Crowds flocked to Tydd St Mary’s Five Bells pub as the Rainbow May Day Beltane Festival awaited them.

Organiser Naomi Katze said: “The idea is it’s a festival marking the end of winter and celebrating the coming of the summer months.”

Flowers, face paint, stage entertainment, sand art and refreshments were all available.

The Fried Pirates were one such band hitting the stage.

Speaking before the event, Naomi said: “It’s a great family day, even the maypole will be fun, colourful and chaotic!”

The event was described as a feast of all-day live music, food, dance and local arts and crafts that made up the main entertainment on the field behind the Five Bells.

There was also fun stuff for the kids to do, including faerie workshops, storytelling and of course the mud kitchen

Meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans were all catered for.

There was also a barista coffee and even an afternoon tea stall.

People said “it was an opportunity not to be missed!”

People who are living locally and afar joined the celebrations.

Event organisers Alan and Naomi Katze are extremely pleased and proud with the way the day turned out and everybody that attended was grateful they went. The Rainbow May Day Beltane Festival event made donations towards Lincolnshire’s medical emergency charity, LIVES.

• Beltane is actually an event that celebrates when the earth mother opens up to the fertility god and their union brings about healthy livestock, strong crops and new life all around.

It is a season of fertility and fire, hence why people typically celebrate it on the last day of April or the first day of May.

• For more pictures see Thursday’s Spalding Guardian.

The absence of police from Monday’s meeting was branded “quite disappointing”, by parish council chairman Coun Cathi Elphee.

Councillors heard that no confirmation had been received that police would be absent from the meeting where concerns about doorstep traders were raised.

Coun Elphee said: “It’s quite disappointing as we’ve been making quite a bit of progress with the police over the last few months when we seem to be having a few petty incidents.”

Insp Jo Reeves, Neighbourhood Policing Inspector for South Holland, says: “Across the county there are a significant number of parish and town council meetings held each month.

“Some Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPT) covering large rural areas may have six or more parishes within their ‘patch’ and whilst the teams make every effort to send representation to these meetings, operational commitments will always have to take priority.

“Members of the NPTs, local sergeants and inspectors, can always be contacted by any councillor or clerk wishing to discuss specific aspects of concern and/or any matters that arise from a meeting where police attendance in person was not possible.”

Drivers in Crowland are set for more frustration after an attempt to avoid closure of the B1166 Fen Bridge failed.

Parish councillors were notified by Andy Antcliff, senior bridge engineer at Lincolnshire County Council, that the narrowness of the bridge on Gravel Causeway meant road closures were necessary while repair work took place.

In a statement to Spalding Today, Mr Antcliff said: “Due to the narrow width of Fen Bridge, working space is limited on site where works will be carried out.

“To ensure the safety of the workforce and general public, it will be necessary to close the carriageway over the bridge when work is being carried out.

“Outside of working hours and when the road closures are not required, the road will be reopened with a temporary traffic signal control in place to minimise disruption.

“These works are likely to take place towards the end of summer to mitigate any effect on local businesses.

“More specific dates for the works will be determined closer to the time so that people can plan accordingly.

“We apologise for any inconvenience, however, once the mains are diverted and repairs are complete, Fen Bridge will continue to provide years of use into the future.”

Fen Bridge was closed for two weeks earlier this year while repairs took place, but Lincolnshire County Council confirmed in February that it would need to be closed again so that temporary water main pipes can laid by Anglian Water.

An Anglian Water spokesperson said: “Our engineering teams are working closely with Lincolnshire County Council to divert the water pipe which runs along Fen Bridge.

“We will update residents and road users of any road disruption once the details of the project are finalised.”

A guide to how South Holland will grow over the next 20 years has been given a qualified welcome by Crowland Parish Council.

Members were updated on the contents of the South East Lincolnshire Local Plan, a document that will guide development in South Holland and Boston over the next twenty years.

Briefing members about the Local Plan, Coun David Kempton said: “Personally, I think it’s a good document, well-researched, and it comes up with a reasonable proposal to develop the Boston and South Holland area.

