A man who shouted at doorstaff and police after being ejected from a nightclub during an Easter weekend night out said he “regretted” his actions when he appeared in court on Monday.

Ashley Cunningham (25), of Foremans Bridge, Sutton St James, pleaded guilty to a single charge of being drunk and disorderly in King’s Lynn during a hearing before the town’s magistrates.

Jane Foster, prosecuting, said police were on duty in Norfolk Street during the early hours of Easter Sunday, April 16, when they became aware of Cunningham behaving aggressively in the area.

The court was told he had previously been ejected from a nightclub, which was not named in the proceedings, and was repeatedly told by officers to leave the area, but did not do so.

Miss Foster said that, although he placed his hands on one of the officers who responded to the incident, the decision was made not to charge him with an offence of assault.

However, he was arrested after he continued to behave aggressively towards the officers.

Cunningham, who represented himself during the hearing, admitted that he had been drunk at the time of the incident and had not eaten enough during the day to mitigate the effects.

He told the bench: “I regret what I did that night. It won’t happen again.”

He was fined £65 for the offence and ordered to pay £85 in prosecution costs, plus a £30 victim surcharge.

EDITOR’S COMMENT: By Jeremy Ransome

During Spalding United’s exciting but, ultimately, unsuccessful, play-off challenge, our newspapers were lucky enough to sponsor a key match.

Now, when I started editing these papers back in 2011, the Tulips did not have the best of reputations in the local community for one reason or another, so I was genuinely interested to see what kind of club I would find in 2017 when I attended the play-off semi-final against Stocksbridge Park Steels.

I’m delighted to say I found a friendly, vibrant football club, manned by hard-working volunteers.

There was a lovely mix of ages and sexes in the crowd, a balance of local players and those from further afield in the team and a sense of a club that is going places.

But to continue on their journey (Spalding have just finished in their highest ever position in the non-league football pyramid) the Tulips do need some help.

Match day sponsorship such as ours, buying advertising hoardings and advertising in the matchday programme all help.

But the biggy at the moment is shirt sponsorship... and what a brilliant advertising opportunity that provides for a local business.

If you decide to back the Tulips and have your company’s name on their shirt you will be integral in their continuing success.

Every time we take pictures of the team in action it will be your name that our thousands of readers and hundreds of thousands of online viewers see. And we’ll make sure to give you plenty of mentions too.

Back the Tulips next season. They’re going places.

Previously...

Making parents proud every time

Spalding Academy on the way to ‘Good rating’

MAN’S BEST FRIEND: By Jerry Green South Lincolnshire Dog Rescue

Meet Buster, a five year-old Jack Russell Terrier, who is looking for a forever home all of his own.

Buster is looking for love and affection and would like a kind, patient and understanding home. 

When Buster first arrived at our centre as a stray he was very nervous and wasn’t very keen on meeting new people.

The team have been working very closely with Buster to bring him out of his shell and work on his confidence issues.

Buster is doing really well and now greets new people with affection. He has turned into a real charmer with the team now, enjoying all the love and attention they give him.

His new owner would need to be very patient and continue on his training and ensure his confidence continues to flourish. The team at Jerry Green Dog Rescue would be on hand to help with this whenever required.

Buster would like an adult-only home and to be the only pet. This way he can enjoy snuggles all to himself If you feel you can offer Buster the home he is looking for, please contact the centre on 01205 260546.

Puppy training course launched

We are launching our brand-new puppy training course with our highly experience centre trainer Therena next Thursday, May 18.

This is a fantastic opportunity to get some expert help training your new puppy in these vital stages while also enjoying meeting other puppy owners and learning in a group environment.

The course will cover the basics in training, such as sit, loose lead walking and wait, as well as tackling common hurdles such as puppy teething, manners and separation tips.

Therena only teaches positive training methods so you can rest assured that your puppy will learn in a friendly and safe way.

This is a six-week course and will cost £60 with the money going back into the rescue to help a rescue dog.

We are also launching our puppy socialisation sessions where you can bring your puppy along to socialise with other puppies off lead.

Therena said: “It is really important at this young age to learn how to interact with other dogs and because it is with peers of their own age group they can learn valuable lessons together.”

