A boxing enthusiast who waged a campaign of intimidation against a ticket-selling website after demanding £650,000 has failed in a bid to clear his name.

Ross Connor mounted an aggressive and menacing campaign against Viagogo.

He went on the warpath after some tickets he sold for an Arsenal match were confiscated from the people who bought them.

The 35-year-old, who lived in Town Dam Lane, Donington, when sentenced, was locked up for three years.

At the Old Bailey in August last year, he was found guilty of blackmail and was also handed a restraining order.

Connor challenged his conviction at the Court of Appeal, in London, arguing crucial evidence was left out of his trial and the judge misdirected the jury.

But his complaints were thrown out by two of the country’s top judges, who said he received a fair trial and his conviction was “safe”.

The court heard Connor was wrongly allowed to sell tickets to Arsenal’s clash with Bayern Munich in the 2013 Champions League through the site. The German fans who bought the tickets were seated among Arsenal fans and were removed from the ground after celebrating their team’s goal.

Connor demanded compensation from Viagogo, and was paid £12,500 for the cost of the tickets and his trouble.

But, unsatisfied with the reimbursement, he waged a campaign against the firm and its employees, going to their head office and photographing staff.

He warned staff would be “in danger” if the company didn’t pay him what he wanted and urged people on Twitter to attack the firm’s director, Ed Parkinson.

Eventually, he discovered Mr Parkinson’s home address and sent a sympathy card to his wife. He warned her that, if her husband didn’t contact him, there would be violent consequences.

In documents he prepared himself, Connor argued his conviction was unsafe because the judge didn’t direct the jury properly on the 
offence of blackmail.

He also said email evidence from his computer was not included in the trial and should have been.

However, rejecting his appeal bid, Mr Justice Dove said the judge’s directions could not be faulted. Connor was the “author of his own misfortune” in relation to the computer as he refused to tell police the password.

Sitting with Mr Justice King, the judge added: “We are entirely satisfied that the jury were impeccably directed as to the legal ingredients of the offence of blackmail.”

THE HIGH LIFE: By Spalding High School student Holly Stevenson

Spalding High School held its annual Sports, Music and Drama evening on Thursday, September 29.

It was coordinated by the Senior Leadership Team and PE Department and is an evening in which students who have made contributions to, or represented the school in, extra-curricular sports, music or drama events in the previous year, are rewarded and the year’s extra-curricular successes celebrated.

Having successfully been run for many years now, the students rewarded are chosen for a multitude of activities, such as being members of the hockey, football, cricket, netball, rounders, trampolining, gymnastics, rugby and basketball teams, performing in abridged Shakespeare plays or other drama performances, and participating in one of the school’s choirs, ensembles or orchestras.

Once again, there was an opportunity to award a prize for Contribution to School Sport for each year group, an initiative commending one girl for her attitudes, commitment or achievement in the previous year in sport.

This year, the prize was awarded to Poppy Gill, Emmie Gittins, Ffion Lewis, Elizabeth Burford and Lucy Simpson in years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 respectively.

After having been welcomed by a performance of ‘How do you solve a problem like Maria?’ from the school’s production of The Sound of Music, the evening saw a sports report by Hannah Lawrence and Jade Lin, in which the students summarised some of the many achievements made from the ever-successful sports teams at the school.

Following this, Harriet Cawkwell sang ‘Climb every mountain’ and there was a performance by SHS’s dance team, before the badges and awards were presented.

Finally, the 2016 Sound of Music production performed ‘The Lonely Goatherd’ to round off yet another enjoyable evening celebrating all of the hard work and commitment of not only the teachers, but also all pupils involved in sports at Spalding High School.

Crime fiction lecture a hit

On Thursday, September 29, GCSE and A-level students of Spalding High School sat down to a lecture by Head of English, Mr Isted, on crime fiction.

Linking to the new GCSE and A-level English Literature texts, which focus on crime writing – such as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde – the lecture was one of a string of highly praised extension lessons which have grown after an increasing demand across the school, following the inaugural lecture last year.

Once again, it proved a great success and a further lecture has been organised on Tragedy in Literature.

