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

Boston Magistrates’ Court

June 20

Raymond Mackintosh (50), of Stephenson Way, Bourne. Failed to give driver ID (Lincoln). £660 fine, £66 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for six months.

Richard Skayman (48), of Byland Court, Back Lane, Eye. Speeding (Cowbit). £220 fine, £30 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for six months.

Roy Taylor (52), of Bourne Road, West Pinchbeck. Speeding (Great Ponton). £70 fine, £30 v/s,3pts.

Arkadiusz Baranowski (40), of St Thomas Road, Spalding. Failed to give driver ID (Greater Manchester). £365 fine, £36 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

Craig Lazell (64), of Riverside, Wygate Park, Spalding. No insurance (Spalding). £120 fine, £30 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for six months. No separate penalty for driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

Kelvin Baxter (63), of Swift Close, Deeping St James. Driving without due care ad attention (Grimsthorpe). £300 fine, £30 v/s, £85 costs, 7pts.

Jelena Sapkiene (48), of Wignals Gate, Holbeach. Speeding (A151). £85 fine, £30 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Lukasz Zasada (41), of Boston Road, Kirton. Speeding (Kirton). £300 fine, £30 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for three months.

June 21

Brad Dunford (19), of Scott Terrace, Boston. No insurance (Kirton Holme). £120 fine, £30 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for six months. No separate penalty for wilfully obstructing a police officer.

Ian Talks (37), of Main Road, Tongue End. Drink-driving (Tongue End). £80 fine, £30 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 14 months.

Jacek Mczko (36), of Marlborough Avenue, Spalding. Drink-driving (Spalding). £210 fine, £30 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 18 months. No insurance. £210 fine. No separate penalty for driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

June 23

Anthony Martindale (22), of Burnstone Gardens, Moulton. Drink-driving (Spalding). £120 fine, £30 v/s, £100 costs, disqualified for 12 months.

Peter Chapman (61), of Glenside South, Pinchbeck. Failed to stop after an accident (Spalding). £180 fine, £30 v/s, £200 costs, 8pts. No separate penalty for driving without due care and attention and failing to report an accident.

Shane Smith (38), of Belchmire Lane, Gosberton. Breach of a restraining order (Spalding). Six months prison sentence suspended for two years. £115 v/s, £250 costs.

June 28

Nicholas Andrew (53), of Dixons Road, Market Deeping. Assault (Market Deeping). 12 months conditional discharge, £20 v/s, £85 costs.

Jason Wellbelove (53), of Ingledew Close, Heckington. Drink-driving (Sutterton). Community order with alcohol treatment requirement, £85 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 22 months.

Lincoln Magistrates’ Court

June 23

Aurimas Butkys (25), of Chaucers Way, Spalding. Drink-driving (Spalding). £350 fine, £35 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 14 months. No separate penalty for no insurance and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

June 26

Christopher Watson (56), of Springhill Road, Totnes, Devon. Driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence (Kirton). £220 fine, £30 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Luke Britton (36), of Acacia Avenue, Spalding. Driving without due care and attention (Spalding). £400 fine, £40 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for six months. No separate penalty for failing to stop after an accident and for not wearing a seat belt.

Sally Young (51), of Raines Garth, Giggleswick, Settle. Speeding (Little Sutton). £146 fine, £30 v/s, £85 costs.

Byron Newell (32), of Campion Way, Bourne. Stole two pairs sunglasses worth £110 belonging to Boots (Grantham). £250 fine, £30 v/s, £85 costs. Failed to surrender to custody. £50 fine.

Wayne Abbott (27), of Butterwick Road, Freiston. Driving while disqualified (Boston). Six weeks prison sentence suspended for 12 months, £115 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for 12 months. No separate penalty for no insurance.

June 27

Daniel Millar (27), of Chestnuts, Hardwick Estate, Kirton. Stole food worth £50 belonging to Iceland (Boston). Six months conditional discharge, £20 compensation. Stole confectionary worth £2.49 belonging to Poundstretcher (Boston). Six months conditional discharge, £2.49 compensation.

Agris Jerumans (23), of Peterhouse Close, West Town, Peterborough. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £106 fine, £30 v/s, £85 costs, disqualified from driving for six months.

Julie-Anne Agnew (32), of Alan Jarvis Way, Terrington St Clement. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £100 fine, £30 v/s, 3pts.

Ema Astrauskaite (22), of St Thomas Road, Spalding. Driving without due care and attention (Spalding). £187 fine, £30 v/s, £85 costs, 5pts.

Michael Downey (27), of Forkhill Road, Newry, County Down. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £220 fine, £30 v/s, £85 costs, 3pts.

Bruno Figueiredo (37), of Clarence Gardens, Spalding. Failed to give driver ID (Lincoln). £660 fine, £66 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

Dorin Giurgiula (27), of Morleys Leet, King’s Lynn. Speeding (Swineshead Bridge). £35 fine, £30 v/s, £35 costs.

Paul Grimwood (47), of Porthouse Drive, Pinchbeck. Permitted another person to use a vehicle without insurance (Twenty). £660 fine, £66 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

Joel Hammond (22), of Beech Avenue, Spalding. Failed to give driver ID (Lincoln). £660 fine, £66 v/s, £85 costs, 6pts.

A heavily pregnant mum and her family woke to loud bangs and their home shaking as ram raiders targeted an ATM at Crowland Co-op, only feet below their flat.

It’s believed a Toyota Hilux was twice reversed into the West Street shop’s doors.

The entrance doors were smashed to pieces, the rear screen on the Toyota was smashed and the vehicle and free standing ATM were abandoned outside the food store.

Police believe three men were involved in the raid and people at the scene said they fled in an Audi.