“As for Crowland, there are no major surprises and it will mean a significant increase in the population of Crowland.

”But it’s one the town is capable of absorbing, provides we get the appropriate infrastructure.

“Personally, I think the Local Plan is sound and my recommendation is to go with it.”

The last red telephone box in Crowland has been saved after a deal between parish councillors, South Holland District Council and BT.

Confirmation of the deal to buy the phone box in West Street for just £1 was given at Monday’s annual meeting.

It follows an online campaign to save the phone box, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott to mark King George V’s Silver Jubilee in 1935, launched in January by town resident Daniel Abbott.

South Lincolnshire Liberal Democrats have announced that former businesswoman Julia Cambridge is thei candidate for the snap General Election on June 8.

Julia, of Nottingham, has lived in the East Midlands since 2009 and is a governor at three schools.

After studying at the Royal College of Art, she spent many years working in America and Europe in the fashion industry, returning after nine years to start her own business.

An advocate for women, she regularly lectures for ‘Women in Business’.

Now her charitable, volunteer and political roles take centre stage. A candidate in Chesterfield in the 2015 General Election, she has become a top mentor and vice chair nominee for the Campaign for Gender Balance, helping other women achieve in politics.

Away from politics, Julia is a passionate supporter of animal charities, championing causes such as tighter inspections on live animal 
exports, is chair of a national campaign to save green spaces and a volunteer for Age UK, providing carer support.

“Older people are often invisible and marginalised. Loneliness can be as big a killer as poor health,” she said.

“ It is important to me to do what I can both practically and politically. From the NHS to pensions, I have and will always champion the things our elderly community hold dear”.

She attributes her Lib Dem roots to her mother, a former NHS nurse, who is a supporter of the party and once stood as a councillor.

Her childhood was spent abroad as her father was in the RAF based in Cyprus. 
After returning to live in England, Julie was struck by the divisions in British society: the gap between rich and poor and the hostility to vulnerable people.

“Whether it is the Conservative or the Labour Party holding power, the big issues, the things that matter to people, are not being addressed.

“The NHS is underfunded, schools are left crumbling, while the government invests in 500 free schools and pushes selective education, food is shrinking yet costing more, while wages stagnate. I want more and people in South Holland and the Deepings deserve more than this”.

• John Hayes is standing for the Conservatives, Dan Wilshire for the Greens, Wojciech Kowalewski for Labour and Jane Smith for UKIP.

The Lincs Gateway Project takes a giant leap forward next month with the planned opening of its petrol filling station.

An office complex is due to be occupied in October and, later in the year, work starts on building a Premier Inn hotel and Brewers Fayre restaurant/pub.

Developers Ashwood Homes believe up to 1,000 new jobs could be created over ten years at the Lincs Gateway site, which nests beside the A16 and Cowbit Road at Spalding.

The scheme, which also includes a 550-seat conference centre and business park, was given its name because it will form a gateway to Spalding and encourage the economy to diversify and generate quality jobs for local people.

Ashley King, managing director of developers Ashwood Homes, said this week: “Our high profile 60 acre business park has all the roads and associated infrastructure works complete within the first phase of 13 acres.

“The first occupation will be during next month, a petrol filling station, and then in October an office complex will be occupied.

“Later in the year we expect to have a hotel and restaurant under construction, leaving three acres available for sale on the first phase.

“The park is offered as a high quality serviced estate with plots available in a range of sizes to suit needs of the end occupier.

“The site has planning permission for approximately 500,000 square feet of commercial space and the development goal is to create a holistic scheme with high quality landscaping and all amenities.

“Altogether the park offers a unique opportunity to occupiers seeking a high quality location with excellent prominence and accessibility.”

The petrol filling station will have a retail store.

Whitbread PLC are developing the hotel and restaurant.

The hotel will have 52 bedrooms and the building will be three storeys.

The restaurant will have 190 seats and there will be 110 parking spaces.

Building work on the project began in March 2015.

Construction was held up for a spell by technical site issues but work restarted early last year and delivery of the garage next month is a major milestone for the Lincs Gateway Project.