This will be aimed specifically at the GCSE text, Macbeth.

The next potential intake of students at The Deepings School had a taste of the opportunities ahead of them during an open day this term.

About 1,000 children and parents visited the school in Deeping St James to see for themselves what could lie in store for them educationally between the ages of 11 and 18.

Visitors were given a guided tour around the school, including maths, English, art and PE departments, as well as its £4 million science department which opened last November.

During a presentation to children and parents, Headteacher Richard Lord said: “The Deepings School is a very welcoming place where students are on track to make good progress and go on to higher studies.

“This is a big school with around 1,600 students, including 200 in the sixth form, and they are really good ambassadors for the school which is one that’s at the heart of the local community.”

DOCTOR CALLING: By Dr Kevin Hill

Keeping fit and healthy in pregnancy is important for your baby’s growth and development. The immune system is naturally lower during pregnancy, so if you were to catch the flu it could become serious very quickly. Therefore, X Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is encouraging all pregnant women to get a free flu vaccination this winter.

Flu can cause many complications during pregnancy, particularly in the later stages, such as premature births or low birth weights. In some cases it can lead to stillbirth or death in the first week of life.

A review into maternal deaths in 20141 showed that nearly one in ten deaths of new mothers is caused by flu. More than half of these could have been prevented by the flu vaccination. Although, maternal deaths are rare in the UK you are at higher risk of complications by infections such as pneumonia, particularly in the later stages of pregnancy.

Dr Kevin Hill, Chair of South Lincolnshire CCG said: “I would urge any lady who is pregnant to get the flu vaccination as soon as possible. During pregnancy a woman’s immune system is naturally lower to ensure that the pregnancy is successful. As a result, pregnant women are less able to fight off infections and therefore more likely to be seriously 
ill if they contract the flu virus.

“The flu vaccination is the best protection against flu. It is recommended during any stage in pregnancy, from the first few weeks through to the woman’s due date. Women who have had the flu vaccine while pregnant also pass some protection on to their babies, which lasts for the first few months of their lives.”

Dr Hill added: “Even if you have had the flu vaccination in previous years it is important to get it again because the type of virus in circulation changes every year, so the vaccine changes too. If you are towards the end of your pregnancy, it is recommended you also have the whooping cough vaccination at the same time.”

If you are pregnant, you are eligible for the flu vaccination free of charge. It’s free because you need it. Ask your midwife or GP about flu vaccination now. You can book an appointment at your GP practice or visit your local pharmacy - no appointment necessary.

For more information visit: www.nhs.uk/staywell

THOUGHTS OF A FRUITCAKE: By Carolyn Aldis

So, there have been a couple of events in the news this week that have got me thinking about the instability of the world. Hurricane Matthew, making its way towards Haiti was one of them.

I wonder what those families were thinking, knowing there was something monstrous on the way and not being able to escape to the safety of a bunker, or drive away from the danger. The aftermath of 140mph winds is bad in a Westernised country…in poverty stricken Haiti, it is utter devastation.

If you’re starting with a simple wooden hut with a tin roof, there isn’t much left after a pummelling wind that tore up trees, as easily as picking carrots.

The pictures of people up to their necks in floodwater, trying to get their children to safety, filled me with horror, as did the woman using water from the river where pigs wallowed.

My daughter saw a picture of a girl her age, in a filthy dress, playing in the wet street. “Is that her only dress?” she said, awestruck – an idea so unbelievable to somebody whose wardrobe is full of them.

“Probably,” I said grimly, sad at such a fact. I don’t understand the politics of every country or our inability at times to help our neighbour…it makes me angry and helpless that life can be so completely different from one person to another, just because of where we are born.

I’m glad of companies like Oxfam, who can get aid out to where it is needed when we donate, but I still wish there was more we could do.

The other news item that has dominated America’s headlines is Trump and his campaign and I had a similar feeling thinking about him as I did about Hurricane Matthew…what are those families thinking, knowing something monstrous is on the way and not being able to escape?

In the light of his derogatory comments about women, it is shocking that this man is even being considered, let alone getting close to becoming the President of America.