These sessions are pay as you go for only £3, and are lots of fun for both dogs and owners. They are every Saturday from 1pm at the centre, and there is no need to book.

Therena’s Training Tip – stopping constant jumping

Does your dog constantly jump up to get your attention?

This can be one of the most common problems we are asked advice on. Especially for people with big dogs!

This very common issue has a very simple solution:

When your dog is jumping up at you, try to ignore this behaviour. Try to avoid looking in their direction, you can’t see anything below your nose!

By ignoring this behaviour, you will teach your dog that jumping will not get them the behaviour they want. As soon as your dog stops jumping up, reward with a yummy treat and a word such as, “yes” or “good” to let him know he has done well. Once he realises having all four paws of the floor gets him a yummy reward you will find the jumping up behaviour starts to decrease. The placement of the treat is very important too, pop the treat on the floor, so his head will look down rather than jumping up for the treat. Repeat this every time he jumps and you will find he will begin to wait patiently for the treat when he comes to you, rather than jump up.

If you like your dog jumping up to say hello, remember not everyone will share this, so training your dog to jump on a cue would be recommended too.

If you need any further advice on positive training techniques why not book a one to one with our centre trainer Therena. Call 01205 260546 to book in.

WARD’S WORLD: By madcap inventor John Ward

I don’t really like to ‘let the cat out the bag’ as the saying goes, but I have heard a whisper that there could well be a General Election coming up soon as I scribble away.

Of course there may well be folk among us who have an appetite for signing their single first name autograph on small bits of paper and putting them through a slot in a dark looking box and wandering off for a few years to rest up until the next event and in between such events, have time to work out if their autograph was indeed placed alongside the ‘right’ name in that past particular electoral bun fight.

I can well appreciate you reading the above speculation about such an election as being fanciful as indeed it only seems about two years since the last effort, but I am given to believe this will be happening soon as it came from the same reliable source as hearing that there would not be a sequel to the cinema film ‘Titanic’ being made, so take it as 99 per cent certain that this will indeed be happening at a dark looking box with a slot in the top near you soon.

Perish the thought that I should in any way try to persuade you to place your autograph in a particular section of the ballot paper, so it’s safe to carry on reading unless you want to nip off and make a cup of tea or coffee to see you through the next few paragraphs and if this is the case I will hang on till you get back.

For those of you not wishing to make the above refreshments as outlined above, may I carry on but can you read this a bit s-l-o-w-e-r until our other reader gets back and catches up with us?

While we wait for said other reader, can I take this opportunity to mention that this year marks the 157th anniversary of the death of Harold Henry Flamingeck who it is believed was close to building the first known, British-made jet rocket propulsion unit or engine, but due to his workshop being blown up whilst he was working on this project, we will perhaps never really know for certain how far advanced he was.

His wife was distraught, it was said, as she had no idea what a jet rocket was and he only rented the workshop and had promised to paint it and all that was left was a large hole in the ground, set of spare keys to it (the workshop) and three gallons of brown coloured paint, two brushes plus a long handled paint roller.

However, his sudden and unexpected, possibly to him at least, departure also ushered in a new word in the English language that was uttered when something unexpected either erupted or exploded as to this day, people on seeing or hearing this phenomenon usually utter his name as in “Flamingeck” and usually followed by “Did you see/hear that?”

Ha! – our other reader is back now so I will continue.

We have come a long way in the electoral process as we are nowadays bombarded with countless promises, suggestions as to which party can deliver their pledges, promises and make good on those promises once elected.

Personally I also believe a man can fly unaided.

My mum, she of the people for the people, had quite a different outlook on the actual process or the canvassing side of things as I noted while growing up and the following was but one instance of such an encounter on our very own doorstep.

To be fair she never let any potential candidate over the threshold as, in one case at least, she pointed out that as he looked the same as he did in his election leaflet, so who would let anybody that ‘looked shifty’ into their home?

In one instance she saw through the curtains before answering the front door to one such person and she did a U turn and came back in and hid the canteen of cutlery away from view, being a gift from somebody she knew well on a “just in case” basis as “you can never be certain, can you?” she remarked.