• What do you think of the benefits this project will bring to Spalding? Please email lynne.harrison@iliffe
publishing.co.uk

Firefighters attended a blaze in Morton, near Bourne, on Wednesday afternoon.

Three pumps went to the metal outbuilding fire at Walkerith Road at 4.28pm.

They used four sets of breathing apparatus, two hose reels and a Cobra cutting extinguisher.

Lincolnshire firefighters were called out to a couple of false alarms in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Wholetime and retained crews from Spalding attended reports of smoke in a building on Ash Court at 1.28am – but this was caused by cooking fumes.

A minute later a Donington crew attended alarms sounding at Waterside Court, Spalding. On arrival, they found this had been caused by a system fault.

At 10.06pm the previous evening (Wednesday) Spalding crews attended alarms sounding at Waterside Court in the town – this had also been caused by cooking fumes.

Fire crews from Spalding and Crowland were called out at 1.32am on Thursday after a woman had trapped her leg in a wheelchair.

They managed to free the woman after the indident, in Bourne Road, Spalding.

A bike like this was stolen from a garage in Thurlby, near Bourne, on Wednesday night.

The Felt B12 TT bike was stolen from Swallow Hill. If you have seen anything or seen the bike, call 101, quoting crime reference number 17000196340.

A man who brought joy to so many in South Holland has died, aged 93.

Gerald Ilsley was headteacher of two primary schools – Moulton Chapel and Whaplode Street (which became Spalding Primary School) – and founder, with wife Audrey, of the Age Concern day centre in The Meadows.

In a lifetime of service to the community, his peaceful passing on Monday has been met with an outpouring of 
affection and condolences on social media.

His death was announced by daughter Jane Pincott (61) who described her father as “a simply wonderful man”.

Jane said: “This is sad news to share but not tragic...it is the end of a long life lived full of service to others, fun and great love of his family. We will miss him tremendously.”

Born in South Yorkshire in September 1923, Gerald Ilsley was the son of a coal miner in a working class family.

He completed National Service during the Second World War, then returned to South Yorkshire to train and work as a teacher.

He met wife Audrey when she was just 17 and the couple were married after the end of the war in 1946.

The couple moved to Moulton Chapel with their young children, Christopher and Jane, when Gerald secured his first headship, at the village primary school, in 1956.

He was also heavily involved with Moulton Chapel Methodist Church, where he played the organ, and ran the WI Choir, who frequently rehearsed in the Ilsleys’ front room, much to the younger family members’ chagrin!

The family also hosted the village annual Bonfire Night celebrations in front of the school.

Mr Ilsley became headteacher of Westlode Street School in Spalding in 1968, where wife Audrey, his “absolute steadfast person by his side” was school secretary.

“There was no in-service, formal training in those days,” said Jane, who along with her brother, was inspired by her father to become a teacher.

“Dad saw it as his responsibility as a leader to see his teachers progress and was committed to growing a good staff team.

“ He would be at the school gates morning and afternoon and had the most amazing memory for names. He knew the name of every pupil and still did long after they had left.

“I think it helped that Mum was secretary, as parents perhaps told her things that they might not otherwise have done!”

Mr Ilsley oversaw the building of the new Spalding Primary School, before taking early retirement in his 50s.

But ‘retirement’ was a rather a misnomer, as he and Audrey set about founding the Spalding branch of Age Concern and resourcing funding for the charity’s building in The Meadows. Work which was recognised when Mr Ilsley was awarded the MBE for service to the community in 1998.

“It was the start of the next chapter,” said Jane. “At first, meetings were once a week at the cottage, not like the great set-up they have now.”

In addition to the work that went into the Age Concern centre, Mr Ilsley also served as an independent councillor, was a town husband - a trustee of a charity responsible for providing relief and assistance to the poor and needy - a board member for the almshouses, organist at St Thomas Methodist Chapel and a long-serving member of South Holland Singers.

On stepping back from his many roles, Mr Ilsley was still highly active in the community, playing badminton and riding his bike into town until well into his 80s.

