THOUGHTS OF A FRUITCAKE: By Carolyn Aldis

So, this week I am exhausted after a fairly traumatic/exciting couple of days. For some reason, the drama always seems to happen when I am with my eldest daughter. She had an open day at a university in Kent and so I arranged to stay overnight with some friends who live nearby.

I was completely chilled about it; the way I saw it, I had travelled to Valencia with her, so Kent would be a doddle…

We travelled down in good time, then the traffic began to be a bit stop/start and I was glad we were nearly there. I was behind a lorry, doing about 50 mph in the outside lane when the lorry driver suddenly slammed on his brakes, to the point that the tyres slewed to the left, letting off clouds of smoke and juddered to a virtual stop.

As the end of his lorry quickly filled my windscreen I learned the depths of my multitasking skills…I used my feet to slam on the brakes, my left arm to protect my daughter and, to my shame, used my mouth to utter, in true Father Ted style “Feck!!”

My car skidded away from the back of the lorry and towards the central barrier…I don’t know how I didn’t hit anything, but somehow managed to get going again.

I honestly thought I was going to crash; my hands were shaking as I drove on and I felt tearful but held it together…sometimes you just have to.

Having arrived at my friend’s home, we all laughed at my response to the lorry incidence and I wondered aloud what a holier person would have said – “Oh my goodness!” doesn’t quite cut it.

After the university visit, my daughter felt unwell and so we decided to leave early. I was a little edgy on the same road that had caused such a huge amount of multitasking the night before and found I was shaky when passing lorries. I tried to calm myself, thinking get past the Dartford tunnel and you will feel better…and then a mile from the tunnel, we came to a standstill.

An ambulance flew past and as one side of the tunnel was closed, I knew it must be bad. Even though the signs clearly said that 2 lanes were closed, people still drove in them, blocking the fire engine that was needed to put out the fire in the tunnel. We ended up on the hard shoulder, gridlocked for an hour.

It was just what I needed, to stop, do a bit of reading, pray for those affected and laugh at the number of men jumping over a fence to have a pee.

My daughter found a photo online of people running from their cars in the tunnel, away from the fire.

“That could have been us Mum, if we had gone a few minutes earlier.”

I don’t like to dwell on “What ifs?” - it’s a waste of energy and leads to more fear. I was just so thankful that we had managed to handle what had been thrown at us, without too much damage done… apart from my reputation, that is…

People in the Deepings and Bourne are being told to put their waste and recycling out for collection at the right time.

The deadline for collections is 7.30am the same day, but bagged waste can be left out the night before.

Road closures or diversions could mean collections happening earlier than expected to be collected.

Cllr Nick Craft of SKDC said: “We know most residents put out the right bin at the right time and request that they continue to leave bins or bags out as close to the 7.30am deadline as possible to help streets look tidy, as well as to avoid running the risk that they will be missed.”

Please allow me to add meat to the bone regarding the selection of how and why the fallen names will be added to the new memorial in Ayscoughfee Gardens – and well done Iris French for taking a stand on the issue.

My mother, Gladys Hare (nee Arnold), who at the time of the war was a teenager, lost her brother, Richard, in the Second World War.

He was serving with the field artillery in a beach battle in Burma when their gun pit took a direct hit.

Richard, along with others who perished in the conflict, have their names etched on a memorial plaque in St Paul’s Church in Fulney where they once lived.

Like all parishes, St Paul’s recognised the full commitment and sacrifice that service men and women gave in fighting a just cause, in a time when the church would have been reasonably accessible for the bereaved families to go to whenever the need arose.

Today, the sad thing is that the open door policy of the church has long since gone through vandalism and petty crime, meaning that surviving relatives may not be able to honour their departed loved ones.

As such, should we, as a country, not be doing more to ensure that all service personnel, who gave up their lives for the freedom of others, have their names emblazoned on a fitting memorial.

Ayscoughfee Gardens, which is accessible to all, would be a perfect place to commemorate some of South Holland’s war heroes.

I send this letter on behalf of my mother, who, now aged 88, would dearly love to see her brother’s name mentioned on the new memorial to the fallen of the Second World War.

There has been some speculation about the future of UKIP post-referendum.