If anyone sums up the epitome of greed, inequality and selfish ambition, it’s Donald Trump…his ideas, ranging from building a wall to keep Mexicans out to encouraging his followers to punch anyone in the face who disagrees, are frightening, made even more so by the fact that so many seem to think he is wonderful, a saviour of sorts.

I’m not saying Hillary Clinton is much better; many involved with politics have unsavoury pasts. In fact, most people in general have done things they shouldn’t or wished they hadn’t…the difference with Trump is, he thinks he is a man who has the best interests of America in his heart, always going on about making America great again, going back to the “good old days”.

Really? All I see is segregation, male chauvinism and class divides and I don’t see how any of that can be good for America.

After Hurricane Matthew, the clearing up process can begin, aid delivered, lives can be made better…I’m not so sure America will ever look the same if Trump has his way...

WARD’S WORLD: By John Ward

I am led to believe, along with millions of others, that the wonder of the age is the almighty broadband and it is fast, reliable and there at the press of a button, but sadly, that thing called reality creeps in and disproves the marketing departments of assorted communication companies with this assumed premise.

I will explain. Our supplier is BT and the “service” we have is like a coconut shy, sometimes a hit but then more often, it’s a miss, only with BT, you don’t get a free go unlike with the coconut shy owner who takes pity on you after shelling out a fair bit of your hard-earned with no results. This has been known, as I once won a one-legged, one-eyed teddy bear called Lucky this way.

We seem to get a bad deal all things considered. Consider the number of Openreach vans, the broadband section of BT, that are forever about in our area – with engineers sitting on their stools beside junction boxes almost on a daily basis. If you don’t see one within a mile of leaving home, fear not, as there will be one at the next box along the road. A few months ago there were three vans and engineers congregating at one such box and, assuming they were not having a reunion or comparing their size of screwdrivers, take it as read they probably had mega problems within.

Over the past few weeks, seemingly if it’s been warm weather, the orange light on our “hub” glows and flashes. With broadband, it means “doomed”, till whatever happens, but then if it’s wet, as in pouring with rain, it also does the same – so one can assume the wiring at some point may well travel through somebody’s greenhouse, yes?

It’s not unusual, with not a hint of Tom Jones warbling away to the same tune, to get total meltdown, so we ring Customer Service (assuming the telephone is not affected, of course) and this is where you get the chance to kill an hour or so (my best was one hour and 27 minutes, so get a plate of sandwiches and a drink ready as it can be a long wait to get nothing constructive from it, believe me) as you get to speak to somebody in Mumbai and get close to strangling yourself with frustration as we now enter the Meaningless Babble section of the game.

I start by giving our name and telephone number – being in the forefront of digital communications, this should come up on their screen anyway, as confirmed by a BT engineer unless they told him fibs, but once over that hurdle, the next bit can go on for quite some time as you will be asked questions from the “crib sheet” they read from.

“Can you tell me please what your socket looks like on the wall that your hub is plugged into?” (Once I said our wall with the socket on it was away being painted, two undercoat and one gloss, and still he wittered on undeterred, bless). Be warned that when supplying the answer, as you want the problem fixing and have no reason to mislead, the chances are the voice thousands of miles away will not usually accept this as you will be asked if you are sure ... and at this point I will say that my own personal best was being asked seven times – that is SEVEN times – what our socket looked like before I got an “okay, then”, which can be either reassuring or make you want to take up the art of assassination.

During one conversation, the person at the other end started by telling me his name was Michael, but shortly after he was calling himself Andrew, and I suggested he wrote a name down he was happy with 
and pin it up so he could see it.

A word of caution at this stage, as you will be constantly “warned” that should an engineer attend to your problem and it is found to be within your home, said with a really deep voice as in death threat mode, there is a charge of a hundred and so many quid, but it’s free if found on the outside of your abode and all the times we have been graced with the presence of an engineer (eventually), it’s always been on the outside, blaming the cable or the wires within it stretching due to heavy rain, snow or rows of dicky birds sitting on it. On hearing the last bit, I tried ringing Sir David Attenborough or his stand-in, Bill Oddie, but due to a bad line or connection, got no reply.