Alia Mawia, who has a son Jayden (7), was due to have her baby girl on Thursday but was still waiting to complete her family when she was woken abruptly by the Toyota crashing into the store.

Alia said: “I just heard two bangs and then I saw the Audi speed off. It was dark at the time.”

Her partner Michael Moore said: “I work up to the first bang when they drove into the shop because we live above.

“We felt it (our home) vibrate as they dragged the cashpoint out.”

Michael said a man across the street called police on his mobile phone and then shouted to him and Alia to leave their flat because it wasn’t known at that time if the building was structurally safe.

The family went back inside their home for a time but then came outside again, spending time chatting to friends in the street.

Michael explained: “We can’t stay in there with that alarm going off all day.”

People arriving for work – and shoppers venturing out – expressed shock and dismay at the raid, and were worried about the store being out of action.

One resident told us: “I only live round the corner and I was just going to go in there. It’s the only proper supermarket we have.”

The raid happened shortly before 4am and police scenes of crime sealed off the site for several hours, searching for evidence, but the store reopened at about 5.30pm.

A spokesman for Lincolnshire Co-op said: “We are open as normal.

“We are going to have to replace some of the equipment at the entrance and do some general tidying up work around where the cashpoint was.

“Cash machines are important to our customers so we will look to reintroduce a cash machine in the coming weeks.”

As police worked at the scene, an appeal went out for witnesses.

A Lincolnshire Police spokesman said: “We would like to hear from anyone who may have seen or heard anything and who has not already spoken to police. If you have any information you think could assist the enquiry please contact us as soon as possible.”

Raiders have previously targeted ATMs in South Holland, including the Co-op store at Donington and the Lincolnshire Co-op store at Sutton Bridge, and there have been recent ram raids in Norfolk, including one on July 24 at the Nisa store in Burnham Deepdale, and another at the Co-op in Wells on July 17. There was also a ram raid on July 10 at a Co-op in Stoney Stanton, Leicestershire, which is believed to link to two others.

• Anyone with information on the Crowland raid can call Lincolnshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.

Previously ...

VIDEO: Update - Crowland Co-op bounces back after ram-raid

UPDATE WEDNESDAY 10.20AM: Sutton Bridge store reopen after ATM raid

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

A Donington couple claim their lives are being spoiled by a “constant droning noise” from a factory nearby.

Harry and Janice Wright are still waiting for their complaints against George Barnsdale and Sons to be resolved three and a half years after they first realised there was a noise problem.

The couple claimed that an environmental health protection team from South Holland District Council was due to visit the site on Tuesday when tests were to be carried out before a decision on what action to take would be made.

Mr Wright said: “We moved from a house in Swineshead to a bungalow in Donington because it was better for us in our senior years.

“But when we moved, we realised there was noise coming from George Barnsdale.

“We attended a meeting with the district council where I said that the problem would be solved quite easily with some insulation.

“George Barnsdale said it would look at it and some modifications were done when new buildings were put up in 2014 which they said would eliminate the noise.

“But nothing happened and what concerns us is the constant droning noise which is like a blue bottle being held beside your ear.”

The couple presented medical evidence to the district council after the noise problems continued over the last three months, including at night and weekends.

Mrs Wright said: “Up until a year ago, I couldn’t sleep because I could still hear it.

“I lost two and a half stone in weight because of stress and when the doctors tested my blood pressure, they found that it had shot up.

“So I had to be put on blood pressure tablets, anti-depressants and sleeping pills.

“We’ve got everything we want here for a couple of our age, but our lives are governed by the noise and it shouldn’t be.”

Stephen Wright, director of George Barnsdale and Sons, said: “George Barnsdale have been on this site since 1884 and we have invested a huge amount into our production facility over the years.

“We now have one of the most advanced timber window and door manufacturing plants in Europe, with sophisticated automation.

“Over the last 30 years, South Holland District Council has allowed development around our site and ten years ago, it allowed a development within a few metres of our dust extraction system which inevitably makes noise.

“This was despite the fact that we warned them it would potentially lead to complaints and the people who built the house also knowing that there would be noise from the site.

“Since then we have made huge efforts to reduce the noise from our machinery to the extent that it is now minute and we are currently changing all our forklifts to run on electric power to reduce the noise in our loading area..

“We take our responsibility to our local community very seriously and are working hard with the district council to ensure the environmental impact we have on our neighbours is kept to a minimum.”

A district council spokesman said: “Officers from our Public Protection team are currently working with the company in an effort to resolve noise issues raised by residents.

“We will continue to monitor the situation, offer support and work to deliver a satisfactory conclusion for the benefit of all parties.”

Hopes action will be taken on derelict pub

Milestone for village business

Woodwork lesson for students at business

Keith Louth has shown great dedication to his job - he’s been getting up and going to work at the same farm for five decades.

Farming may have changed since grandad Keith (65) first started at Lundy’s Farm (Hay Farming Ltd) in Holbeach St Marks in 1967, but his love of the job has continued.

He has progressed up the ranks from farm hand to workshop manager, looking after repairs to machinery and agricultural implements.

In honour of his dedication, he was awarded a long service medal at this year’s Lincolnshire Show.

Keith said: “I started when I was 15 years old, as a general farm worker.

“I progressed onto tractor driver and combine harvester.

“A lot of the work was more manual back then and machinery and implements were smaller.

“There were probably 12-15 men working on the farm. Now there are about 7-8 of us.”

And it’s a family affair for Keith as his father George also worked on the farm and his wife Karen has worked there in the past.

He said: “I enjoy the work. It is a real family firm. I haven’t got any plans for retirement yet and I’d like to keep going as long as I can.”