“Dad did exercises every single day, until his body wouldn’t let him.“ said Jane.

“Although physically incapacitated by Parkinson’s [disease], his mind was still sharp until near the end and he was still able to communicate with us, although it was difficult.”

Mr Ilsley died peacefully at home, with his wife and ‘wonderful’ carers by his bedside.

“He was an awesome guy and an amazing father,” said Jane.

• The funeral service will be held on Tuesday May 23 at noon, at South Lincolnshire Crematorium. The family would like people to know that the service is open to anyone “who would like to celebrate Gerald’s remarkable life - it won’t be doom and gloom” and afterwards at The Mermaid, in Surfleet.

If you would like to attend, Jane has asked that you drop her an email at ejanepincott@gmail.com - simply so she can get an idea of numbers.

Nearly 600 people have signed a petition calling for the speed limit on a Holbeach road to be cut from 40mph to 30mph.

Parents and parish councillors want drivers using Spalding Road to be forced to slow down so that the risk to children walking to and from William Stukeley Primary School in Holbeach can be eased.

Parish councillor Kelly Wilson, who is leading the campaign, warned the risk of accidents due to speeding “is only going to become worse” after work started on the new £4.8 million A17/A151 Peppermint Junction roundabout on Tuesday.

In an email to county highways officers, Coun Wilson said: “Local residents and I still consider Lincolnshire County Council to be completely disregarding the safety of children at William Stukeley Primary School due to the lack of safety measures outside it.

“If you were to make a site visit at collection times for the schoolchildren, you would see the dangers of dangerous parking, speeding vehicles and traffic queued along from the town’s traffic lights to an area way past the school.

“There is just one “Children Crossing” sign when travelling towards the west of the school, but it is now completely covered by trees and therefore not visible to motorists and anyone travelling east into Holbeach as it is on a corner where residents’ cars are parked and also a bus stop.

“Some residents were unaware of a school having even been here for many years, whereas every other school in Holbeach and the surrounding areas has many school signs and also clear road markings for motorists.”

Coun Wilson went on to reveal the results of a “speed awarenss sign” put up in Holbeach last year which, according to her, showed that more than 2,100 vehicles travelled at between 45 and 85mph, in a 40mph speed limit zone.

The results mirror the finding of a two-week Speed Awareness Camera operation along Spalding Road, organised by Holbeach Parish Council two years ago, which showed that more than 2,000 vehicles had recorded speeds of up to 85mph.

Coun Wilson said: “Imagine living in Spalding Road, with cars and lorries flying past your house at 65mph - speeds only suitable for a motorway.

“Now imagine walking your young child to school along a small path, with no segregation between you and vehicles flying past at 45mph.

“This situation is only going to become worse with the Peppermint Junction works and new housing developments approved by South Holland District Council

A county highways spokesman said: “Speed limits are set in accordance with our speed management policy.

“But Coun Wilson’s concerns will be investigated and a full response sent to her in due course.”

A leading district councillor says the authority is considering fresh steps to get its £20,000 back for cleaning up Spalding’s eyesore Bull and Monkie pub.

South Holland District Council sent in workmen to sort out the derelict Churchgate pub in November 2014 after owners failed to comply with an official notice ordering them to do the job.

Work included removing graffiti and rubbish and putting up a palisade fence.

Portfolio holder for place Roger Gambba-Jones says, whatever happens, the council will get its money back because the authority lodged a £20,000 charge on the building with the Land Registry. That means the sum must be handed back to the council when the building sells.

South Holland’s Cabinet met behind closed doors on Tuesday to discuss the Bull and Monkie and the “council’s continued efforts to secure environmental improvements to the street scene” as well as fresh step to recover the cash.

Coun Gambba-Jones said: “Clearly we don’t want to show our hand to the owners. It has been delayed too long. Now is the time for clear action and a clear statement of our intent and the outcome is we will get the money back.”

The Bull and Monkie was top of the council hit list of target buildings when it declared war on grot spots three years ago.