It seems whatever supplier you are with, as I have had good and not-so-clever reports regarding other suppliers from people, it generally seems to be a case of them trying to attract new customers. The constant “deals” being offered are to entice others to their brand as we get supposed “celebs” appearing in assorted (VERY expensive) adverts to plug their deals, whereupon in the real world they ought to focus on getting those sorted already paying for something they can’t get now, as opposed to getting more people on board.

With all these “sporting events” they are gobbling up to impress new customers with, more effort should be placed on sorting the problems out for established customers, as it seems it’s a case of not letting the shareholders down, never mind the loyal customer, unless pushed to do so.

I have just read BT’s pre-tax profits were up 13 per cent to £717million between March and June this year, and no doubt that will make the shareholders happy, but perhaps now would be the time for an enterprising author or printer to publish the Observer’s Book of BT Phone Sockets, if nothing else.

Guide Dogs for the Blind and local charities benefited from a dog show and charity dog walk.

Based at Springfields Events Centre, the extravaganza included entertainment coordinated by Tulip Radio, a dog show and a sponsored walk along the Coronation Channel.

The whole event was organised by volunteers from Spalding Guide Dogs branch, the Polish School and Spalding People’s Parade charity.

Kate Alexander, from the People’s Parade, said Guide Dogs have raised £500 so far with more coming in from sponsorship and early indications suggest the event raised a total of just over £1,000 for local charities.

Kate said: “Tulip radio did an amazing line up on our stage with singers, dancers, bingo and zumba.

“Jan (Whitbourn) and the team were a great help and really made the event fun and lively.

“We had the stage donated and set up for the day by Henry Bingham, of Crossroad Nurseries Ltd, who is very keen to support his local area.

“Henry is very much behind the scenes and modest about what he does but he is a great help to many people around Quadring and surrounding areas.

“We had craft, charity and food stalls inside and out. The stewarding was done by Spalding Lions and South Holland Rotary. There were some of last year’s Spalding People’s Parade carts on display.

“The walk was started by Penny, the Guide Dogs mascot, and led by Chelsea Sharman with her dog Buddy. There were around 30 participants in the walk who either did the one mile walk or the three mile walk.

“The local South Holland Rotary kindly stewarded the walk.”

Kate said the dog show was organised by The Canine Classroom and had 14 categories.

She said: “Sam and all the staff of the Canine Classroom set up and organised the event for free. There was a great turn out on the day with many dogs winning rosettes.

“We had prizes donated by Rooke’s, Moulton Pet store, Alder Vets and some extra prizes from the individual class sponsors. Our judges were Zoe and Charmaine from Alder Vets in Spalding. Both judges did an amazing job and gave up their Sunday afternoon for free to help pick out the winners.”

Pictured are Reception pupils from Langtoft Primary School.

To order this photograph call 03301230203 or visit spaldingtoday.co.uk, click ‘Buy A Photo’ and type in this the refernce numbers SG260916-122TW to 128TW

Pictured are Reception pupils from William Hildyard Church of England Primary School in Market Deeping during their first term.

Our photographer has been taking pictures of the new intake across the area and the final few will be published in the next few editions of the Free Press and Spalding Guardian. To order a photograph call 03301230203 or visit spaldingtoday.co.uk and click ‘Buy A Photo’. (SG260916-129TW)

TRISH TAKES FIVE: By Trish Burgess

I’ve known Anthony Grunwell a long time. One of the first shows I did with Spalding Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society was the musical Anything Goes in 2003. Anthony was the director and cast me as the Purser. It’s usually a male role but we were short on men so a little dramatic licence was required.

I remember being dressed in naval uniform, singing the opening number ‘Bon Voyage’ - ‘There’s no cure like travel to help you unravel.’

Last week Anthony and I took to the high seas once more. Well, not quite. The River Welland, to be exact. This time it was Anthony playing the role of the officer, as operations manager for Spalding Water Taxi.