Farm manager Simon Bartlett said: “Keith’s service to the company over the 50 years has been exemplary. He should be very proud of his achievements over that time.”

In 1967, the year Keith joined the farm, events included:

○ England’s 1966 World Cup winning manager Alf Ramsey got a knighthood and captain Bobby Moore received an OBE.

○ Charlie Chaplin opened his last film, A Countess From Hong Kong, in England

○ Rock concert Barbeque ‘67, featuring Jimi Hendrix, Cream and Pink Floyd, was held in Spalding

PREVIOUSLY....

Farmers told they are the ‘driving force’ for the future at Lincolnshire Show

Record wins for Jack at Lincolnshire Show

Children and teachers will return to a newer, bigger but different Spalding Parish Church of England Day School (SPCEDS) next month.

The difference will come in the head teacher’s office where Glyn Rushton, who joined the school more than eight years ago, will be replaced by Acting Head Teacher Diane Mulley.

But while the change of head is only for a year during which Mr Rushton will be seconded to a joint nursery and primary academy in Northamptonshire, SPCEDS will reopen in September after a £3.5 million expansion.

A new building will open to cater for a rise in pupil numbers from 420 to 630, allowing SPCEDS to offer three classes per age group, instead of two.

The Rev John Bennett, Vicar of Spalding and a governor for SPCEDS, said: “I am delighted with the way that the expansion of the school where and the disruption to its life during the building work was kept to a minimum.

“I am grateful for the patience of local residents while it has all been going on and I know that it must have been trying for them to have such a large construction project on their doorstep.

“I hope everyone can agree that the result is outstanding and the new hall, classrooms and other facilities mean that the school can take another 30 children each year.

“This will go a good way towards easing the pressure on primary places in the town.”

In a letter to parents, Mr Rushton said: “The children, both past and present, have made my journey really rewarding and I am extremely proud of each and every one of them.

“The governors and staff have been amazing to work with and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their continued drive, support and commitment to the children and families of SPCEDS.

“I am leaving the school in the very capable hands of Diane Mulley who is very experienced and has been an integral driving force behind the many achievements of the school.”

Over a two-year period, between October 2012 and 2014, Mr Rushton and his staff lifted the school from an Ofsted judgement of “requires improvement” to “good” in every area.

As a result, SPCEDS was named School of the Year (Primary) at the first-ever Lincolnshire Free Press and Spalding Guardian Education Awards in 2014.

Katherine Wright, chairman of governors since May, said: “Glyn Rushton has been seconded for the next academic year to Woodnewton Academy Trust, a learning community in Corby made up of a primary school and nursery with 1,000 pupils.

“Glyn has been committed to improving the school during his time as Head Teacher and it has gone from strength to strength under his leadership.

“Our building expansion to allow three-form entry has just been completed and Glyn has ensured that the school has continued to improve during this time.

“He has also developed a fantastic team of teachers and support staff, including Diane Mulley who will be acting Head Teacher while Glyn is on secondment.

“On behalf of the Board of Governors, I wish him every success in this period of professional development.

“We are very confident that the school will continue to improve and succeed with Diane Mulley as Acting Head Teacher during the next year.”

Lasting legacy from Jennifer to Spalding Parish Church

Parish School gymnasts in the medals

Remembering the lives of loved ones

Plastic covers are due to come off Spalding’s iconic Chatterton Water Tower in the coming weeks but today we’re giving you a sneak-preview of painting going on behind the scenes.

Teams of workmen have steam-cleaned a massive 4,000 sq metres of the tower’s surfaces before getting out rollers and paintbrushes to return the building to its gleaming best.

Some 400 25-litre cans of paint will be used, equal to 10,000 litres.

Painting is expected to be completed by the middle of this month and, following that, workmen will start to remove the 3,500 sq metres of plastic sheeting and as well as take down scaffolding poles.

An Anglian Water spokesman said: “The teams have finished the preparation work and are now painting the tower.

“It is expected that painting is due to finish by mid-August.

“After the painting is finished work will begin to remove the scaffolding.

“It is expected that the newly painted tower will be back to normal with all the scaffolding removed by the end of September.”

It took six weeks to put up the 180 tonnes of scaffolding poles and the 70 tonnes of board to create the walkways – and it’s expected to take the same length of time to take it all down.

Chatterton Water Tower has served the Spalding area for the last 62 years but residents and councillors alike have expressed concern over the last few years about its dirty state, creating an eyesore in the heart of town.

Anglian Water announced the cleaning and painting programme at the beginning of the year.

Speaking in March, just before work started, the company’s South Lincolnshire supply manager, Mark Cox, said: “We’re really excited to be getting started on the facelift. We know this project is important to the local community, and we’re pleased to be able to restore the iconic water tower’s paintwork to its 1997 condition. The facelift was promised three years ago during conversations with the council. We listened to what customers had to say then, and it’s now going ahead.”

The tower is being painted in colours described as by the water company as a terracotta and white tulip colour scheme, as it was painted in 1997.

Before that, the 30 metre high building was a utilitarian, concrete building without paint.

Previously ...

Anglian Water to repaint Spalding water tower

Painting to start soon at Spalding’s water tower

Spalding firefighters in aerial rope rescue at the water tower

A cancer patient from Sutton Bridge is still waiting for treatment more than six weeks after he was first taken ill at his home.

Tony Maguire (73) has slammed doctors for treating him like a “tennis ball” having been through three hospitals in King’s Lynn, Norwich and Cambridge to treat brain and lung tumours.

Mr Maguire said: “I was taken to QEH after having a seizure in my garden on Sunday, June 18.

“The ambulance crew diagnosed what they thought was heat stroke, but I was left on a trolley for more than an hour whilst waiting to be examined.

