Garden Birdwatch may notice their gardens quieter than in other years.

“The milder weather means that there is more food available in the wider countryside, with birds being less reliant on garden feeders. However, winter is a hard time for our garden wildlife so it’s still vital that people keep their feeders stocked up with a variety of energy-rich food so birds can find food whatever the weather. Either way, mild or cold, it will be fascinating to see how the birds respond this weekend.”

For the third year running, the RSPB is also asking participants to log some of the other wildlife they see in their gardens throughout the year such as hedgehogs, foxes, stoats and squirrels, to help build an overall picture of how important gardens are for giving nature a home. The RSPB will share the results with Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (ARC), People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and The Mammal Society to add to their species databases. Results will help all the organisations involved build their understanding about the threats facing garden wildlife.

Dr Fiona Mathews, Chair of The Mammal Society, said: “Gardens can offer fantastic habitat for wild mammals, simply leave things a bit untidy and watch what happens. For example, a bramble patch and a pile of fallen leaves can provide a good nesting site for hedgehogs, whilst bats will feed on night flying-insects attracted to blackberry flowers.”

To take part, simply request a free pack from the RSPB website or register your details to save time on the weekend.

The RSPB will be live blogging throughout the weekend and offering downloadable bird song on their website as a soundtrack for the bird watch.

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

Boston Magistrates’ Court

January 6

Diane Ross (60), of Barrowden Road, Ketton. Drink driving (Holbeach). £185 fine, £20 victim surcharge, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 48 months.

Kristian Butcher (23), c/o Princes Street, Sutton Bridge. Driving while disqualified (Long Sutton). £200 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 6 months. No separate penalty for no insurance.

Genadijs Lobacevs (33), of Liquorpond Street, Boston. Stole a Braun razor worth £20 belonging to Wilkinsons (Spalding). 12 months conditional discharge, £15 v/s, £40 costs.

Phillip O’Reilly (50) of Five House Lane, Wyberton. Drink driving (Wyberton). £250 fine, £25 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 20 months.

Darren Manningcoe ((27), of Cornfield Close, Deeping St Nicholas. Driving while disqualified and no insurance (Bourne). 16 weeks prison sentence, £80 v/s, £85 costs. No separate penalty for drink driving.

Wayne Rule (39), of Glen Avenue, Pinchbeck. Driving while disqualified and driving while unfit to drive through drugs (Holbeach). 16 weeks prison sentence, suspended for 24 months, drug rehabilitation requirement, rehabilitation activity requirement, £80 v/s, £85 costs. No separate penalty for no insurance.

January 11

Nichola Hayes (27), of Hockles Gate, Fleet Hargate. Harassment (Holbeach). 18 months conditional discharge, restraining order, £15 v/s, £85 costs.

Scott Campbell (22), of Tinkers Drove, Wisbech. Drink driving and driving while disqualified (Sutton Bridge). Community order with curfew requirement, £60 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 16 months. No separate penalty for no insurance.

Luke Courtney (24), of Snaith Avenue, Fosdyke. Theft of a television (Swineshead). Community order with 60 hours unpaid work, £75 compensation, £60 v/s, £620 costs.

Tarmo Savischas (42), of Park Court, Spalding. Drink driving (Spalding). 2 weeks prison sentence concurrent suspended for 12 months, participate in drink impaired driver’s programme and rehabilitation activity requirement, 80 hours unpaid work, disqualified from driving for 5 years. Driving while disqualified. 20 weeks prison sentence suspended for 12 months, £80 v/s, £85 costs. No separate penalty for using a vehicle which was fitted with headlamps when not every lamp was kept lit during hours of darkness. No separate penalty for no insurance.

Michael Severn (42), of Dean Close, Weston. Possession of amphetamine and carrying in a public place a lock knife (Spalding). Community order with rehabilitation activity requirement, 80 hours unpaid work, £60 v/s, £85 costs, drugs and knife to be forfeited and destroyed. Driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence, no separate penalty, 6pts. (Spalding). No separate penalty for no insurance.