Although the water taxis have stopped running for the winter period, they are available for self-hire, along with the company’s handsome narrow boat, named All Well And Good. It was the narrow boat which I found myself on, supping a cup of coffee and enjoying the views along the river bank, along with Anthony’s excitable but gorgeous little dog, Alfie.

“I’m not keen on the idea of self-hire,” I said. “Dougie and I argue when we are in a car; this would just end in tears.”

“You don’t have to steer the boat yourself if you don’t want to,” Anthony reassured me. “You can book the boats with a pilot. But it’s not difficult. Why not have a try?”

With that, he replaced my mug with the tiller and told me to take over. Panic ensued but with Anthony’s calm instructions, I soon realised that you move the tiller in the opposite direction to the one your brain thinks is correct. Once I had conquered this, it was plain sailing. Heading towards Crowland, it was so peaceful and relaxing; quite incredible to think we had only just left the outskirts of Spalding.

Anthony talked me through turning the narrow boat through 360 degrees and we returned unscathed to the mooring at Locks Mill House where we chatted about the boats and the people who hire them out.

Anthony is open to ideas as he is keen to offer a bespoke service. He told me he recently organised a corporate day for a company, taking their sales team to Crowland where they lunched at the Olde Bridge Inn. There was also a successful hen night. The friends of the bride-to-be dressed the narrow boat the day before, arranged for a Chinese meal to be delivered, then Anthony did the steering while the party was in full swing.

The boat doesn’t have a licence to sell alcohol so guests can bring their own drinks, unless they are booked on one of the narrow boat experiences which include complimentary Prosecco and canapes. Nothing is too much trouble - if there is something you would like to do or have arranged for you, Anthony is on hand to try and make it happen.

If you want to know more, give Anthony a ring on 07740 664017. Mention me and he’ll give you a discount.

Now that’s something to sing about.

You can follow Trish on Twitter @mumsgoneto and read her blog at www.mumsgoneto.co.uk

A pile of wood, conifer trees and a section of dyke embankment all caught fire in Bourne on Friday morning.

Crews from Bourne and Spalding were called to an area of Spalding Road, Bourne at about 11.35am.

Two water hose reels were used to put out the fire which started when flames from a nearby bonfire spread to the wood, trees and dyke.

Meanwhile, firefighters were called upon to take five rings off the hand of a woman at a care home in Bourne.

The unusual emergency happened at Qu’Appelle Care Home in Harrington Street at about 8.05pm on Monday.

A Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue spokesman said that the five rings were removed “due to medical reasons.”

We are asking readers to help support the Rotary Shoebox Appeal as we try to spread a little happiness.

It is not only a thoughtful Christmas gift, but one that keeps on giving – as the boxes are handed out throughout the year.

So this year, instead of wrapping the box in Christmas paper, either leave the box blank or decorate it with a beautiful picture. Such a box can be given to a baby, a small child, a teenager or even the elderly.

Your box, with the help of a £2 donation left on the top for travel costs, wings its way across to children and families in Eastern Europe.

Fill your box with everyday items that we might take for granted, such as small toys, pens and paper, or a toothbrush and toothpaste.

If you would like to take part, pop in to our office in The Crescent, Spalding, from Monday-Friday, any time between 9am and 5pm and pick up a box. Ring the bell and we’ll come down.

We will be running the scheme until the final collection date on Friday, November 11. Remember you can fill your shoebox with items to suit a baby, young boy or girl, a teenager or the elderly.

Rotary are particularly in need of boxes for the elderly and teenage boys.

Here are just a few ideas of items you can put in: toys, balls, jigsaw puzzles, play dough, dolls, stickers and building blocks. Or why not put in a comb, mirror, make-up, stationery, wrapped soap or even shampoo?

Once the Guardian receives your boxes, Rotary gets them sent off to establishments such as hospitals, children’s homes, schools, community centres and refugee 
camps. A card or letter to let the person know where the box has come from is also a nice little addition to add in.

For more information visit www.rotaryshoebox.org/

The Co-op is pioneering a forensic first with SmartWater to deter ram raids like the one that saw partial demolition of the community retailer’s Donington store.

The Co-op says “splashing the cash and criminals” could cut ATM raids as they roll out a new deterrent linking criminals back to the scene of a crime.