It is being claimed that now the party has achieved its original and primary goal, it can now sit back and leave it to the experts; the very same people who were so sure that the remain camp would win, that those of them in actual government made no contingency plans for Brexit. Some experts.

UKIP ceased to be a single issue party years ago. Anyone who bothered to read our 2015 manifesto would have seen that perfectly clearly. There is still much to do at both local and national level. Little matters like healthcare, education, housing, forward planning, devolution, fair distribution of resources, HS2, overseas aid and rural transport.

Just like other parties, we have decided to reorganise and restructure under new leadership. Exactly how that goes will depend on who is elected to lead our party.

There are several excellent candidates and the membership will decide.

Post-referendum was the best time for politics to take a look inwards, that’s why it’s happening now, not because anyone chickened out.

Europe, too, has been hugely changed by our vote, to our advantage.

Change was inevitable. Our nation was at a crossroads and we had to choose between two different directions. Standing still was not an option.

We made the right decision and now we need to implement it. That requires all of us to get behind the decision and move forwards.

On the issue of borders and immigration, please note that everyone in the leave campaign insisted on respecting the present rights of existing, legally-established EU and other foreign citizens.

There is still much to do if we want a government that puts the people first, rather than themselves or special interest groups and privileged elites.

Paul Foyster

Chairman

UKIP South Holland and 
The Deepings

A man has been involved in what police have described as a “serious injury collision” while riding a bicycle in North Thoresby on Friday.

The man, whose age is as yet unknown, was cycling on Ludborough Road, North Thoresby, when the bicycle was in collision with a Mercedes E Class-type car at about 3.10pm.

Police wish to speak to a woman who tended to the injured cyclist but left the scene of the accident before police arrived.

Inspector Gordon Richards of Lincolnshire Police said: “As a result of the collision, the pedal cyclist has been seriously injured.

“We are aware of a woman who went to the imeediate assistance of the injured cyclist and if that person, in particular would make contact with us, things will be dealt with in the strictest confidence.”

Anyone with information should call 101, quoting incident number 239 of July 8.

A fridge fire at a house in Market Deeping on Friday was cause by an electrical fault in its motor, according to Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue.

The fire broke out at a house in Dixons Road, Market Deeping, just before 3.30pm, but it was out by the time crews from the town arrived.

There were no injuries to anyone at the house or firefighters.

Earlier on Friday, a container with rubbish inside went up in flames at Wellhead Field, South Street, Bourne.

Firefighters used water hoses and materials to put out the fire which was reported just before 4am.

Two garden benches went up in flames near Crowland Abbey during the early hours of Saturday morning.

Fire crews from the town were called to Church Lane, Crowland, just after 1.30am.

A water hose reel was used to put out the fire.

The libraries at Long Sutton and Spalding have joined forces with The Reading Agency to encourage children to get hooked on books by taking part in the annual Summer Reading Challenge.

The Summer Reading Challenge is the UK’s biggest library-run reading event.  It is co-ordinated by The Reading Agency and each year over 800,000 children countrywide take part.

The challenge is to read six books during the school holidays. Children of all ages are invited to take part and they can read anything they like – fact books, stories, joke books or picture books. There are no rules.

Every child joining the challenge will receive a membership pack, prizes and on completion of the challenge, a special certificate.  The theme for this year’s Summer Reading Challenge is ‘Big Friendly Read’ – themed around the 100th anniversary of ‘Big Friendly Giant’ children’s’ author Roald Dahl’s birthday.

The teams at Spalding and Long Sutton have been busy planning a host of activities, listed below, to encourage children to join up and take part.

SPALDING WEEKLY EVENTS

Tuesdays, 2pm to 2.30pm – Storytime for under 5s.

Thursdays throughout the holidays, 2.30pm – Big Friendly Drawing Fun.

SPALDING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Saturday, July 16:9am-1pm – Big Friendly Reading Challenge launch event.

Thursday, July 28:10.30am-11.30am – Big Friendly Activities with stories, crafts and games.

Thursday, August 18: 10:30am-11.30am – Big Friendly Activities with stories, crafts and games.

Saturday, September 17: 9am-12.30pm - Certificate Presentation Event.

LONG SUTTON WEEKLY EVENTS

Fridays, 10.15am-10.45am – Big Friendly Storytime for under 5s.

Thursdays throughout the holidays, 2.30pm – Big Friendly Drawing Fun.