January 13

Seonaid Collins (59), of Sutton Road, Walpole Cross Keys. Drink driving (Sutton Bridge). £250 fine, £25 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 20 months.

Martyn Gould (25), of Docking Road, Great Bircham. Drink driving (Holbeach). £120 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 36 months.

Richard Kyberd (34), of Sutton Crosses, Long Sutton. Criminal damage (Long Sutton). 12 months conditional discharge, restraining order, £100 compensation, £15 v/s, £85 costs.

Krzysztof Swiatek (50), of Kellet Gate, Spalding. Drink driving (Spalding). £260 fine, £26 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 24 months. No separate penalty for no insurance.

Sebastian Gudowski (35), of Roman Bank, Long Sutton. Failed to provide a breath specimen (Boston). £120 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 16 months.

Leon Naylor (18), of Marsh Road, Sutterton. Assault (Pinchbeck). 6 months conditional discharge, £15 v/s.

Grantham Magistrates’ Court

January 5

Samantha Cook (50), of Oxcroft Bank, Moulton Chapel. Speeding (Langtoft). £75 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Graham Dawson (66), of Acres Lane, Stalybridge. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £40 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Piotr Helon, of Park Road, Spalding. Motor insurance offence (Spalding). £220 fine, £22 v/s, £110 costs.

Ian Howard (43), of Elsea Park Way, Bourne. Speeding (Baston). £150 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Richard Ward (29), of Rochester Court, Bourne. Motor insurance offence (Bourne). £220 fine, £22 v/s, £110 costs.

Andrew Whitehead (33), of Newark Road, North Hykeham. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £200 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Carrieanne Chapman (32), of Tollgate, Spalding. Motor insurance offence (Spalding). £40 fine, £20 v/s, £110 costs.

Gavin Back (43), of Lime Street, Sutton Bridge. Driving without a seat belt (Bicker). £220 fine, £22 v/s.

Lincoln Magistrates’ Court

December 29

Matthew McKay (24), of Anfield Road, Long Sutton. Criminal damage (Spalding). £150 compensation, £25 costs. Assaulting a police officer (Sutterton). £50 compensation. No action taken on breach of conditional discharge.

Mark Vinall (31), of Kellet Gate, Spalding. Failed to comply with notification requirement of Sexual Offences Act (Spalding). £80 fine, £20 v/s, £25 costs.

Thomas Bell (25), of The Wende, Spalding. Drink driving (Frieston). £200 fine, £20 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 14 months.

Brandon Smith (22), of Siltside, Gosberton Risegate. Assault (Spalding). £160 fine, £100 compensation, £20 v/s, £85 costs.

Roman Zyser (39), of St Johns Drive, Spalding. Used threatening, abusive or insulting words (Spalding). 12 months conditional discharge, £15 v/s, £85 costs.

Lincolnshire County Council’s IT systems are down for a fourth day following a malicious software attack, amid reports that the attack has blocked the council’s access to their own data stores while demanding £1 million.

The council’s IT team are continuing to work towards a solution to fix the problem, which began on Tuesday (January 26).

The malware attack is the first time that the county council’s IT systems have been successfully breached.

As reported previously, a council spokesperson said there is “no evidence” that data has been accessed.

The Lincolnite reported that the malware was ‘ransomware’ this morning (January 29), quoting a council spokesperson.

• Follow our website for more updates as we have them.

An associate director with Spalding estate agents Morris and Mennie is having her hair cut to make a real difference to the life of a young cancer patient.

Donna Morris (34) will donate seven or eight inches of her locks to the Little Princess Trust, which makes real hair wigs for children with cancer who have lost their own hair due to treatment.

Donna mentioned having a hair cut to a friend who told her about the trust’s work.

“I hadn’t planned to have quite so much cut off but this is for a great cause,” said Donna, who wants to “really make a difference in a child’s life”.

She’s also set up a fundraising page on virginmoneygiving.com and this has so far raised £130 towards her £400 target.

Spalding hairdressers Hedonism are sponsoring and supporting Donna’s fundraising effort and will braid and cut her hair on March 15.

