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 ...

Please may I say a personal thank you to everyone who voted UKIP in the county elections. I’m sorry we lost but national matters trumped local ones all over the country, as is often the case. I do ask that those in power remember that my party still represents a sizeable proportion of residents in our district, far more than ...

I am not quite sure if D Loos (Mail, April 27) has been inside the shop in Long Sutton. It would have been useful to have discussed her fears that the PJ Cat Rescue shop are charging too much for the items she mentioned. We have a lot of comments from regular customers that we do not charge enough. The ...

In response to D Loos’ letter (April 27) regarding charity shops. Have you ever visited Chosen Charity of Holbeach? If not, I suggest you do. We have a team of 20 volunteers including two managers, all of whom give their time for free, including most Sunday mornings. We pay full price for any items we purchase, that is how we were ...

Spalding’s Pinchbeck Road has reopened to motorists after an emergency closure to repair dips in the road – but the biggest of them remains. A section of the road outside Taylors Vauxhall is still cordoned off with barriers, whilst dips further up the road have been filled in by Lincolnshire County Council. Anglian Water has carried out a further sewer ...

Organisers of a reunion for former staff of Fleet Hospital want more people to hear about it. So far about 50 former colleagues are due to attend the event at Holbeach United Social Club in Park Road on Friday, June 16 (7pm). One of the organisers, Mick Lowe, said: “All past staff members are welcome to purchase a ticket and ...

Holbeach In Bloom has got cash prizes on offer again for the town’s best gardens. For the second year running, the group has teamed up with The Voice to run the competition and reward people making a big effort. Whatever your outside space – a garden, balcony or window box – Holbeach In Bloom wants to see it. Judges Terry ...

A teacher at St Norbert’s Catholic Primary School in Spalding is taking on the Three Peaks Challenge to fundraise for a centre which Year 6 pupils visit each year. Sam Morton is hoping to make £1,000 for Briars Diocesan Centre in Crich, Derbyshire, by climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in 24 hours, starting on Thursday, June 29. The ...

A Spalding optician’s practice has presented the proceeds of a collection for cancer sufferer Kieran Taylor. Kieran (7) is a patient at Molsom and Associates, which had a collection tin at the Hall Place premises. Patients have been donating over the last two weeks and Kieran collected the £92.84 towards his family’s costs while in America for the youngster’s proton beam therapy. ...

Green Party member Dan Wilshire is back for another General Election fight in South Holland and The Deepings constituency. The 21-year-old university student drew praise for his campaign in 2015 when he came fourth out of the five candidates. Dan, whose Spalding address is in Woodfield Close, said: “I was honoured and proud to stand as the Green Party candidate in ...

A £4.8million highways improvement scheme at Peppermint Junction in Holbeach is under way. British construction firm Eurovia UK is installing a new, three-arm roundabout at the current A17/A151 junction, as well as a new four-arm roundabout on the A151. Work is expected to complete by spring 2018. Narrowed lane widths and reduced speed limits to 30mph on the A17 and ...

United Lincolnshire Hospitals’ NHS Trust face a fine after a jury found it guilty of breaching health and safety legislation following the death of a Spalding patient at Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital.   The trust was prosecuted following an incident in July 2012 when patient John Biggadike died after suffering “catastrophic” internal injuries when he was impaled on a lifting hoist ...

Residents in South Holland have until 5pm on Monday (May 22) to have their say on the publication version of the South East Lincolnshire Local Plan. The new Local Plan for South East Lincolnshire (the areas of Boston Borough Council and South Holland District Council) has been prepared to guide development and use of land in the area up until ...

Ashwood Nursing Home in Spalding has been rated in the top 20 of 1,569 care homes in East Midlands. The recognition is from leading reviews guide to care homes, carehome.co.uk and is based on reviews of the home in Spalding Common written by their residents, plus their friends and relatives. Ashwood Nursing Homes managing director Alykhan Kachra said: “We are ...

The Long Sutton community is pulling together to make improvements to The Bull Hotel site. It comes after communications between South Holland District Council and the owner dried up with no improvements to concerns raised over safety and security. Now district councillor Laura Eldridge has launched a £5,000 appeal to fund the tidy-up and Long Sutton and District Civic Society ...

A man who robbed a Spalding bookmaker’s of £500 from the till has been jailed for four years.   Craig Walling asked the manager of Ladbrokes in Hall Place if he could borrow £10 and then, without warning, produced a knife.   Lisa Hardy, prosecuting at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday (May  12), said that Walling, with the knife in one hand, then grabbed hold of the manager ...

A Spalding householder hit by rocketing Anglian Water bills due to an underground water leak has been told by his insurance company that it was due to “faulty workmanship”. Now Justin Grimshaw, of Pinchbeck Road, wants to warn other customers about the possible cause of bills like his which went from £500 per year to £1,300. He says an Anglian ...

Staff at Spalding’s Brantano shoe store continue to face uncertainty, two weeks after the redundancy of three staff and closure of the concession in the town’s Beales Department Store. Brantano went into administration in March and the Holland Market store, which employs 12 people, has been displaying closing down signs. Tony Barrell, lead administrator at PwC, said: “We continue to trade the ...

A drink-driver who was the subject of an arrest warrant after failing to answer bail has been banned from the roads. Kurt James Sands (47), of Wimberley Way, Pinchbeck, appeared before Boston Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (May 9). He had 40 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath after being stopped while driving a Peugeot 206 in Queen Street, ...

The Donington Cowley Primary School has been told by Ofsted inspectors that it “requires improvement”. A report said personal development, behaviour and early years provision at the school were “good,” but leadership and management, quality of teaching, learning and assessment and outcomes for pupils were not up to par. Headteacher Marina Faulkner said steps have already been taken to address ...