One wonderful occasion was when one such candidate arrived on the doorstep with his entourage following on and he pressed the doorbell and kept his finger on it longer than one would normally do and she opened it to him with a very disdainful look.

“Good day to you dear lady – my name is Hopeful Asever and I am your local XYZ candidate in the forthcoming General Election an...”

She cut him dead there as she pointed out that by pressing on her doorbell so hard, it was costing her on her electricity bill and she wasn’t in a position to claim it back like he quite possibly would be doing in his line of possible work.

“The milkman and the postman can manage it with one dab at it, not using it as a leaning post,” she pointed out.

He apologised and went into his routine as he was cut short by mum.

Just inside the front door was the letter rack and from this she produced a sort of ‘score card’ with assorted lines with words on and boxes corresponding to each line.

“Right then – this is some of the promises, pledges and whathaveyou’s from the last session when your lot got in, so we will start off with question one: Has crime dropped since we last saw you?”

One of his smiling entourage hastily stepped forward with a leaflet and she brushed him aside as she pointed out, she voted for Hopeful Asever and expected a reply from him personally with no conferring to which he muttered, coughed and stuttered and mum put down ‘Unsure’ on her score card.

Next the general state of the economy: mum pointed out that her usual pack of fish fingers had gone up by over 30p or more per pack and this was disgraceful and even buying the cheaper ones was not much better and Hopeful Asever just stared at her and mum put down ‘Pending, not much hope’ to that one.

The (then) annual Budget: Why was it when petrol and other motorist fuels went up in price, it was from six o’clock that evening but if it the price ever dropped, it took weeks or months to happen?

Hopeful Asever pointed out he was not the Chancellor of the Exchequer but a ‘mere cog in a well oiled machine’ and as such had no say on the matter.

Mum put down ‘Bit of a chancer, but shows promise’ and after a few other unnerving, it seemed, other prudent questions she decided to let him go and as he left with his backing group, he asked if she would be supporting him and the party in the coming election and she replied it depended on how the other players shaped up plus it revolved around the price of fish fingers fluctuating in the meanwhile.

He did get re-elected but oddly he never bothered mum on her doorstep again.

Previously...

Vac’s a lot...

A man who carried out a robbery at a Spalding bookmakers and made off with £500 from the till was today (Friday) jailed at Lincoln Crown Court.

Craig Walling asked the manager of the Ladbroke’s shop if he could borrow £10 and then, without warning, produced a knife.

Lisa Hardy, prosecuting, said that Walling, with the knife in one hand, then grabbed hold of the manager with his other hand and led him behind the counter.

The manager emptied the till and handed over an estimated £500 to Walling, who left the shop straight away.

Miss Hardy said that Walling had initially played the gambling machines for 20 minutes after entering the shop at 9.30 am.

She told the court: “He then started to get agitated. The manager suspected the man must have spent in the region of £100.

“He asked the manager if he could borrow £10. The manager thought he was joking.”

Walling was identified by police from CCTV cameras inside the shop in Hall Place, Spalding.

He was detained the following day while sitting with his father in The Birds pub in Spalding. He had a bag with him containing an axe and when he was searched he had heroin on him.

Miss Hardy said that two months earlier Walling broke into a portable building at the premises of Terry Johnson Ltd in Cranwell Lane, Holbeach. He stole two mobile phones and a bottle of whisky. Later he walked into the Holbeach police station and confessed. He was searched at the police station and found to have a knife and a metal bar on him.

Walling (34), of St Matthews Close, Holbeach, admitted robbery on April 28, 2016. He also admitted possession of the axe and possession of heroin on April 29.

He also admitted burglary between February 26 and 29, 2016 together with possession of a bladed article and possession of an offensive weapon on March 13, 2016.

Walling was given a four-year jail sentence for the robbery and an eight month consecutive sentence for the burglary.

Nick Bleaney, in mitigation, said that Walling had a psychiatric history and wanted help.

He told the court: “The defendant has been under medical care long before this round of offending.

“The robbery was committed to get himself arrested and jailed.

“There was no attempt to disguise himself.

“His family have been trying to get him help. He has been trying to get help.”

We are nearing the completion of another spring planting campaign, with the first planted potatoes now emerging and will be due their first blight spray this week, to try and keep the crop disease free.