Donna said: “They jumped at the chance. They were over the moon to do it.”

The Little Princess Trust is a charity that provides real hair wigs to children in the UK and Ireland whom have lost their own hair during their cancer treatments, giving the children these wonderful gifts for absolutely free.

The overall cost of a single wig is £350 and Donna wants to blow away that minimum target. You can sponsor Donna by visiting http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/giving/

A mum burst into tears when a note was left on her toddler son’s grave saying she must remove ornaments left there – or the parish council would do it.

Sharon Rudd (44) lost her toddler son, Kyle, in September 2003 when he was just 16-months-old.

His grieving family have left tiny tributes on his grave, including two ornamental ducks because he loved to feed ducks, but Holbeach Parish Council wants to sweep everything away so it’s easier for its staff to mow the grass.

Shocked families have been arriving at the graves of loved ones over the last few days in the Park Road and Hall Gate cemeteries to find blunt warning notes (pictured below) pinned down by tent pegs.

Families have reacted with anger and sadness, a petition has been launched, and parish council chairman Isobel Hutchinson revealed a threat of violence was made against clerk Chris Seymour, whose name appears on the note.

Mrs Rudd, a director of Terry Rudd Motorcycles, said: “I went on Sunday and found the note on Kyle’s grave. I cried. I really cried.”

She says the parish council told her there should be no artificial flowers, only fresh flowers, and none of the ornaments that mean everything to her family and her little boy would have loved before he died.

“I am just trying to get them to look at how they are hurting people,” she said.

Kyle, who died from an intracranial haemorrhage after contracting a virus, is buried near his great-gran, Dorothy Cook, who treasured him – and there’s an identical council note on her Park Road Cemetery grave, too.

Mrs Rudd spoke to council officials on Monday, who said they would look at Kyle’s grave.

She said: “They rang me back and said I have got to take four or five ornaments off him.”

Mrs Rudd says there’s a block of marble on Kyle’s grave that takes vases and the council says it shouldn’t be there.

“I am not taking it off him,” she said. “If they (the council) remove it, God help them.”

She says her husband Mark (42) already mows the grass around the family graves so council mowing shouldn’t be an issue.

Another mum, Becci Holden, wrote on social media that a note was left on the grave of her stillborn baby, Millie Elizabeth, who was laid to rest in Hall Gate Cemetery on July 24, 2013.

She urges residents to sign a petition and says “people choose to grieve their own way, whether it’s putting solar lights down there or teddies”.

Coun Hutchinson said notices went up in the cemeteries in late summer warning residents of impending council action to remove objects that contravened the rules after October 31. She said: “We have given them plenty of time to remove items that are contravening the rules and the rules are there for a reason.”

Coun Hutchinson said rules allow a headstone and a vase set within the headstone, but “nothing on the actual grave itself because, obviously, the mowers go straight across the top of the grave”.

She said ornaments might be acceptable to one family but not another.

“It’s a very emotive subject and that’s why there are rules about what you can and can’t put down there,” she said.

She believes the council will revisit the issue on a case-by-case basis if residents make contact.

Coun Hutchinson said it isn’t acceptable for threats to be made against staff who are carrying out decisions made by the council.

Police have launched a nation-wide appeal to trace a convicted burglar ‘with links across England and Scotland’ who has been recalled to prison by the Ministry of Justice.

David McKenzie, 42, originally from Boston, has been has breached his prison release licence after failing to reside at an approved address in Scarborough and failing to keep appointments with the Probation Service.

North Yorkshire Police have made the appeal and a statament said he was released on licence from HM Prison Humber on Friday, January 22, 2016, after serving part of three-year prison sentence for a house burglary in Bridlington in August 2014.

The force says McKenzie has links across England and Scotland and is likely to be using public transport to move from place to place.

He is also known to break into caravans that are not in use, therefore owners are advised to carry out checks and report anything suspicious.

McKenzie is described as white, 5ft 10in tall, medium build, with short grey hair that is balding on the top and a beard. He speaks with a Midlands accent.