“When I was seen by a nurse, she escalated my symptoms to that of a mini-stroke and I was sent to a doctor on the accident and emergency ward (A&E).

“I spent all night in A&E as there was no bed for me on a ward and it wasn’t until the next morning that I was transferred to another ward for a brain scan to be ordered.

“I then had CT and MRI scans which uncovered that I also had a lung tumour and I was moved to a respiratory ward for further tests to be done.

“So after arriving at QEH on June 18, I was now in the right ward on Tuesday night (June 20) and I was beginning to think that I’d see what I thought would be a specialist for my problem.”

But instead, Mr Maguire claimed that he was treated as a patient “of confused mind” before being discharged on Thursday, June 22, with the promise of a lung biopsy to be done the following Monday (June 26).

He said: “Nothing happened and after a number of calls I was told that the biopsy would be done two weeks later.

“Meanwhile, I was contacted by Norwich University Hospital, where a PET scan was carried out on Tuesday, June 27.”

But after an appointment was made for a repeat heart scan, Mr Maguire demanded a biopsy at QEH,which took place on Friday, June 30.

“I was advised that I had been referred to Addenbrooke’s, where they would determine the source of the cancers,” Mr Maguire said.

“But to this day I have no idea of what’s happened to the neurosurgery I was promised and I feel like a tennis ball being batted backwards and forwards.”

Mr Maguire has now complained about his poor treatment to both QEH King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust and John Hayes, MP for South Holland and the Deepings.

He said: “From the moment I came to QEH in an ambulance, there has been a series of failures and a total lack of communication from the hospital which has been telling me things that they can’t deliver.

“I don’t know where my cancer has come from, what my treatment is going to be, when it’s going to be done and where.”

Mr Hayes said: “It seems as though Mr Maguire is very seriously ill and in these circumstances, he needs to get treatment urgently.

“If Mr Maguire wants to make a complaint, there are processes in place for him to go through.

“However, I will certainly take up his case directly, as I have many, many times before on behalf of constituents waiting for medical treatment.

“Indeed, Mr Maguire can be assured that his case has already been taken up by my office.”

Dr Nick Lyons, medical director at QEH, said: “Whilst we are unable to discuss individual cases, we are disappointed to have heard of Mr Maguire’s experience.

“At the QEH, our aim is to provide the highest possible standards of care to our patients and we are always wanting to learn from their experiences in order to improve our services.

“As medical director, I would be happy to speak with Mr Maguire to discuss this situation.”

Long Sutton patient claims he was given wrong medication at hospital

Vets’ ‘tree’ cheers for hospital

Family fortunes fluctuate on cycle of ‘hidden’ bowel scare

Sainsbury’s had a broadside from a senior South Holland councillor after the firm tried to get its costs back when it won a planning appeal for a Timpson pod on Holland Market, Spalding.

South Holland’s planning committee unanimously refused the application seven months ago, saying it would harm the character and appearance of the area and be a danger to pedestrians.

But, after a planning inspector ruled in the supermarket’s favour, district council planning chairman Coun Roger Gambba-Jones said on Twitter: “Sainsbury’s win pod appeal & show how predatory, arrogant & dismissive they are of genuine local concerns by trying to get their costs back.”

Coun Gambba-Jones says the planning inspector told Sainsbury’s to “go whistle”, refusing them the costs and deciding the council’s reasons for refusal were genuine.

He said: “Ultimately it was about the weight given to those reasons.”

The pod will go in front of Wilkos and Sainsbury’s, which Coun Gambba-Jones describes as a pinch-point.

“It’s a bad location for pedestrian movement at the best of times,” he said. “You already find people walking through the disabled parking slots and now they going to have even more reason to do it.”

The pod will offer services including dry cleaning, shoe repairs and key cutting.

Last November, more than a dozen Spalding traders united to oppose the pod, with dry cleaner Geoff Neal saying trade was tough in the High Street and “this would probably be another nail in the coffin”.

David McAllister, of J B Shoe Repairs in Pied Calf Yard, said 14 town centre traders would be affected because Sainsbury’s was “hoovering up” all the niche services into one pod.

This week, Mr McAllister said: “South Holland District Council have been fantastic, they have fought it tooth and nail. They have been adamant they don’t want it, even for aesthetic reasons – it looks like a shed, it really does.”

He says it would have been far better if the new business went into one of the town’s vacant shops, which include Brantano on Holland Market

Following criticism from Coun Gambba-Jones and comments from Mr McAllister a spokesman for Sainsbury’s told us: “We are pleased with the outcome of the appeal.

“The Timpson pod will provide greater choice and a range of convenient services for our customers.”

Previously ...

Shoe repair pod plan for Spalding is turned down by council

Spalding traders fight “nail in the coffin” supermarket plan

Timpsons to bring new services to Sainsbury’s in Spalding?

St Nicolas Players are rehearsing for a world premiere, the final part of their Vicar of Dibley trilogy – but there’s a man missing from the cast.

The Players are desperate to find an actor to fill the role of Hugo Horton, the nice but dim son of David Horton, who marries Alice Tinker, the scatterbrained, verger sidekick to the main character, Geraldine Grainger.

It was Dibley character Jim Trott who coined the phrase “no, no, no, no, no ... yes” and the players have everything crossed that someone reading this story will skip straight to the affirmative, say yes, and save the day.

St Nicolas Player Patsy Figg, co-writer of the stage production, “Vicar of Dibley, The Final Chapter ... and verse”, says all sorts of people are currently standing in to read the part of Hugo during rehearsals at the moment but they need to cast the role.

The Players had Hugos in their first two shows but, sadly, no one has stepped up to the mark for the latest show, which will be performed at The South Holland Centre from October 18-21 inclusive.