It was a magnet for drug addicts who abandoned needles on the site and vandals who daubed graffiti. Shrubs, nettles and weeds grew out of control.

The pub is the only place where the council took drastic clear-up action but Coun Gambba-Jones said owners of other sites, like the Bridge Hotel in Sutton Bridge, had engaged in dialogue with the council unlike the pub owners.

What do you think? Email lynne.harrison@iliffepublishing.co.uk

Traffic was extremely busy coming into Spalding this morning because of the continued closure of Pinchbeck Road.

Work to repair the busy road where ‘dips’ have appeared are likely to take about a week, it has been confirmed.

County highways officers have put ‘an emergency road closure’ in place between West Elloe Avenue and Kings Road while Anglian Water and road engineers work together to find out what has caused the problem.

A Lincolnshire County Council spokesman said: “Dips have formed on the road so we are making it safe while investigations are undertaken by Anglian Water.

“However, we have had to put an emergency road closure in place between West Elloe Avenue and Kings Road.

“These are temporary repairs which we estimate will take around a week and once this work has been done, the road can reopen until it is clear what further work is required.

“We are liaising with Anglian Water about getting it fixed permanently and whilst the road is closed, the utility company is placing a camera in its water system to locate any problems.”

Roadworks at Sutterton roundabout have been completed today (Friday) – and other works are now planned in south Lincolnshire.

Improvements to the roundabout, including lane widening to increase traffic flow, better signage and road markings and upgraded street lights at the ‘pinch point’ on the A16 and A17 have been carried out since January.

In addition to increasing capacity at the roundabout for future developments that could create new jobs and help boost the economy, it will now also play a part in many of the proposed diversion routes for other upcoming improvements in the region.

• Peppermint Junction, Holbeach – now until February 2018.

• Grimsthorpe Castle, Bourne – early Summer.

• A151 Twenty, Bourne – during school summer holidays.

• A151 Winsover Road, Spalding – Summer/Autumn.

• Fleet Hargate – Autumn/Winter.

Additional works, with timeframes still to be scheduled, are:

• A15 South of Bourne

• Horsegate Market Deeping

• A15/A16 Market Deeping Roundabout South

• A15/A16 Market Deeping Roundabout North

• A15 Langtoft Crossroads, near Market Deeping

Lincolnshire County Council thanks those that were affected by the works at Sutterton Roundabout and apologises for any inconvenience caused during planned improvements across southeast Lincolnshire.

The following businesses/venues have been awarded top-ranked Food Hygiene Ratings in the latest inspections carried out by South Holland District Council.

They are: Tanglewood, Spalding, Munchkins Kindergarten, Spalding, Amazing Cake, Long Sutton, Anglia Motel and Clubroom, Holbeach, Gousto, Spalding and Mayne Meals, Deeping St Nicholas.

TRISH TAKES FIVE: By Trish Burgess

It’s just over a week to go before the yellow brick road will lead our cast, crew and audience to the South Holland Centre for the SADOS production of The Wizard of Oz.

These last few weeks have been an exciting mix of set-building, costume-adjusting and prop-gathering plus regular rehearsals to ensure we are all ready to put on a magical show.

The Wizard of Oz is a well-loved musical and fans of the original 1939 MGM movie won’t be disappointed as this 1987 RSC stage production is a very close match to the film. Many of the lines are the same, which has made my line-learning a little easier as I can just watch the video.

There is one addition to the musical which I’m delighted has made an appearance. In the film, the ‘Jitterbug’ song was recorded in the studio, but cut at the last minute. But this infectious dance number returns in this production, adding a great swing interlude to the proceedings.

We’re lucky enough to have two fabulous Dorothys in our show. Holly Whitaker and Abbie Schweikhardt were equally impressive at the auditions, so they are sharing the role, alternating performances. I can assure you that whichever night you are in the audience, you will be entranced by their rendition of the Oscar-winning ‘Over the Rainbow’.

There are a few familiar SADOS faces gracing the stage apart from me, but I’m delighted to say there are so many fresh faces in the group this year, all bringing their particular talents, whether singing, acting or dancing. This is what AmDram should be all about: inclusive and fun, recognising and nurturing local talent.