Anyone with information should call North Yorkshire Police on police non-emergency number 101, select option 1, and speak to the Force Control Room.

Report crime anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 quoting reference number 12160014875.

Long Sutton’s Peele Community College joined other schools across Lincolnshire on Thursday in raising awareness of the county’s 6,000 young carers.

Peele’s Young Carers co-ordinator Therasa Earl held an assembly for Year 7 students where she explained that a young carer is someone under 18 helping to care for a family member affected by a physical disability, mental health condition, illness or addiction.

She said that young carers can be from any background and any family and explained that the Peele has around 30 of them.

Students heard how it was important that they feel supported by their friends, schools and communities.

Some of the students from the existing Peele Young Carers Group were introduced to the Year 7 students and Mrs Earl explained that they meet up as a group every fortnight and shared some of the things the group have been involved in recently.

They included: visiting a pantomime, making pottery, a Harry Potter day out, a bike ride and watching movies.

She said The Peele is recognised as a ‘Young People-Friendly School’ because of the support it provides to its young carers and that £700 was recently donated to the group as a “Co-op Community champion.”

A video of a young carer from Lincoln was then shown to the Year 7 students so they could see what life is like for a young person caring for a loved one.

The Year 7 students found it really moving and were pleased to have attended the assembly to share the awareness of some of their peers that they might not have known about.

One of the young carers, Jarred Dean, was invited to Spalding Grammar school to share his knowledge and experiences, offering advice to staff at the school as they were looking to set up their own group

Jarred said he enjoyed the opportunity to share what help and support he receives from the group at Peele and how this makes a difference to him.

He said he was very grateful to the Peele for supporting the students like himself and that it has had a positive influence on him.

Applications have been granted for Spalding’s Winsover Off Licence despite a licensing panel concluding “there is clear evidence of criminality taking place” at the premises.

Police objected to the transfer of the premises licence to Karwan Ahmad and a variation of the premises licence to specify Mr Ahmad as the designated premises supervisor (DPS).

Police presented evidence of illegal cigarettes being sold at the off licence – 43 Winsover Road – in November and of illegal cigarettes stored in a van parked behind the premises on December 2, when officers found the van keys inside the shop.

Sgt Kim Enderby outlined links to nearby premises where illegal cigarettes were uncovered in sophisticated, electronic hides.

But Paul Byatt, of Licensed-Inn-Tution, told Thursday’s hearing Mr Ahmad hadn’t taken control of 43 Winsover Road until he applied for the premises licence on December 28.

Granting both of Mr Ahmad’s applications, the panel said: “There is clear evidence of criminality taking place at the premises, however it was not the role of the panel at this hearing to determine who was responsible for that criminal activity.”

By granting the applications, the panel said it was ensuring Mr Ahmad “will be responsible for the premises and the emphasis will be upon him to ensure that in the future these premises are promoting the crime prevention objective”.

The panel continued: “Mr Ahmad, through his representative today, appreciates that the premises will continue to be monitored and any further problems will be seen to be his responsibility. This would better promote the licensing objective, ‘prevention of crime and disorder’, than allowing the licence to remain in the name of the previous licence holder.”

• The panel said there is to be a review hearing shortly in respect of the premises licence and nothing in its decisions should be “seen to influence that decision and should not be viewed as an endorsement of the applicant”.

Police have closed an investigation into a dispute between two separate parties where it was alleged a petrol bomb was thrown or threatened to be thrown.

The allegation arose from an incident in Sutton Bridge on January 18.

A police spokesman said: “After a thorough investigation no witnesses came forward and provided any evidence of this to the police so, as a consequence, the investigation into this incident has been closed.”

People from the Bourne and Billingborough areas can air their views about crime and policing in their community at a meeting next week.

Bourne and Billingborough Neighbourhood Panel will be joining Bourne and District Neighbourhood Watch Association for a meeting at Bourne Fire Station, South Street, Bourne, on Monday, February 8 at 7.30pm

It will be the first combined policing panel and Neighbourhood Watch meeting, but it will start as usual with a 30-minute public open forum.

