Continuing our look back at 2012...
JULY
A couple forced out of their home by noise from a wind farm faced a second battle after buying a new home - close to land earmarked for nine new turbines.
Jane and Julian Davis reached an out-of-court settlement at the end of 2011 after a five-year battle over alleged noise nuisance from the wind farm at Deeping St Nicholas.
They bought a new home for Julian’s ageing parents close to Cuckoo Bridge in Horseshoe Road, but their dreams of a quiet life have been shattered by plans for up to nine 125m turbines within direct sight of the house.
News emerged that next year’s Spalding Flower Parade was likely to be the last one after Lincolnshire County Council confirmed a cut in its contribution.
Although a 2013 parade is almost a certainty, its long-term future was bleak after county councillor Eddy Poll said that budget restrictions would mean the end of the Flower Parade after 2013.
He added: “It will be a shame for South Holland and I think residents and businesses won’t realise what they’ve got until it’s gone.”
Residents were digesting plans by East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) to improve emergency response times by possible closing Spalding Ambulance Station.
EMAS was looking to close the majority of its stations across the region, including Spalding which opened just three years ago as part of the town’s new £25 million Johnson Community Hospital, and replace them with 13 “hubs.”
The nearest hub to the town would be Algarkirk, leading to fears that poor ambulance response times could get even worse unless effective alternatives were found.
AUGUST
The Lincolnshire Free Press and Spalding Guardian launched its We’ve Had Enough campaign in response to residents’ anger over booze and drug-fuelled behaviour marring the town.
John Hayes, South Holland and The Deepings MP headed the campaign by drawing up a five-point plan to tackle anti-social behaviour, on-street drinking, public disorder, alcohol licensing, litter and graffiti.
Mr Hayes said: “I want to see a zero-tolerance policy in terms of anti-social behaviour and will be more than happy to lead a campaign to eliminate it from the centre of Spalding.”
A 93-year-old Holbeach woman was left waiting more than two hours for medical attention after her son’s 999 call.
Even when a paramedic turned up to offer assistance to Margaret Turner, she then had to wait another 45 minutes before an ambulance finally arrived to take her to hospital.
Mrs Turner’s son Barry, of Meridian Walk, Holbeach, branded the ambulance service “absolutely disgusting after he was told to get urgent medical help for his ailing mother.
Extra police had to be drafted in as more than 450 modified car enthusiasts rolled into Spalding on a Saturday night.
Convoys from across the county arrived in the town after news of the “Spalding Takeover” event was spread on social media site Facebook.
The mass of cars lined Holland Market car park, leading to a number of calls to police by residents concerned about the “revving and racing.”
SEPTEMBER
MP for South Holland and the Deepings John Hayes landed a top job as energy and climate minister in the Cabinet reshuffle.
Mr Hayes, who previously had expressed “profound concerns” over a wind farm plan for West Pinchbeck, said he was “very excited” about his move from his previous position as skills minister.
Bourne and Stamford MP Nick Boles also landed the role of planning minister in the autumn reshuffle.
The £6.5million Red Lion Quarter was sold to Boston College for £2.4million.
The deal included a repayment of £2million which the college “borrowed” from the council as its contribution to the original cost of setting up the Red Lion Quarter,
It meant South Holland District Council received in the region of £400,000 for the freehold of the building.
South Holland District Council revealed that councillors had been paid more than £335,000 in allowances, special responsibility payments and expenses last year – claiming the sum offered “good value for money” to taxpayers.
The highest claimant for the financial year to April 2012 was council leader Gary Porter, who claimed just short of £27,000, followed by deputies Nick Worth and Paul Przyszlak.
Council chairman Mick Seymour claimed £11,793.81.
OCTOBER
Three long-serving members of staff took redundancy and others forced to take pay cuts of between £2,000 and £4,000 to keep their jobs at Spalding’s Chappell Centre.
Parents of centre users claimed the move was a new “tactic” by Lincolnshire County Council because it could not shut the adult disabled day service in the face of fierce opposition.
The county council was trying to find organisations to take over the running of the Pinchbeck Road centre and others like it around the county by March 2014 after shelving plans for a mass shutdown.
A car that rocked a house in Whaplode as it scraped along the side of it stopped only inches away from an elderly woman in an armchair.
Phyllis Viney, of Malten Lane, escaped with her life but was left shocked and stunned after hearing a loud bang outside the window near where she was sitting.
The crash, which involved two cars and left two people hurt, caused visible cracks to the ceiling around the fireplace in the conservatory extension and damage to the outside wall and fence.
An angry shopper warned others not to fall into the trap of sharing car park tickets or it could end up ruining their Christmas.
Lynda Double was faced with an £80 fine after she fell foul of the “non transferable” small print when she took up a stranger’s offer of a ticket that was still valid for an hour and a half as she preapred to go shopping at Beales department store in Peterborough.
Lynda later appealed against the ticket and won, but said: “£80 is a lot of money and that could really spoil Christmas for a young family.”
NOVEMBER
Former Spalding Flower Queens were invited to take part in the Flower Parade’s final fling next year.
Susan Richmond, from organisers Kenyon Communications, said the company would love as many former Flower Queens as possible to join the celebrations by taking part in the 55th and final parade.
Talks are now being held to try to decide what will replace the parade in 2014, with a food and flower festival a favourite.
We reported how 17-year-old mentalist Connor Elleston had predicted the newspaper’s front page headline a week in advance.
Connor had sealed his version of Thursday’s Spalding Guardian headline inside a box which was kept in the Lincolnshire Free Press newsroom until the day of publication.
He had predicted a story about a teenager who was lucky to be alive after a his car crashed through gardens and hit a parked car.
Plans for a team of Street Pastors armed with bottled water, flip-flops and foil blankets to help keep Spalding town centre safer at night were announced.
Talks between police, South Holland District Council and church leaders were at an early stage, but enthusiasm for the idea was growing, with Spalding and District Area Chamber of Commerce also giving it support.
Street pastors are teams of volunteers who patrol the streets at night, giving help andsupport to revellers, homeless and other people in need.
DECEMBER
Brave dad Terry Stupple was hailed a hero after he jumped into freezing water to pull a trapped woman from her car that had overturned in a dyke.
Terry (57), of Weston, spotted the car with its engine still running and smoke billowing out and after warning onlookers to stand back, used the jack from his car to smash the back window and help the woman – a 64-year-old from Pinchbeck.
He then helped her get out of the car before she was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
A very rare and possibly unique Spalding five pound note issued almost two hundreds years ago was expected to fetch between £200 and £300 when it went up for auction in London.
The black and white fiver, with its value underprinted in blue, was issued by the short-lived Spalding Commercial Bank on May 3, 1830.
After just three short years in business the bank, owned by the Bugg family, went bust and was taken over by the Stamford and Spalding Joint Stock Banking Co.That itself was taken over in 1911 by Barclay & Co, which later became Barclays Bank.
Spalding market traders were angry that an extra market was not arranged for Christmas Eve to make up for the normal Tuesday event, which fell on Christmas Day.
It had been hoped that a market on Christmas Eve would have given the town centre a last minute boost as shoppers stocked up on fruit and veg and visited local shops while they were in town.