LONG SUTTON EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

The Big Friendly Craft Table will be full of crafts and puzzles throughout the summer during library opening hours.

Sharman Morriss, team leader at Spalding Library, said: “We’re really excited about this year’s Summer Reading Challenge theme, Roald Dahl is a fantastic author and his books are full of amazing characters and events, all of which have really inspired the team in their planning of our events.”

And Nicola Rogers, operations mManager for Long Sutton Library, said: “The Summer Reading Challenge is a great way to help get children hooked on reading and develop a life-long love of books. It’s been proved to help prevent the trend for children’s reading skills to dip over the holidays by supporting their learning in a fun way. Its free entertainment too, so what’s not to love?”

To find out more pop into the libraries and ask a member of staff or email the teams on spalding.library@gll.org or long_sutton.library@gll.org

A running club launched in Spalding to help promote mental health and wellbeing through exercise is organising an event on August Bank Holiday Monday.

Community Mind Matters Running Club – an offshoot of Community Mind Matters for people with conditions like depression and anxiety – is putting on a River Run.

The club gives people with these conditions the chance to meet, socialise, share solutions to problems and access help and the purpose of the event is to raise awareness of mental health.

The run will take place from the Little London end of London Road and will continue down to Albion Street. The run on the way back will take place on the other side of the river and back up to Little London from Commercial Road. It will start at 11am.

Organisers have agreed to introduce the Bank Holiday run to help encourage people to easily and informally get involved.

With a strong turnout, hopes are that the event could be later coordinated to allow runners to raise money for mental health charities.

South Holland District Councillor Jack McLean, who helps organise Community Mind Matters and the Riverside Forum, said: “We want a real mixture of people to get involved on Bank Holiday Monday.

“There are no restrictions on age or ability when it comes to mental health awareness, getting fit or enjoying our beautiful riverside. All ages and paces are welcome.”

Vanessa Browning, the running group founder, said: “If anyone is unable to make it to the bank holiday run, they can contact us for more information about the regular weekly running club.

“We also have other projects in the pipeline and would like to circulate an email newsletter in future.

“If anyone is interested they can send their details to vdearlove@hotmail.com”

Find Community Mind Matters on Facebook or contact 07761098517 for more information.

Last week was farm safety week, and a poignant reminder that farming has a poor safety record when compared to other sectors of the economy, writes NFU Group Secretary Phil Ingleby.

Last week was farm safety week, and a poignant reminder that farming has a poor safety record when compared to other sectors of the economy.

Sadly, the number of accidents recorded each year gives agriculture the poorest record of any occupation in the UK.

Last year, 33 fatal injuries to agricultural workers were recorded – a rate of 9.12 deaths per 100,000 workers, which is significantly higher than any other industry sector – six times higher than construction. Falls from height and contact with machinery are among the most common causes of what are very often preventable accidents.

All too often, it is easy to forget that behind every fatality ‘statistic’ was a real person with family and friends; people who now have to try and deal with the consequences of that farm accident. Every inquest reveals a personal story of tragedy and lingering sadness for all involved.

The NFU, together with our partners in the Farm Safety Partnership, are working on raising awareness and reducing the risk of harm faced by those in our industry, and encouraging everyone to see health and safety as an integral part of their business.

As we enter the busy harvest period it is worth a brief reminder to remember to use the ‘Safe Stop’ procedure, making sure that machines are turned off and secured before any work on them is carried out.

Life is not risk free, but we can make sure that we are aware of the risks we face on a day to day basis and take precautions to avoid them wherever possible, to make sure that everyone comes home safely at the end of the day.

Enforcing a dog ban and a temporary path closure has had a positive impact on wildlife at Thurlby Fen Slipe.

The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, which owns the site, enforced the dog ban in April after complaints from visitors about dog fouling.

The dog ban will remain in place and the trust would like to thank visitors for their cooperation.

Since enforcing the ban, a pair of marsh harriers has successfully bred on the reserve for the first time with two young marsh harriers fledging. The eastern end of the reserve was temporarily closed to protect the birds, which are protected by law. The lack of dogs has also helped to minimize disturbance to the marsh harriers and other birds.

There has also been a reduction in dog fouling and trampling of vegetation.