It is not the sort of weather that is conducive to blight at the moment, as moisture is needed and that is something we have very little of during April, when we recorded just 14mm, which is just 50 per cent of our 10-year average. We will also start irrigating our Maris Piper crop this week, to help with skin quality.

All other crops are slowly growing away, the vining peas are on plan and we only have one more field to drill in the programme that should be finished by the end of May.

The maize that we grow for our bio gas plant has been drill for a couple of weeks now, this will be emerging any day and we have irrigated a field of maize, as there was no moisture to get it going.

Over the next couple of months - before we get busy with harvest - the team will be servicing machinery, property and carrying out estate maintenance jobs and getting in the annual holidays which are always needed before a busy summer.

Open Farm Sunday is being held in the area this year by Oldershaws of Moulton at St Lambert’s Farm, Weston PE12 6RH, on the June 11. This will be a great free day out for all of the family to visit a working farm and learn about how the food you eat gets produced. There will be lots to see and do, so please pop along.

To find out more about what’s happening on our farm, visit, www.

worthfarms.co.uk

With just over a week to go until the kids break up for half term, we have a few ideas up our sleeves to keep everyone entertained!

For those who love the magic of a live stage show, internationally-renowned M6 Theatre Company bring One Little Word to the South Holland Centre on Wednesday May 31 at 2pm.

Primarily aimed at children aged 3 to 6 and their families, the show has already captivated hundreds of children – not only in Britain but at many international children’s festivals including events in Belfast, Malta and the Netherlands.

One Little Word tells the story of two characters who play together: exploring a new space, new objects, dressing up and taking turns.

But struggles arise when one of them wants to be the ONLY Captain of the ship!

This moving story of friendship, power struggles and creative play is highly accessible - told with original music and just one spoken word. Tickets are £7.50 for adults and £6.50 for children.

Meanwhile, those looking for a family-friendly movie this half term can revel in DreamWorks’ animation comedy, The Boss Baby or the heart-warming family drama told from a dog’s point of view, A Dog’s Purpose. Then there is the perfect introduction to the cinema for younger children, when Peppa Pig arrives on the big screen.

All screening dates and times can be found on our website www.southhollandcentre.co.uk or by calling the Box Office on 01775 764777.

Moulton Methodist Church will be more comfortable for visitors after a £150 donation towards new equipment.

The money from South Holland Distinct Council has helped to pay for a new humidifier after recent problems with dampness inside the church.

The grade II-listed building has proved difficult to keep in good condition because of the church’s small membership.

Methodist minister, the Rev Alan Barker, said “The building is regularly used, both for religious purposes and community events.

“But recently, there has been a problem with dampness and a portable humidifier the church had before was insufficient to deal with.

“Thanks to South Holland District Council, the church now has a new humidifier in the form of a wall fixture so that the water flows into the drain outside.

“The work was done by a member of the congregation who was qualified to do it and who gave his services free of charge.”

The church has been helped by the council before with money to buy new chairs.

Mr Barker said: “Church members are all very delighted that the work has been completed and they would to offer their sincere thanks to district councillors Anthony Casson, Rodney Grocock and Andrew Woolf, along with John Hayes MP, for their help.”

Pictured are (back from left) Clive Shardlow, Couns Anthony Casson and Rodney Grocock, John Hayes, Donald and Val Venables, (front) Dorothy Thompson and Jean Rowe. Photo (TIM WILSON): SG080517-100TW.

Youngsters at Monkshouse Nursery in Spalding got fit and messy at the same time to raise money for charity.

The children took part in a “Muddy Puddle Sponsored Walk” and were joined by TV character Peppa Pig.

The walk, in aid of the charity Save The Children, gave youngsters the chance to wear wellies and coats as they went on the fun walk, jumping in as many puddles as possible.

It was all led by Peppa Pig herself and nursery teacher Nicky Clarke said, “The children all had fun jumping in the muddy puddles and they enjoyed the walk.”

Children and teachers also made biscuits and cakes to sell to raise money for the charity and the nursery should find out next week how much money was raised for the charity. SG090517-100TW.