Ram-raiders used a tractor in a failed bid to grab the Market Place food store’s cashpoint in the early hours of Thursday, September 29.

The tractor was rammed into the store around eight times starting at 3.20am that day.

The Co-op’s facade was reduced to rubble and three men fled in two get-away vehicles.

In a first of its kind, SmartWater has adapted its dispersal technology to ensure that both the criminals and the stolen cash are marked, regardless of how an ATM is attacked.

The Co-op says the revolutionary system was in the pipeline before the Donington store was hit but it should reduce the risk of further incidents.

SmartWater systems will be installed at hundreds of cash dispensers at Co-op food stores, with a unique forensic signature at each ATM increasing the risk to criminals of being tracked and traced by police following a theft, and helping to secure a conviction.

Invisible to the naked eye, an amount of the gel the size of a speck of dust can provide the “solution” for scientists to undertake a successful analysis and help police identify those responsible. The forensic signature is guaranteed to last five years.

Co-op director of retail and logistics Chris Whitfield said: “The technology is at the forefront of combating ATM crime, which not only impacts on retailers but can affect communities and customers too.

“Teaming-up with SmartWater, whose proprietary technology has a proven track record in being a powerful deterrent, will utilise the latest ATM security capabilities and innovations to benefit local communities and potentially reduce crime.”

SmartWater CEO and co-founder Phil Cleary said: “This technical development represents a serious upgrade in the security of ATMs as SmartWater products have helped convict hundreds of criminals world-wide and retains a 100 per cent track record in court.

“Simply, the ATMs protected by SmartWater now represent too high a risk for criminals and the more professional (criminals) will give them a wide berth.”

• Donington Co-op opened a pop-up shop, stocking more than 120 everyday essentials in the Black Bull pub yard, the day after the raid. It is also trialling a free minibus to take customers to neighbouring stores.

Previously ...

Donington Co-op puts on free minibus for customers

VIDEO: Watch Donington Co-op raid as it happened live on CCTV

Donington Co-op bounces back with pop-up shop after bungled ram-raid

Firefighters have been called to a mattress fire in Gedney Drove End.

Crews from Holbeach and Long Sutton were called to the incident in George Avenue at 10.44pm yesterday (Friday, October 14).

Officers say there was light fire damage to one mattress and that the fire was caused by ‘carelessly discarded smoking materials’.

The blaze was put out using buckets of water after occupants had moved it to the open air.

Firefighters from Spalding have been called to a car fire in Pinchbeck.

The incident happened in Highfields Lane at 7.56pm yesterday (Friday, October 14).

It was extinguished using two hose reels and two breathing apparatus.

No-one was injured.

The trust which runs Pilgrim Hospital is holding a series of events to get feedback on the accessibility of its services.

The events are hosted by United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust working with national not for profit organisation DisabledGo

Visitors, patients and staff will be able to find out more about the accessibility of hospital buildings and services with a new project call an ‘accessibility checker’.

The online resource will be completely free to use and is being created by DisabledGo.

Patient experience manager at ULHT Sharon Kidd said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with DisabledGo to produce the new online accessibility guides for all of our hospitals.

“The guides will be very useful for our visitors, patients and staff with access concerns, as they will provide information in advance so that they can feel confident and more at ease using our hospitals.

“The provision of access guides will not only assist people with disabilities, but also older people, carers, people with young children and our patients with a temporary illness or mobility impairment, who will need to know more about the physical facilities of our hospitals.”

A surveyor will be visiting and assessing every area of ULHT hospitals over the coming months to ensure accurate, detailed information is collected.

The information, including details of whether accessible parking bays are available, how far you would need to walk to get to an entrance, if a hearing loop is available at reception, if background music is played, if flashing fire alarms are available and if there are places to sit and rest, will then be published on the DisabledGo website, and be available on the departmental pages on the UHLT website, from March 2017.

The project will be launched at the public events which are set to take place during this month, where people can come to give their feedback on accessibility of hospital services.

The first will be held in Committee Room One, at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, from 2.30-3.30pm on Monday, October 31.