Philip Knowles. chairman of Bourne and District Neighbourhood Watch Association (NWA), said: “The meeting brings Neighbourhood Watch coordinators together to meet with representatives of the local police to raise and discuss any issues relating to Neighbourhood Watch.

“However, it is not confined to NWA coordinators and members of the public are most welcome to join us.

“If you wish to know more about Neighbourhood Watch, we would be delighted to answer any questions you have or if you are considering creating or joining a Neighbourhood Watch group we will help you get started.”

The public open forum at the start of the meeting is an opportunity for members of the public to pass on their thoughts and concerns for possible inclusion in the neighbourhood priorities that will be set afterwards by a closed panel of elected members.

If you can’t attend the meeting but would stiil like to have your views considered, call 101 and ask for PCSO Graeme Parrott at Bourne Police Station.

Police say six people have been arrested and given police bail following a report of a weapon being fired at a house in Long Sutton.

The incident happened on the night of Sunday, January 10 in Anfield Road.

Nobody was injured but a window was damaged.

TRISH TAKES FIVE: By Trish Burgess

February 1974, at the tender age of nine, I was ready to buy my first single. A momentous occasion, clutching my pocket money and climbing the stairs of Callers, a furniture store on Northumberland Street in Newcastle. Surprisingly they also had a record department and my brother and I would always disappear to mooch around upstairs while my parents browsed the room settings downstairs.

Two years older than me, my brother Stephen was always my guide with regard to music. Despairing of my adoration of Donny Osmond, he steered me towards the cooler end of the music market and it was under his direction I was persuaded to buy ‘Rebel Rebel’ by David Bowie. Maybe he was aware that, in time, I would be grateful for having chosen a hip record as my first single when I could so easily have been tempted by ‘The Wombling Song’ or ‘Remember’ by the Bay City Rollers. I suspect he was also being slightly devious: his little sister now owned a David Bowie single that he could borrow from time to time.

Two weeks later, I reverted to type and bought ‘Billy Don’t Be A Hero’ by Paper Lace. But no-one ever asks you about the second single you ever purchased.

When I heard the news about the death of David Bowie, my mind shot straight back to that Saturday as I saw myself clutching the record, its orange RCA label bright and vivid against the shiny black vinyl. Like so many of my generation, I was saddened to learn that a man, whose music was always there as a backdrop for my early memories, would no longer be around to add more. We can’t help but grieve when someone we have always admired, dies. We don’t know them personally but they have unwittingly been a companion during so many important life events, their death does feel like a good friend has left us, however mawkish this may sound.

Likewise when hearing the news of the death of Glenn Frey from The Eagles, the melody of ‘Desperado’ came instantly into my head, its soulful chords causing me to catch my breath and reflect on another fine musician whose songs are bookmarks for my memories.

When Lemmy from Motorhead died, I was transported back to my teenage encounters with Heavy Metal, following my brother’s lead, yet again. Those evenings spent embroidering band names onto his denim jacket - I was such a good sister - and accompanying him to numerous gigs: I still have the tinnitus to remind me.

The grief we’ve seen on social media over recent weeks may look unseemly but it is natural. The loss of a pop idol isn’t the same as the loss of a family member or close friend but, for a short while, it does hurt. These men have all died at a relatively young age and this inevitably makes us uncomfortably aware of our own mortality and for that, we have permission to gently weep.

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

Spalding Business Club has announced a change of speaker for its February meeting at the town’s main bookshop on Thursday.

Jeff Woods, known as The Singing Speaker, will be giving a talk on public speaking and voice projection at Bookmark Spalding, The Crescent, on February 4 at 7am.

This is in place of Coun Richard Davies. Lincolnshire County Council executive member for highways and transport, who can no longer attend on Thursday and will instead be coming to Spalding Business Club on November 3.

An RAF disposal of explosives team had to be called in when a tractor drive came across old wartime munitions on land in Holbeach on Thursday.

Police closed off Hither Old Gate, between Fen Road and Cranmore Lane while a team from RAF Wittering dealt with the find just before 4pm.

The drama took place on land close to a car dealership and motorbike showroom close to the Holbeach/Holbeach Fen border.