Patsy said: “Many of the original St Nicolas Players’ cast are back to play all our favourite Dibley villagers.

“Unfortunately, they are missing one vital thing – a Hugo.”

Patsy said the Players are hoping our readers will come to their rescue and, ideally, they would like someone with previous acting experience to take the part.

She said: “Hugo Horton, the only child of David Horton, is young at heart and full of enthusiasm and just as off the wall as the other villagers in Dibley.

“This is not a major role, but hugely significant.”

What will the Players do if no one comes forward?

“I don’t know ... panic,” said Patsy. “We hadn’t thought about that. I am just hopeful that someone will turn up. We can’t call it off. It has to go on because we have booked the South Holland Centre.”

Patsy and co-writer Sophie Butler-Honeybun watched about four hours of DVDs before producing their own script and had permission from Tiger Aspect Productions to base their show on the original Richard Curtis scripts from the hit BBC television series.

Pasty said: “No one else has performed it so it will be a world premiere.

“Lots of amateur groups have done (Dibley) parts one and two and hopefully they will come clamouring for our version of part three.”

In “Vicar of Dibley, The Final Chapter ... and verse” it is Geraldine’s 40th birthday and her tenth anniversary as Vicar of Dibley.

Patsy says: “There’s a handsome stranger involved so there’s romance in the air.”

In November 2016, St Nicolas Players appealed for a Jamaican actor to come forward to play a role in “One Man, Two Guvnors”, and Hugh Walcott answered their prayers by playing Lloyd Boateng.

The Spalding drama group are celebrating their half century this year.

The Players were originally founded as a youth theatre group but quickly became a fully fledged amateur dramatic group.

• If you can help by playing the part of Hugo, please email stnicolasplayers@gmail.com or find them on Facebook.

The Players are always on the lookout for people to get involved, on stage or behind the scenes.

Previously ...

Jamaican sought for role on Spalding stage

THEATRE REVIEW: Comedy classic that had absolutely everything

Blackadder Goes Forth in Spalding

Pinchbeck Parish Council is to step up plans to find a new cemetery due to a threat of burial spaces running out in five years’ time.

At their July meeting in West Pinchbeck on Monday, parish councillors agreed to ask for quotes on drawing up plans for a new cemetery in Pinchbeck after estimates showed that up to 12 burials a year are taking place in the area.

An offer from Pinchbeck Community Land Trust (PCLT) to use a seven-acre site in Blue Gowt Lane, off Market Way, as a burial ground and park was discussed at the council’s meeting in May.

But parish councillors were urged to take the lead on the scheme on finding an extension to the current cemetery off Cherry Holt Lane after it emerged that South Holland District Council is still looking for grave space in Spalding.

Coun John Allen, ex-parish council chairman, said: “When you look at the number of burials of the last five years, there is four years’ worth of burial space left, at a rate of 12 burials a year.

“We need to have a new burial space ready because the (existing) cemetery has filled up quite quickly over the last 15 years.

“I estimate that it would cost £50,000 to create a burial space from scratch and there’s more urgency about having a cemetery for Pinchbeck as we’ve got to offer this facility to people outside the parish as well.”

Speaking to our sister newspaper, the Lincolnshire Fress Press, in June about the Blue Gowt Lane site, PCLT chairman Peter Saunders said: “The trust’s original proposal was to build a park on the plot.

“But when the parish council looked at cemetery space in Pinchbeck, it asked us if we would consider sharing the land offered to the trust, while the council looked at extending the life of the existing cemetery.

Coun Roger Gambba-Jones, the district council’s portfolio holder for place, said: “There are around 450 grave spaces left in Spalding Cemetery, with approximately 50 burials per year.

“At current rates, we have nine years of space left, so we are currently looking at opportunities for further burial space in the Spalding area.”

Trust reveals ideas for two village parks

Pinchbeck homes trust reveals ideas for two village parks

Pinchbeck sports club has options for ground

Spalding has staged its own Tour de France this week after thousands of cyclists taking part in a 900-mile bike ride passed through the town.

Nearly 1,500 riders from more than 65 countries called in at Spalding Grammar School for a meal and some rest as part of the London Edinburgh London (LEL) Cycling Challenge.

The five-day event, which started on Sunday and ends tomorrow, has cyclists attempting to ride from London to Edinburgh and back in just over 100 hours.

Jim Crew, in charge of the Spalding control centre, said: “LEL takes place every four years, but this is the first time it’s been to Spalding.

“All the riders are amateurs, some will be sporting riders and fast, others will just be recreational riders.

“But most will have the desire to prove that they can ride from London to Edinburgh and it’s a beautiful setting for it.

“The fastest riders will get round the 1,400kms in 50 hours, but they all have to finish the ride by Friday lunchtime.

“Each control point has to be big enough to be able to accommodate 1,500 riders and the site management team at Spalding Grammar School has been absolutely fabulous.

“All the staff have been really helpful, nothing has been too much trouble for them and they have made it very easy for us to promote this race.”

Some of the countries to have sent riders to LEL include Brazil, Italy, South Africa, Thailand and the USA.

Robert Newcomer, a volunteer from Atlanta, USA, said: “I wanted to ride here but couldn’t get in so I decided to come and volunteer before going on to Copenhagen, Denmark, to cycle there.

“The sport is growing a lot, both in Atlanta and the USA in terms of competitive cycling and people riding to work, because the city government has made a big commitment to make it safe.”

London Edinburgh London takes place every four years, with organisers claiming that this year’s event is the “biggest ever - with more riders from more countries than ever before”.

Hannah Lord, originally from Horncastle but now living in London, said: “Me and my two friends thought it would be a great adventure, with the potential of getting the ride done in 100 hours.