After that, on Tuesday, November 1, two further meetings will take place in Meeting Room 3, at Grantham and District Hospital, from 10am-11am and the Trust Board Room, at Lincoln County Hospital, from 2.30pm-3.30pm.

For details contact DisabledGo by calling 01438 842710, email events@disabledgo.com or text 07908 129952.

HAYES IN THE HOUSE: By John Hayes

During the Second World War the writer George Orwell penned a series of essays detailing his views on Britishness and patriotism. He was particularly savage towards the “Europeanised intelligentsia”, those who devoted time “chipping away at English morale”.

Sadly, in my lifetime the kind of people for whom Orwell developed such distaste have come to dominate much of public life in Britain. A metropolitan liberal elite, drawn from narrow, privileged backgrounds unrepresentative of most of us, feature disproportionately in our national media, academia, the great professions, and in too much of the political class.

At first, it is hard to grasp why these people hold views so at odds with the majority of Britons. Hard, that is, until you realise that these power brokers (amongst the worst offenders being the greedy big banks, soulless corporate businesses, and human rights lawyers grown fat on fees) are both entirely detached from those whose lives they change at a stroke, and assume that what they think should be accepted without question. To disagree with their orthodoxy is seen as either vulgar or sinister.

The most vivid example of the distance between the liberal elite and the people is in contrasting views about immigration - ordinary people’s reasonable doubts about the dramatic change to much loved towns wrought by mass immigration is patronisingly perceived by the fat-cat elite as, at best, foolish, or, at worst, racist.

So, perhaps we should not be surprised that this elite was shocked by the EU referendum result. That more than seventeen million people voted to leave the European Union should be a wakeup call to those establishment voices still in denial; the tide is turning against them.

The long dominant Whig assumption that history only moves in one direction - a myth of progress which defines the past just in terms of a triumphant march towards the ‘all-knowing’ present - has been dealt a severe, hopefully fatal, blow. What people want and value is what they always have. People’s views haven’t changed, it’s just that those at the top became disconnected from the everyday hopes and fears of the hard-working majority.

That’s why I was glad to see our new Prime Minister attacking an out of touch elite who “find patriotism distasteful, concerns about immigration parochial, views about crime illiberal, and attachment to job security inconvenient.”

Building a new united Britain, rooted in the common ground where most people stand, can bring our country together. The guilt fuelled, politically correct liberal establishment have held sway for too long - always out of touch, now they are out of time.

CABINET CALL: By South Holland District Councillor Christine Lawton

With the onset of autumn my mind has turned reflectively to trees.

All councillors receive complaints about trees, including leaves on footpaths, blocking light from homes, roots through pathways and it’s easy to think of them as problems.

At SHDC we do what we can to rectify problems, bearing in mind the Tree Preservation Orders often in place.

But in a personal way I am now thinking of the tree we wish to plant in memory of a loved relative, so we as a family have a thoughtful and positive attitude presently.

Our Corporate Plan includes the wish to plant woodland for the benefit of all our residents, and apropos of this I have received information about a scheme for free community tree packs for groups.

This initiative is provided by the Community Volunteering Charity and a national energy provider 
and has over 1,250 tree packs for groups wishing to take part.

The aim is to plant 250,000 trees over more than 1,000 sites. It sounds an excellent idea which is already in its second year of operation. Our Community Development Officer at SHDC has details of this project.

The tree theme continued recently when the Bloomers (our small band of Spalding in Bloom volunteers) took the East Midlands judges round the Spalding Cemetery which has almost 200 trees, some quite rare.

They were very impressed and no doubt the tour helped the town win another gold award.

We hope to catalogue the species and numbers of trees in the cemetery and volunteers to help with this project would be welcome.

The Cemetery has a melancholy beauty, and to the rear of the site on part of the Vernatts Nature Reserve is a small meadow which received a special prize for the best East Midlands Wildflower Conservation Area.

Part of my Portfolio includes Health and Wellbeing, and exercise and fresh air are thoroughly recommended as aids to keeping as healthy as possible.