Services at Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital have been affected by a large-scale cyber-attack on the NHS this afternoon.

Non-urgent treatments have been suspended and PC and phone systems closed down while NHS Digital investigates the attack.

Patient data has been scrambled by ransomware, a type of software which demands payment before the information is released. Similar attacks have been taken place around the world.

NHS Digital believes the attack was carried out using malware varient Wanna Decryptor, but there is no evidence that patient data has been compromised.

An NHS Digital statement said: “NHS Digital is working closely with the National Cyber Security Centre, the Department of Health and NHS England to support affected organisations and ensure patient safety is protected.

“Our focus is on supporting organisations to manage the incident swiftly and decisively, but we will continue to communicate with NHS colleagues and will share more information as it becomes available.”

Lincolnshire Police is warning farmers and landowners about requests to store rubber, bales and wood chippings on their land.

The danger of such waste catching fire, and the sharp-smelling fumes that would be given off, is on top of the cost to farmers for having it removed which could run into several hundred thousand pounds.

A Lincolnshire Police spokesman confirmed that one farmer from the county was left with a bill of £40,000 to clear this type of waste, while another has to pay out £250,000 or run the risk of a possible arson attack.

The spokesman said: “There is a huge cost for the victims of these scams and we urge people to remain vigilant because of this.”

For more advice, call The Environment Agency on 03708 506506.

Could I please thank those who voted for me in the election, and yourself for the chance to put a message across via your paper.

I shall not be claiming any election expenses and would have spent all of the councillor’s allowance on the community as I believe a councillor should serve the people and not receive an allowance from the public purse.

These allowances are online, and the Tory for Spalding Elloe is also a South Holland District Councillor, along with two other Tories for Pinchbeck, with another allowance and these three have a designated budget, £45,000 to spend in the community over the four-year term of office.

Again, what they have used this for is on district council website. I am stating facts here without comment.

The family of Derrick Thompson, who was well known for organising local charity country music concerts, are holding a concert in his memory.

The Holbeach musician ran concerts for many years, which helped to build Sutton St Edmund Village Hall.

He was also good friends with Irish singer Frank McCaffrey, who will be headlining the concert at Holbeach Community Centre on June 3 at 7.30pm.

His family hope to raise funds for the Sue Ryder Hospice and oncology unit at Peterborough City Hospital (PCH) that cared for Derrick during his cancer treatment. He died in 2014, aged 78.

His daughter, Michelle Parker, is organising the concert along with Derrick’s wife Jean, and sons Tommy and Phil.

She said: “Dad had been running country music concerts for many years, firstly at Parson Drove Village Hall to raise money to build a new hall at Sutton St Edmund.

“When the hall was built he continued running them there until 2000 when he began promoting and running them in Holbeach.

“It was a very difficult decision for him to stop doing them when his health started to deteriorate.

“This is why we want to hold a concert in his memory. We are raising money for the oncology unit at PCH as Dad had treatment there and the care was excellent, and also Thorpe Hall where they were amazing.

“Dad started playing the piano accordion when he was eight-years-old, then went onto keyboard and then organ. After he retired he used to go round to retirement and care homes to entertain them with his music.”

Tickets for the concert are £12.50 and are available from 01406 420104 or 07894 461358, or email stephenthompson907@btinternet.com

Spalding Today and the family of Deeping St Nicholas youngster Kieran Taylor (seven) are celebrating the shattering of our £10,000 fundraising target in just seven weeks.

A £1,500 donation by Chosen Charity Shop of Holbeach has ensured that the Taylors can fly to the USA this month when the youngster will have treatment on a rare brain tumour.

Chosen’s donation came after just over £330 was raised through a tuck shop day at Spalding’s St John the Baptist School on Friday.

The school, which Kieran and his sister Caitlin (nine) both attend, then hosted a fashion show and sale on Tuesday night which raised £500.

Organiser Helen Redman, of Spalding, said: “Thank you to all those who helped, attended and supported the event which means the world to me.”

Another £200 came in from Spalding Cycling Club where Kieran and Caitlin are both members of its Go Ride junior section.

Coordinator Jo Kendall, said: “We asked riders for a donation because Kieran used to ride himself until his operation last year and after his time in America, we hope he’ll be back fighting fit.”