“I’ve been to Spalding before because I used to compete in swimming events here, but this time it’s nice to ride here and around Lincolnshire where some of the roads are flat.

“All three of us are really sporty, I do triathlon and we’ve found that LEL is really well-organised, the volunteers are so nice and they go out of their way to do their best for you.”

Friederike Haberstroh, an LEL volunteer from Germany who is studying at Oxford University, said: “My dad is doing

LEL so I decided to volunteer and he was very happy to see me.

“I found out about the ride from my dad who met other people when he was doing the Paris-Brest-Paris race in France.

“I don’t cycle myself but people here are very kind and the parts of Spalding that I’ve seen seem very nice.”

Spalding Midsummer Ball raises thousands for charity

CYCLING: More success for Spalding’s anniversary year

Spalding store to fundraise for research into Type 1 diabetes

A health watchdog has hit out over “inequalities of access” to NHS dental services for people in Spalding and south Lincolnshire.

Heathwatch Lincolnshire received a number of phone calls after patients were informed by the NHS of the closure of the 1A Dental practice at Johnson Community Hospital, Spalding.

As reported in last week’s Spalding Guardian, 1A Dental will no longer provide NHS dental services there from August 31.

NHS England announced it had found a caretaker service to provide NHS dentistry at the hospital starting the following day, but a handover period means the service won’t be fully operational until mid-September”

Healthwatch Lincolnshire’s chief executive officer Sarah Fletcher, said: “Whilst it is acknowledged in the letter received by patients that they have the option to attend a dental surgery in Werrington, Peterborough, it is important to note that this would result in an approximate 20 mile journey (40 miles round trip).

“Many of the people who have contacted Healthwatch Lincolnshire have told them that they do not have their own transport to travel to Werrington.”

Di Pegg, head of primary care for NHS England in Lincolnshire, said: “We have identified Spalding as a priority area for new investment in NHS dental services in Lincolnshire. As a result, a new dental practice will be opening later this year to provide additional capacity.

“We are commissioning a caretaker provider to ensure services are maintained from the practice premises at Johnson Community Hospital from September and will provide an update on the new service provider in late August. We will be keeping the situation under review.”

1A Dental said it had not taken the closure decision lightly.

A spokesman told us: “It is as a result of ongoing running costs which have prevented the practice from operating sustainably.”

As previously reported, NHS England has commissioned a new NHS dental practice for Spalding, which is due to open in December and be run by Rodericks

Dental Ltd.

That surgery will open 8am-8pm, seven days a week. No premises have been identified yet.

1A dental practice is working with NHS England to manage the practice closure and it is anticipated that all open courses of treatment will be completed by 31st August 2017.

• Healthwatch Lincolnshire says if you require assistance accessing NHS dental treatment, or if you wish to find an alternative dentist, please call them on 01205 820892 or email info@healthwatchlincolnshire.co.uk

You can also call Lincolnshire Patient Liaison Services on 01529 222265. If you require urgent dental care please telephone 111 (free to landlines and mobiles and available 24 hours a day).

WHAT OUR READERS SAY ON THE SUBJECT ...

Penny Patrick told us: “We moved to Sutterton three-and-a-half years ago and really struggled to find an NHS dental practice.

“We went to one on the outskirts of Boston but unfortunately it was like a factory.

“The answer seemed to be ‘if you have a tooth problem we can take it out for you’.

“We now go to a private practice in Sleaford which is very good but they do not offer any NHS treatment and we can ill afford their prices.

“However it seems if you want to take care of your teeth you have to pay.

And we had this on Facebook from Jennifer Letts: “The service I have received from calling 111 at the weekend was useless.

“They directed me to Johnson (where I was sitting in), the staff at minor injuries directed me to the dental services on site but had no idea if they were open on Sunday or not. 111 had no idea if they were open or not.

“The only place I could get emergency treatment was in Boston. I’m very annoyed that having had teeth out at Peterborough they could offer no help either.”

• What do you think of NHS dental services in Spalding and south Lincolnshire? Please email lynne.harrison@iliffepublishing.co.uk

Previously ...

Fears allayed over NHS dental services at Spalding hospital

New NHS dental practice for Spalding

More clinics introduced at Spalding’s Johnson Community Hospital

A charity has been launched in Spalding with the aim of raising £60,000 for a memorial to those killed in action during World War II.

The Spalding WWII Memorial Charity Committee is hoping for enough donations to pay for the design and construction of a memorial in the town’s Ayscoughfee Peace Garden.

The garden is home to the Lutyens’ Memorial which bears the names of servicemen and women who died during World War I which took place from 1914 to 1918.

But the planned WWII memorial is a response to lack of a common commemoration to those killed in action between 1939 and 1945.

Coun Rodney Grocock, chairman of both South Holland District Council and the new charity, said: “The Spalding WWII Memorial Charity has been set up to raise funds for a second war memorial to commemorate those who served their country and were killed in action during the Second World War.

“The memorial will be located in Spalding’s Ayscoughfee Peace Garden where visitors already familiar to the site will know that the brave men and women who gave their lives during the First World War are commemorated by a memorial stone in front of the Lutyens Memorial which reads ‘Their Name Liveth For Evermore’.

“However, whilst those who died in World War One are immortalised by the Lutyens’ Memorial, the names of those who gave their lives during the Second World War are either represented on various memorials scattered around Spalding or, sadly, not at all.”

A World War II Memorial is in place at Spalding’s St Mary and St Nicolas Church but the new charity wants to obtain the names of all those who died during the Second World War

Coun Grocock said: “The new memorial will give people a link to the past and enable them to commemorate the sacrifices made by those who fell in the Second World War.”