Thurlby Fen Slipe is protected for its wildlife and designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

As well as being extremely unpleasant, dog dirt on sensitive habitats can change the nutrient levels in the soil; affecting the wildflowers that can grow. This year there were good numbers of common spotted orchids, oxeye daisy and black knapweed.

A trust spokesman said: “By understanding the impact dogs have on wildlife and nature reserves, the Wildlife Trust hopes people can help us reduce the impact.”

To find out more visit: http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/visiting-nature-reserves/

Two people have been arrested after a man’s body was found at a house in Boston on Friday.

Police are treating the man’s death as “unexplained” after his body ws recovered from a house in Porcher Way, Boston, shortly after 4pm yesterday.

Both people arrested are in police custody, while neighbourhood police officers patrol the area as normal.

Anyone with information should call 101, quoting incident number 263 of July 8.

You can also call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

People in South Holland have the chance to give blood and save lives at Springfields Exhibition and Conference Centre, Spalding, later this month.

Two blood donation sessions are taking place on July 28, one from 12.45pm until 3pm and the other between 4.30pm and 7pm.

According to NHS Blood and Transplant, every single blood donation can save the lives of up to three people.

CABINET CALL: By South Holland District Councillor Roger Gambba-Jones

Environmental Services sits under what we call ‘Place’. Using the term place to describe a group of services, is designed to help people understand a little better, where those services are targeted.

The reason for offering you this explanation, is because when I say that Environmental Services, the team that cuts the grass, takes away our waste every week, sweeps our streets, fights the battle against litter and fly tipping and now provides a successful garden waste service, also looks after street markets. The last one might not seem an obvious environmental service, but it is very much to do with ‘Place’.

Street markets have been in the press recently, as well as emails to me. All this writing has been focused on the impact of a street market on its town centre.

In the case of Holbeach market, as well as the safety of users, the Environmental Services team were concerned at the steady and seemingly unstoppable reduction in traders wanting to rent stalls. Town centre traders were concerned at the potential impact on their businesses, when the market was moved to the car park. This was done to see if a better layout and easier access, could reverse the market’s demise and prevent its eventual closure.

Spalding is, fortunately, a successful and thriving market, especially on a Tuesday, when it doesn’t have so much competition from other towns, as it does on Saturdays. However, the success of Spalding’s market, generates issues for some local shop owners. Although they accept that footfall is always greater on market days, they also see the layout of the market and its stalls as an issue.

In both cases, interested parties have suggested that ‘the council’ should do more to support their respective town centre retailers, by either changing what’s been done, or by changing the current arrangements.

Overall, the district council will always seek to support and promote our town centres and the retailers that make them a success and a place that people want to do their shopping.

However, in the case of Environmental Services, although it has a role to play in this, it has been given its own very clear priorities. One of these, is a responsibility for keeping our street markets viable, sustainable and 
capable of attracting an increasing number of traders and shoppers. This means that we will always seek to make the street market our priority on a market day and resist any external pressure to undermine this priority.

Looking for words of wisdom following the EU referendum, I read your article headlined Hayes hints at vote for Boris as leader (Spalding Guardian, June 30).

John Hayes asserts, in regard to his support for a new Tory leader, that: ‘I’ve not yet heard an extremely powerful argument as to why (Boris) shouldn’t be the one to carry this one forward.”

It seems that John Hayes is not only totally wide of the mark here, but is also out of touch with his chums in Whitehall.

He then says, in one of the most fatuous statements yet on Brexit, that: “Of course, there is an issue around immigration – no-one has made a secret of that.”

Damn right, John. It was the main plank of Brexit policy.

It may be time for this thoroughly respected, all-round nice guy to move on to the House of Lords, leaving his constituents with a new voice for South Holland.

A department sister at Spalding’s Johnson Community Hospital was given the surprise of her life with a pop-up party on Tuesday in celebration of her work in the NHS.

Sally Brown (43), who works in the outpatients ward, was given the treat in recognition of everyday heroes in the community, courtesy of pork pie manufacturer Pork Farms.

Sally was one of five lucky winners shortlisted from hundreds of nominations to win a complete party set up to celebrate with her family and friends.

She said: “ Well, I’m in total shock. I was supposed to be going for a meal with a friend, so this was completely not what I was expecting at all, but very very much appreciated and thank you to Teresa for the lovely nomination. 