And I’m sure you’ll love our merry bunch of munchkins: a group of local children who have been a joy to work with and have turned their hands to extra roles in the production. I’m sure their families and friends will be just as proud of them as we are.

Dougie and I managed a couple of hours of scenery painting last weekend. We joined the hard-working crew who have given a massive amount of their time to create the Emerald City, the witch’s castle and Munchinkinland. As always, these are the unsung heroes of any production and yet without them, we wouldn’t have a show.

As for me, my broomstick has just passed its MOT and is ready to take me to the theatre as the Wicked Witch of the West. It’s worth noting that this witch is nothing like Elphaba, the misunderstood character from the musical, Wicked. My witch is an out-and-out baddie, with no redeeming features, bar a warped sense of humour.

SADOS would love you to support our show, so if you fancy being transported to ‘The Merry Old Land of Oz’, you can buy your tickets from the South Holland Centre in person, by phone 01775 764777 or online www.southhollandcentre.co.uk. The show runs from May 17 to 20, 7.30pm with a Saturday matinee at 2pm.

Crowland Cranes plans to extend its Crease Drove site with a new storage and demonstration area.

If the company gets planning consent, the move could add another six jobs to the 60-strong, full-time workforce.

The site would increase by 0.88 hectares – giving room for 25 cranes and space for demonstrations.

Crowland Cranes boss Peter Issitt said the Crease Drove site, at almost eight acres, is the UK’s largest crane repair centre, but it is operating at maximum capacity and an extension will be a great help to the business.

He said: “Our engineer training department launched in 2014, aimed largely at UK mainstream insurers – Allianz, HSB and Bureau Veritas – is now almost fully booked throughout the year at 90 per cent of capacity, providing the only insurance engineer specific training centre in the UK.”

The company has been in business for 60 years, operating from Crease Drove for 37 years. It also has sites in Bury St Edmunds and Norwich.

The firm’s architects, Andrew M Wright Ltd, has supplied supporting information to the council planning department, describing the proposal as “vital to the continued expansion and success of the business”.

The extension is next to the company’s current testing and storage area and will be accessed from the company site, instead of Crease Drove.

The statement from the architects says a previous application from a different applicant was refused on highways grounds, with the county council saying it considered Crease Drove to be inadequate at that spot to accommodate vehicle movements associated with an industrial use.

The architects say: “The submitted application by Crowland Cranes removes this highways issue because the change of use would not result in cranes and associated plant driving along this stretch of Crease Drove because it is proposed that the main entrance would be via the main entrance to the existing operation – the first access into Crowland Cranes as approached from Harvester Way.”

A woman who pushed a police officer after being ejected from a bar may have been having a nervous breakdown at the time of the incident, magistrates have heard.

Eva Groszek (33), of Garners Wharf, West Bank, Sutton Bridge, was given a six month conditional discharge after she admitted assaulting a police officer when she appeared in court at King’s Lynn on Monday.

A related charge of being drunk and disorderly was withdrawn.

Jane Foster, prosecuting, said police had been alerted after Groszek was ejected from the Bar and Beyond premises in Norfolk Street, King’s Lynn, on April 17.

The court heard she was abusive towards door staff, whom she demanded fetch her coat, before an officer intervened.

However, she continued to behave aggressively towards the officer, who she subsequently pushed before being arrested. No injury was caused.

Miss Foster said Groszek was subsequently offered a caution by officers, but declined it.

And mitigating solicitor Tiffany Meredith said she may have taken a different decision had she been legally advised while at the police station.

She said the incident was “wholeheartedly out of character” for her client, who the bench heard had been enduring “extreme stress” because of issues relating to her employment for which she is now seeking legal advice.

She said: “She believes she was effectively having a nervous breakdown.

“She says she was feeling extremely low, was effectively having a panic attack in her home.

“Unfortunately, and she regrets it, she turned to drink.”

Groszek, who also apologised to the bench for her actions, was also told to pay £85 costs, plus a £20 victim surcharge.