The Health Walks are very popular, and long may they continue. Indeed the Local Government Association has called on GPs to prescribe exercise for patients.

So when walking (remember to watch out for tree roots) look up at the glorious trees which are all around us.

If I could also suggest you might like to collect conkers in the coming weeks (an elderly lady many years ago told me they should be placed in cupboards and drawers as a preventative against moths). Good Walking.

The trust behind Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital is ‘aiming to do even better’ this year as inspectors return.

The Care Quality Commission is visiting United Lincolnshire Hospital Trust’s (ULHT) sites this week.

In February, the CQC highlighted the trust as ‘requiring improvement’ overall.

It was told to ensure that there were sufficient qualified and experienced staff to care for patients’ needs.

At Pilgrim Hospital, it said medical care required improvement across the board.

It also stated improvement was needed in the areas of safety and responsiveness.

The report followed a period for the trust of being in ‘special measures’.

Trust chief executive Jan Sobieraj told The Standard: “Since the CQC were last here, our staff have been working their socks off and have made many improvements.

“We know that we aren’t perfect and we have known challenges but we are moving in the right direction.”

He added “Our last inspection reports were positive with an overall ‘requires improvement’ rating, with 84 per cent of ratings good or outstanding.

“This year we are aiming to do even better.”

Improvements include:

l Doubling the number of patients who survive following a cardiac arrest out of hospital.

l Making big strides on its digital strategy with electronic observations.

l Meeting the wait for treatment within a maximum of 18 weeks target for 11 months running.

l Reducing the incidence of pressure ulcers to 0.5 per cent, compared with the national rate of 4-6 per cent.

l Recruiting registered nurses from the EU, offering 220 posts to nurses from Philippines, and recruiting 160 newly-qualified nurses.

l Helping to invest and deliver circa £25 million in capital projects to improve patient environment including a dementia ward and a new maternity ward.

l Accreditation achieved for all ULHT endoscopy units.

l Shortlisted and won many regional and national awards

Jan previously told The Standard it would be ‘great to be good’ and said it would help boost staff morale and hopefully aid recruitment.

The earliest the trust expects the findings to be returned is January.

l What do you think? Have you had any experiences at Pilgrim lately? Do you think improvements have been made? Email daniel.jaines@jpress or write to The Standard, Morgan House, Gilbert Drive, Boston, PE21 7TQ.

An award-winning novelist and playwright has drawn on her grandparents’ experiences of living and working near Crowland for her next project.

Julie Mayhew, who won The Sidewise Best-Long Form Alternate History Award last year for her second novel The Big Lie, has written a new stage adaptation of the classic children’s novel, The Railway Children.

However, although Julie’s version is set in 1960s Peterborough, the author also looked to her grandfather’s experiences while working at the former Postland Rail Station in Crowland, where the line closed in 1982.

Julie said: “The research I did when writing the play involved some of my family who worked on the railways for three generations.

“I discovered that my grandfather worked on the railways from the age of 13 and, while he was based at Postland, he met my grandmother who was a baker’s daughter from Shepeau Stow.

“The play itself was commissioned by Eastern Angles which tells stories based in the east of England and they approached me about doing an adaptation of The Railway Children.”

Julie has worked with Eastern Angles to keep the B1166 area connection in the play by casting Gedney Hill actress Lianne Harvey in the role of Bobbie Waterbury, made famous by Jenny Agutter in the 1970 film, The Railway Children.

The playwright herself started out as a trainee journalist and actress before writing novels and scripts for plays broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

Julie said: “I’ve always loved English and I used to read short stories that were in my mum’s magazines.

“But I never thought of writing as a job until my first book, Red Ink, when a lot of different ideas joined up and become a novel.

“I generally write books that I’d want to read myself and I’m interested in finding someone to mentor who has a passion for writing, but hasn’t had access to the support they need.

“I’ve gotten into writing for the love of it and not for a massive pay cheque, although I do make a living out of writing now.”

Julie’s play, The (Fletton) Railway Children, is on at The Undercroft Theatre, Serpentine Green, Peterborough, from October 26 to November 5.

For more details, call the Serpentine Green box office on 01473 211498.