Heads are bowed for those who served us

Spalding War Memorial upgraded in time for Remembrance Sunday service

Spalding man visits dad’s national memorial

Plans by the government to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK by 2040 have had mixed reaction from car dealerships and commuters in South Holland.

And many feel that more must be done to improve infrastructure and educate people on the benefits of electric or hybrid cars.

The aim of the change is to tackle the rise of air pollution.

Darren Wood, sales manager at Vauxhall dealership Taylors in Spalding, believes that the UK’s stance on petrol and diesel cars may be a small drop in the ocean if countries such as America, China and India don’t follow suit.

He added: “A lot of the newer diesel cars are very clean and very efficient. Vauxhall has introduced a scrappage scheme where people can get £2,000 off a new car when they scrap their old diesel car. It is these older diesel cars that are being taken off the road.

“There are other fuel alternatives that can be looked at such as hydrogen fuel cells. There is too much misinformation about electric cars and it is about educating people.”

Darren Bradford, Managing Director at Drayton Motors in Swineshead, which specialises in new and used Kias, said: “All I can say is electric/hybrid vehicle sales for us over the past 12 months have not even been one per cent of our vehicle sales. I do feel they benefit the customer because of the low running costs but I feel the automotive industry needs to educate the general public more on the key benefits.”

Adam Brand, of WH Brand in Whaplode Drove, which specialises in MGs and Isuzus, said: “Some people will embrace it and I guess some won’t. A lot of it at the moment comes down to cost and the infrastructure is just not there. For people to use them the infrastructure is going to have to change massively over the next 23 years.

“I would agree that more needs to be done to educate people about the benefits of non-petrol and non-diesel cars. People think they can only go 20-30 miles and they don’t want to set out on a journey to be stranded but technology is changing.”

Our reporter Emer Scully asked commuters for their views on possibly saying goodbye to petrol and diesel engines.

Anne Tinkler (47), from Spalding, said: “I don’t know how it’s going to be rolled in and what people who already have petrol or diesel cars will have to do.

“Will they stop selling them? Will they say you can’t have that car anymore and you’ve got to buy this new one?

“I think the logistics of it all will be difficult. How will you recharge it? You go to a car park and there might be some slots and you get free charging.

“I wouldn’t have a choice but to buy one. It’s not something I’ve ever looked at but I suppose I’ll have to get one. I think a lot will be down to the cost of them. A lot of people can’t afford new cars and have to buy older ones.”

Robert Taylor, (45), from Spalding, said: “It might work. As long as my car is worn out by then it’s fine. I’d be happy to get it upgraded to an electric car if they got it all sorted out. I was a bit more concerned about what they were doing with diesels, and taxing them higher. I’ve just bought a diesel car so I thought it was a bit of a kick in the teeth. You might have to put new batteries in every now and then. If you’re going to travel with your car and other countries haven’t adapted it it could become a bit of a nightmare. Where are you going to stop to charge your car up overnight? Sometimes you don’t want to stop for 12 hours to charge up your car, you just want to fill up your car and go. Stick with the diesel I think.”

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A Holbeach musician who has played in a dozen bands over a 50-year period will lay down his guitar and retire after two more charity gigs.

David Stubbs (67), formed his first band “Purple Haze” in 1966 when he was just 16 years old.

Now 51 years later, ill health, including arthritis in his fingers, plus cancer, has left David unable to continue playing.

David, said: “I first started playing about 50 years ago. I started playing when I was 16. I used to work in Moulton and we formed a band there called Purple Haze. We were together for several years and played with the top bands in those days. Then when that packed up I played with different people.

“I’ve made a lot of friends. It was great in the older days, you’d be playing with names like Peter Frampton, but now it’s different and we just do the odd pub gig.

“My day job was an engineer. The music was only a part-time thing that never made any money but you meet so many people and there’s no age limit. I gigged with 17- and 18-year-olds and everyone enjoyed it.

“In the early days, we had chances to tour in Germany and all sorts, but were settling down at the time and we never took it up.

“It was a big thing then to go to Germany because that’s where all the big bands went. We had the chance to go, but we never took it up.”

David was a guitar player throughout most of his music career, until he developed arthritis in his fingers and found comfort playing the bass.

He continued: “I play bass, but I played guitar for years. I’m not playing anything hardly now beause I have arthritis in my fingers. People say I’ve been struggling to play for years.

“My last band was a little band called Bad Penny. Since I left they’ve been called Jerry’s Babes.

“My favourite band was the one I started with, Purple Haze, and I think my career highlight was when we did a reunion gig to raise money for Holbeach Hospital.

“We put tickets on sale and they were sold out in a week. I saw people I hadn’t seen for years.

“You make loads and loads of friends who still keep in touch. I had a drummer who now lives in New Zealand and we just got in contact over Facebook. It’s a community and it’s nice really.”

The bassist will play two final gigs at the Holbeach Beer and Music Festival and The Swan in Moulton on Sunday, August 20 at 4pm.

David will be raising money for the Teenage Cancer Charity at The Swan gig to ‘give something back’ after the charity helped his son when he suffered from cancer.

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Time for action in Holbeach town centre

New fun classes in Holbeach

Police are appealing for witnesses after two vehicles were broken into while parked at Bourne Woods between 2pm and 4pm on Thursday.

Vital medical equipment for a sick child was taken from one of the vehicles, causing great distress to the family. Fortunately, a member of the public found the medical bag discarded some distance away and it was able to be returned.

You can contact police through the non-emergency number 101, quoting incident number 327 of August 3 or through the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.

A Spalding woman is hoping to raise £300 when she runs the St Barnabas Hospice Bubble Rush next month.

Claire-Emma Overton (37) and her five-year-old son Daniel are running alongside her friends and work colleagues in memory of her dad, who was cared for in his final days by the local charity.