Kieran, Caitlin, dad Steve and mum Karen Taylor can finally make firm plans for their medical visit to the USA without having to worry about their living costs.

A primary school, two churches, three charities and a band of generous Guardian readers have helped the family hit their £10,000 fundraising target.

Steve said: “I think it’s fantastic and it’s just amazing how people have come forward to help us since the Guardian launched its appeal.”

As the county elections have disappeared into the sunset it’s time to focus on the general election, or have people had enough of going to the ballot box? Well don’t let apathy show the way here as we all know in South Holland and the Deepings there is a Tory stronghold, but there is a better way.

Two years ago, Britain went to the polls and gave the Tories their first majority win since 1992. What about the policies and promises that were going to be delivered? These are my concerns from a very long list of Tory failures.

The NHS was going to be safe in Tory hands and a strong NHS was going to be delivered. Reality is that waiting times have soared, A&E is in meltdown and medics were forced to take action on terms and conditions.

Promise – net migration was going to be cut to below 100,000 people per year. Reality is that migration is running at 273,000 a year.

Promise – safeguard British interests in the EU single market. Reality – Theresa May is pulling us out of the single market as part of her plan for Brexit.

May says follow me, but where to? If she is such a strong and stable leader, why waste two months on an election that she said would not happen yet? Mrs May is so hesitant and unsure that she dodges TV debates with her opponents – this hardly inspires confidence.

Jeremy Corbyn has a different problem here. After continued media attacks from day one there are worries he is not the right leader to deliver. Yet this is what the deal is – Mr Corbyn will introduce a charter of employment rights, bringing fairness into the workplace – Mrs May will not. Mr Corbyn will abolish zero hours contracts – Mrs May will not. Mr Corbyn will raise taxes, but only on the well off. Mrs May will raise taxes, but how? Mr Corbyn will look after our pensioners and will honour the annual increases to pensions. Mrs May will not.

Despite voters wishing for a broader choice it will be down to a two-horse race. I believe we will be better off with a Labour Government than another five years of the Tories under Theresa May. There is a better way.

Labour will invest in infrastructure and new business. Rebuild our NHS and Social Care Services. Give our children and young people a chance to fulfil their potential.

Get May out in June – vote Labour.

Locally in South Holland and The Deepings I will be standing shoulder to shoulder with our prospective parlimentary candidate Voytect Kowalewski, who is a strong, passionate and caring candidate for our constituency, who will work for the many, not the few.

Firefighters from Bourne, Deeping and Spalding attended a kitchen fire on Abbey Road in Bourne this morning (Saturday).

The accidental blaze, at 9.50am, had been caused by a deep fat fryer. Crews used a CO2 extinguisher and a fire blanket to extinguish.

The heavenly sounds from the pipe organ inside Donington Church not only impressed flower festival visitors - people were even more astounded when they saw who was sitting at the keys.

Isabella King, whose feet barely touch the floor pedals, is not only just 12 years old, she’s also completely blind.

The young Donington musician was part of a concert at the St Mary and the Holy Rood Church that saw 200 people pack into the building to hear both Isabella and the Coningsby Military Wives perform.

Isabella was first featured in the Spalding Guardian when she was playing A-level piano pieces at the age of eight. She has also played for celebrity musician Jools Holland after her talents were noticed by the manager of the Embassy Theatre in Skegness.

Her mum, Elizabeth, said: “We are very proud of her. When she is playing in the church people can’t always see who is sitting at the organ.

“A lot of people are very surprised when they see how young she is, and even more when they realise she is blind.

“She has been into music since she was a baby and, being blind, she has a perfect pitch.

“She is having organ lessons with the musical director at Boston Stump, George Ford. She has also been on a course at Oundle School and has even played at Kings College in Cambridge.

“She plays very well but being so little she cannot play using the pedals very much.”

The Swineshead Primary School student has already passed her grade five in piano and is currently studying for her grade six.

She played Disney classics on the church organ during the interval at the concert, while the Coningsby Military Choir performed chart music from across the decades.

They also gave a special tribute to ‘the Forces’ Sweetheart’ Dame Vera Lynn, who turned 100 years old in March.