Police are looking into a wing mirror which was knocked off a Peugeot car in Hay Barn Road, Deeping St Nicholas.

It happened at about midnight on January 8 and anyone with information should call PC Harrington on 101.

Meanwhile, a 74-year-old woman reported missing in Gedney Dyke on Wednesday was found.

People in Bourne and the Deepings are being urged to take advantage of National Voter Registration Drive Week ahead of elections in May.

The week, from Monday, February 1 until Sunday, February 7, is a chance for people to make sure of their right to vote in the Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner election on May 5.

Anyone not registered to vote before the deadline of April 18 can’t take part in the election two weeks later.

Beverly Agass, electoral registration officer for South Kesteven District Council (SKDC), said: “Anyone not yet registered to vote should do so as soon as possible so they can have a say on the issues that affect their day-to-day lives.

“I would urge people living in the district to use National Voter Registration Drive Week to spread the message amongst family and friends that it only takes minutes to complete the form and register to vote online.”

For more details, call the SKDC elections team on 01476 406080 or email elections@southkesteven.gov.uk

It’s midday at St Paul’s Community Primary School in Spalding and reception pupils have spilled out of their class and are heading for the hall at a trot.

There’s obvious joy as well as eager expectancy in those young faces ... because it’s lunchtime.

There’s no pizza, French fries, or gooey fat and sugar-laden puds.

It’s all healthy, nutritious and balanced fare with options including oven cooked fish and potatoes, steamed vegetables, salad and fruit.

And the children are just loving it.

Schools are leading the way on healthy eating, but they’re doing that against a tide of TV advertising that’s awash with junk food.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has called for a 9pm watershed on ads for foods drenched in fat, salt and sugar, like crisps, pizza and chocolate.

According to the BHF, there were 13 such ads during one X Factor show alone last year, when up to 1.2million children were watching.

St Paul’s headteacher Kira Nicholls has joined fellow South Holland headteachers Louise Yarnell and Jane Fitzgerald in supporting the proposed ban – and says advertising could be used instead to promote healthy eating and healthy lifestyles.

Miss Nicholls said: “I fully support the BHF’s proposed ban as it is advertising that sells.

“If children are not exposed to the variety of junk food, they are not going to ask for it – and in some cases demand it – from their parents.

“We should as a nation promote healthy eating across the board.”

Until the autumn term, St Paul’s had meals delivered in hot boxes from another school’s kitchens and children had to make their menu choices three weeks in advance.

But then a kitchen pod was lowered into the grounds by crane after the county council won a key £1.2million bid from the Department for Education under the universal free school meals programme.

It means children at St Paul’s enjoy cafeteria-style service and choose what they want on their plates seconds before they sit down to eat.

Miss Nicholls eats the school meals herself and said the new kitchen has seen a greater uptake of schools meals by pupils and staff.

And far less food is wasted.

She said: “I have been astounded by the amount of salad and the amount of fresh fruit that the children have eaten and we never have any left at the end of service at all.”

All Key Stage 1 pupils are entitled to free school meals and the majority choose to have them, while in Key Stage 2 its 50/50 between school lunches and pack-ups from home.

In part, the BHF’s campaign against junk food TV ads was prompted by research that shows as many as 32 per cent of children in the East Midlands leave primary school obese or overweight.

Miss Nicholls says: “I wouldn’t say we have a massive problem with obesity, but we have got children who are unhealthy because of their diets.”

The next step for promoting healthy eating at St Paul’s is to try to improve the nutritional value of foods in pack-ups.

Miss Nicholls says that will in part be achieved by training some Year 6 pupils to be “lunchtime champions” – their role will be to praise fellow pupils who have taken in healthy foods and are eating a balance diet. There will be lessons on healthy foods to include in lunch boxes.

She said: “We are working with Sharon Kenny, our catering supervisor, to reduce the amount of chocolate and sugary snacks that children still have in their lunch boxes.

“Parents think that these foods will keep their children happy and are often unaware of the sugar highs and lows they experience following their lunchtime if such foods are eaten. This can have a dramatic effect on their concentration and productivity.”