The event takes place at Stoke Rochford Hall in Grantham on Saturday, September 30.

Derek Hayward (65) was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in February 2017 and died at home just 11 weeks later.

Claire-Emma said: “Dad tried his hardest to fight it but it was just too late, cancer had taken over his body and he passed away with mum and I by his side. It had been his wish to 
remain at home, as this is where he loved to be and, with the help of St Barnabas, we were able to make this happen. St Barnabas helped care for dad in the day, they would wash him, change his dressing, make sure he was as comfy as you can be when you’re coming to the end of your life.

“The care and support offered by St Barnabas was simply amazing. It wasn’t just caring for dad but it was the support mum received too.”

The Bubble Rush is a new addition to the hospice events calendar and features a 5K route around the parklands of Stoke Rochford Hall. High-powered foam cannons will blow out 30 cubic metres of bright foamy bubbles to cover participants from head to toe.

Claire-Emma said: “Taking part in the Bubble Rush is my way of being able to give something back, to ensure that other families receive the same help and kindness that we did.

“I’m really looking forward to the event and I know that my Dad would be really proud of me for helping such a worthwhile charity that needs the support of the community. I know he wouldn’t have thought twice about sponsoring me.”

Registration for the Bubble Rush is £25 for adults, £15 for children (five – 15) and £65 for a family ticket (two adults and two children). Children under five can take part for free. 

Adult participants are asked to raise a minimum sponsorship of £20.17 and children are asked to raise as much as they can.

Participants can register online at www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/bubblerush2017

For more information contact Events Fundraiser, Amelia Mochan on 01522 540 300 or email amelia.mochan@stbarnabashospice.co.uk

Previously...

Volunteers needed for new St Barnabas Hospice shop and cafe in Spalding

Hospice shop moving to iconic Spalding hotel

HAYES IN THE HOUSE: By MP John Hayes

“Happy is England!” wrote John Keats, “I could be content/To see no other verdure than its own.” Few of us, surely, cannot relate to that fine sentiment. Even if, like Keats, we might occasionally long “for skies Italian” or “to sit upon an Alp as on a throne”, it is the familiar appeal of our island home — no less alluring for its familiarity — that surely moves the heart most of all.

With Keats in mind when recently asked about my “carbon footprint”, putting aside debate about the concept, I reflected on the irony that many of those who agonise most about the use of cars and complain about HGVs are the first to rush to airports, to board long-haul jets bound for far-flung climes.

It seems that the more distant the location, the more desirable it is for the bourgeois Left. Perhaps it’s guilt and doubt about the wonders of our blessed isle that makes the draw of this kind of remote destination so strong for such types. Yet what is more glorious than the coastline of Britain? From unspoilt Northumberland beaches – think of the splendour of Bamburgh – to the Jurassic coast of Dorset, from Kent’s Broadstairs – home to Morelli’s ice cream parlour, unaltered since my boyhood – to Southwold in Suffolk – perhaps the perfect seaside town – idyllic Pembrokeshire and Betjeman’s Cornwall, not to neglect our Lincolnshire coastline, of course, the British beach holiday is an institution. It involves taking a chance with the weather, but the lovely days are all the lovelier for the fact that they are not routine!

The appetite to be elsewhere feeds a desire to travel which seems common to most of us, yet the memory of home is at the heart of the charm of being away; what Browning called “home thoughts, from abroad.”

Perhaps an appreciation of what is familiar flourishes as absence makes our hearts grow fond. I wonder whether the ease of travelling far away – now greater than ever before – has diluted the pleasure of doing so. For, in part, the joy of going away is the thrilling expectation of discovery, the ardour of finding a place previously unknown.

Perhaps, like so much else, travel has been vulgarised. Certainly, feckless trips for boozy nights out on the Continent are miles away from the pages of Baedeker, and packaged visits to places that boast provision of fish and chips served in “English” pubs are a world apart from the spirit of Elizabeth David, who wrote so beautifully about the delights of seeking out new, foreign culinary pleasures.

I’d rather have my fish and chips in South Holland and the Deepings – where there are so many fine purveyors of the fish-fryer’s art – or enjoy one of our excellent local pubs than wait in a crowded airport to endure an inauthentic version of what I can have better at home.

Wherever they choose to go, I wish all my constituents a pleasant break this summer. For those who are, like me, staying at the British seaside, I hope that they enjoy, in Betjeman’s words, “Seaweed smells from sandy caves/And thyme and mist in whiffs, /In-coming tide, Atlantic waves / Slapping the sunny cliffs, / Lark song and sea sounds in the air / And splendour, splendour everywhere.”

It would take a lifetime of holidays to explore and know the coast of Great Britain, not to mention Ireland. By and large, with occasional indulgent exceptions, that’s more than enough for me.

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Spalding Grammar School wants to install security fencing around the perimeter of the main school site and playing fields.

A planning application submitted to the district council describes the step as a “high priority for safeguarding and security”.

The planning application also says: “No memorial/heritage features, or gateways with a historical importance, will be removed.”

The plan can only go ahead if it is approved by South Holland District Council.

Spalding Academy installed security fencing around its site last year.

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Iconic statue makes way at Spalding Academy

Plea for high fencing at Long Sutton pre-school

From our website today ...

New Spalding War Memorial to remember WWII fallen

Donington could have a new sandwich bar and coffee shop in the heart of the village if planning consent is given.

A change of use planning application for a retail shop, Unit 3 at 22a Market Place, has been submitted to South Holland District Council by Mrs S Welsh, of Bicker.

No further details are known at this stage.

From our website today ...

Vehicles broken into at Bourne Woods

New security fencing around Spalding Grammar School?

New Spalding War Memorial to remember WWII fallen