The theme for this year’s flower festival was ‘The Rainbow of Dance.’

Holbeach Air Cadets have just celebrated 50 years as an

independent squadron.

There have been air cadets in the town since 1941, but as part of the Spalding Squadron.

They moved to their headquarters in Church Street in 1964 and became 2430 Squadron 50 years ago.

To celebrate their Golden Anniversary the squadron decided that a big event was needed and Squadron president, former Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire Tony Worth, and his wife Jenny, offered their garden as the venue.

The idea for the garden party was driven by Squadron fundraising officer Milly Miles Stark.

Committee chairman Jeff Goodley said: “Milly was the driving force behind the whole thing. It took a lot of work from the entire committee and staff to make it the success it was.”

Over 175 people attended the party, and guests included current and former cadets, parents, staff and committee members. VIP guests included local councillors and community leaders, all of whom have either donated funds or benefited the squadron in other ways.

Before the hog roast was served, guests witnessed a formal parade of the squadron, the dedication of a new banner and the enrolment of new cadets by Squadron 
padre, Methodist lay preacher, Keith Locke.

There were also static displays of squadron activities and history. Current cadets also demonstrated some of their training skills.

Mr and Mrs Worth were presented with a thank you gift and flowers before Tony spoke about the good work carried out by the squadron staff and other local cadet and youth organisations. He also stressed the need for more adult volunteers.

Fight Lieutenant Dave Suddards, the present officer commanding, said: “It was a great day and the committee did a fantastic job putting everything together. Tony and Jenny’s garden was a wonderful location. I would like to thank them for their generosity.”

RAF Air Cadets is for anyone aged 12 in year 8 until 18 and there are opportunities for adult volunteers. Anyone interested in joining should leave a voicemail on 01406 422883, or email oc.2430@aircadets.org

A call has gone out from a former Sutton Bridge parish councillor for BT to tidy up a listed building phone box, which stands on East Bank close to Cross Keys Bridge.

Vicky Hills says panes of glass are smashed – with glass left inside and outside the box – and the box is in desperate need of a new coat of red paint.

The phone box is considered a possible life-saver, being so close to the River Nene, because mobile phone signals are often lost in the village and it could be the only means of summoning help in an emergency.

Mrs Hills is on the warpath over the county council pulling the plug on much of its grass cutting in the village and she believes the state of the phone box is another example of authorities neglecting the village.

She said: “I am getting so disgusted at the state of Sutton Bridge in general.”

A BT spokesman told us yesterday: “The issue with the phone box at Sutton Bridge has only been reported to us today and we’ll get someone out to look at it as quickly as possible.

“We replaced seven panes of glass here in 2016 and while our engineers keep a regular eye out for damage, it’s impossible to monitor every box every week with tens of thousands across the UK.

“This phone box was most recently repainted four years ago, but we’ll assess its current state when repairing the damage.”

In 2014, BT applied to hand over the phone box to a heart charity that wanted to replace the phone with a defibrillator. But the parish council objected to the plan, saying the phone itself could be a life-saver in an accident on the Nene or the A17.

At the time, then parish councillor Jenny Rowe said: “It’s needed there. Many years ago, when the bridge was swung, a car went into the river and people died. I am going back a long time – to the late ’70s or the ’80s.”

• Is your village neglected? Email lynne.harrison@iliffepublishing.co.uk

I was privileged to stand as the Labour Party candidate in the recent county council elections in the Spalding South Ward where I received 259 votes.

The people of Spalding have made their decision, and although I was unsuccessful, I would like to thank all those people who voted for me, and congratulate Christine Lawton on winning the seat.

I would also like to say thank you to all the people who counted the votes; without your hard work the democratic process would not happen.

Spalding is a lovely market town that has suffered from the county council cuts more than other towns and villages, partly because it has no town council.

Spalding desperately needs a town council to look after the town; to ensure it remains clean and tidy; to take on the services that are being stopped by district and county council because of the financial cuts; to improve public transport and provide more bus shelters; to provide litter and dog bins where necessary.

I would therefore like to ask the new and returning councillors to work together to ensure that Spalding gets a better deal, with more cuts due in the future.