The healthy eating ethos has included cookery workshops where children cook alongside their parents.

“We teach them simple, nutritious recipes and show that healthy eating doesn’t cost a fortune,” Miss said. “There seems to be this perception that healthy food and vegetables costs a lot of money, but they don’t have to do so.”

Coming up is a project where Year 6 pupils will cook a three-course meal for their parents. The school has its own allotment and Year 3 pupils used some produce to make fresh soup.

• Eating a balanced diet of wholesome, nutritious food is one key to being healthy.

Exercise plays a major part and St Paul’s does what it can to keep pupils active ... and to inspire them.

In 2014, British Olympic swimming star Jo Jackson put the whole school through its paces with an exercise programme including star jumps and press-ups.

Following Jo’s visit, St Paul’s put half a dozen pupils forward for a swimming scholarship and they are now making good progress at a swimming club.

One swim star of the future, St Paul’s pupil Emma Croker, now competes for the county and she was presented with a swimming certificate by Jo.

“She was absolutely awe-struck when Jo was here,” said Miss Nicholls.

After school clubs are held for sports including football, badminton and netball. There’s also a fitness club for staff and pupils. Last year, when weather permitted, Miss Nicholls led a running club for the children.

Previously ...

We Are The Champions calls at St Paul’s

Spalding school to get a £190,000 kitchen

60 glorious years at Spalding school celebrated by generations

Dedicated Spalding teacher Sue is ‘St Paul’s to the core’

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Last week I visited one of the biggest agricultural machinery shows in the UK – LAMMA, writes Martin Ulyatt.

It was hosted at the East of England showground in Peterborough and had over 900 exhibitors showcasing all the latest machinery from both UK manufacturers and others from around the world.

For anyone with an interest in agriculture it is a show to be experienced. It’s free to get in, has lots of parking and machinery in every colour you could ask for.

Being a January show it is usually quite cold but this year it was quite mild and pleasant.

Rumours around the showground were that the organisers are thinking of moving the show to Birmingham’s NEC Arena in the future. I think that would be a negative move for a show created and named in our very own county – The Lincolnshire Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Association. The show has grown from a group of like-minded farmers in 1982 showing off their latest equipment to a show where most companies from around the world want to attend, with visitor numbers in the tens of thousand now making the trip to have a look round each year.

A free to attend show with no booking required is very rare so let’s all try to keep it local and support the event while it is still held in Peterborough.

After a remarkably productive inaugural meeting of the Riverside Community Forum in December, I paid a visit to the district council depot in West Marsh Road in order to discuss some items raised.

Not only on that very day but also in the weeks previous, members of the team had been fighting an ongoing battle with vandalism to bins and benches along the river.

While at the meeting, I was provided with an overview of the plan on how to prevent vandals from uprooting bins and rolling them into the river.

Needless to say, I found I have good news to report at the next meeting of the Riverside Forum in February.

Following this discussion, I had the opportunity to feel the weight of the concrete bases being painstakingly recovered from the river and, more disturbingly, having been thrown in.

I can compare this to the weight of the large steel industrial size bins that had been thrown in the river in late November and again in December.

Not merely to push across a road, but to lift from the river while submerged in water.

In part, I had seen some of the work going into the recovery, refurbishment and replacement of the bins.

It was only later that same evening that I had read online of local people angry over one bin left on the bank.

The sentiment I wished at the time to express is just how important it is that we don’t forget exactly whom we should blame.

I recoiled at the sight of blame on those working to resolve an act of needless vandalism, but regret I did not enter the debate for knowing it had previously proven to be futile.

I urge anyone that cares about these issues and wants to be part of progress to join me at the next meeting of the forum at the Pennygate Foundation on February 26 at 6pm.

We have a number of plans to consider, including looking at a new leaflet to go out to residents and businesses aimed at improving the environment in small ways.

We are even offering sponsorship and advertising opportunities to businesses in return for support in funding projects.

It is all about coming together behind a common cause, working alongside all authorities not against them.