“I’m honestly really touched and really surprised this evening. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting, even more so I can’t quite believe that Teresa managed to keep it quiet for this long.

“It’s a really nice honour to receive this award and to receive the recognition for the work that I do. I enjoy making my team happy and making sure my team are supported, so thank you again.” 

Colleague and nominator, Teresa Sheriff (51), who also works at the Johnson Hospital, said: “The reason I nominated Sally is because she does an awful lot for the town itself and everyone around her.

“She puts herself second to her department at work, the people of Spalding, everyone, and it’s about time she feels appreciated and it’s nice to say thank you where thank yous are deserved. And to be honest the fact that everyone here has kept their mouths zipped in preparation for this surprise is a miracle. Not only do I respect Sally as my Sister but I love her as a friend.”

Kim Burgess, head of markets for Pork Farms, said: “It’s great to be able to give something back to our consumers and what better way than an outdoor party with great British food, surrounded by friends and family?

“We’ve had some amazing nominations and we are really proud of our winners, showing there are some very remarkable people really deserving of a celebration with their friends and family.”

The national campaign, that launched in May, gave UK residents the chance to thank their everyday hero by nominating them to receive a surprise pop-up party and Sally was finally chosen as one of the lucky five, whittled down from a shortlist of 25, to be surprised with the Pork Farms van and a whole spread of Pork Farms products.

The five winning parties were visited in their local area as part of a week-long tour around the UK between July 4 and 8. To see Sally’s pop-up party, watch her video here: https://youtu.be/NI0ceGoq2XU

To see all the videos and photos from all the parties visit www.pork-farms.co.uk/join-in/pop-up-parties

A section of West Marsh Road, Spalding, has been closed after an accident early this morning (Sunday).

Police have described the road as “closed completely and impassable”, warning drivers to avoid the area after the crash at about 2.35am.

Firefighters from Spalding arrived at the scene only to find that no one was trapped, following which they made the vehicle safe.

Health authorities last week laid out their ‘Case for Change’ in a public document set to prepare the public for a consultation later this year. Here we look a little deeper at that document.

Health bosses have laid out their case for major changes to the way health and social care services are delivered– with the current situation described as ‘simply not sustainable’.

It follows the publication of Lincolnshire Health and Care’s (LHAC) Case for Change last Wednesday which reveals the county is spending £60m a year more than it receives in income for health and care provision.

The report says overspend could increase to £300m a year by 2021, unless action is taken.

The report found that services across the country were ‘struggling to deliver consistent, high quality care’.

Allan Kitt, chief officer for Lincolnshire South West CCG, and the LHAC programme, said: “We all believe very strongly that the people of Lincolnshire deserve the best care we can give them.

“We appreciate that at some times change causes uncertainty, and in some cases anxiety, but if we are really to deliver on this ambition we must accept that some of the services now will have to change radically.

“We want to engage the people of Lincolnshire and professionals so that everyone has the opportunity to contribute to our plan and share in our vision for health and care in the county.”

The report also reveals that many key medical posts are unfilled.

There is also confirmation of the crisis facing GP practices across the county and the staff shortages across all departments which hospitals in the county face.

The NHS recommends a ratio of one GP over 1,750 patients but the figure in some areas is 1:2404.

LHAC - a partnernship of 13 organisations - says throwing more funding at services - and recruitment - will not solve many of the problems. It began in 2013 as the Lincolnshire Sustainable Services Review.

The organisation admits the position is likely to get worse with more people living beyond the age of 75. They will require additional care, putting even more strain on services and resources.

Many of the changes could mean people in rural areas would face longer journeys for treatment and appointments.

The Case for Change report comes in advance of a full public consultation expected before the end of the year.

A small red purse with a gold motif, containing cash and debit cards, has been stolen from a charity stall in Morton over the weekend.

It was taken from a stall outside Morton Village Hall during the village’s street fair at about 2.30pm on Saturday.

Anyone who finds a purse with press stud fastenings and a zip should call 101, quoting incident number 295 of July 9.

A fire crew from Donington were called to a small blaze in woods near the village’s Flinders Park on Saturday night.

It happened in Town Dam Lane, Donington, at about 10.50pm.

Firefighters used a water backpack to put out the blaze.