Columns

ELDERLY VOICE: Elderly left ‘high and dry’ by council care cutbacks

Older people in England are being left “high and dry” by councils cutting back on the care they provide, Age UK says. Research by the charity showed the numbers getting help had fallen from just over one million three years ago to 850,000 last year. Age UK said the cuts were one of the major causes behind the growing pressures ...

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Tulip Talk: Time for a catch up with Gary

Recently we had the opportunity of speaking to Coun Gary Taylor who has been representing Spalding Castle for 12 years and we talked of his local work as well as his portfolios. On the last occasion he visited us, he declared his intention to keep up pressure on large business and utility companies to maintain their properties in the Spalding ...

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TULIP TALK: Chief Inspector marks anniversary

Chris Davison joined us in the Tulip Radio studios on the one-year anniversary of his appointment as District Chief Inspector for North and South Kesteven. It’s always a pleasure to see Chris who has been very active within the police force since he was promoted from Spalding’s community inspector two years ago. Chris first joined the police as a cadet ...

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TRAVEL COLUMN: Your holiday dreams can be realised

With so many exciting destinations wanting to be discovered, here are some ideas to excite and inspire you. Whether you are looking for the tranquillity of the lakes and mountains, want to explore the world’s greatest cities, or are looking for the experience of a lifetime, your adventure starts with us! Today destinations by rail are becoming extremely popular, the ...

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GLEED COLUMN: High pressure time for students

It’s “crunch time” at Sir John Gleed School with Year 11 students facing the end of their examination courses and now starting the build up to the examinations. It is a high pressure time for the young people and also for their families and teachers at the school. As Easter approaches the students are finishing their course content and also ...

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VET COLUMN: Beware dangers of lungworm

There has been a robust advertising campaign recently regarding the dangers of lungworm. Although it is important that owners should be aware of lungworm the recent advertising has been designed to frighten owners. Lungworm (Angiostrongylus vasorum) infection is a serious and potentially fatal disease but there are some things to consider. 1. Cases of lungworm are still uncommon. There has ...

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TULIP TALK: Day out with MP for ‘royalty’

Following last year’s successful inaugural Tulip Mania Festival at Springfields a new Prince and Princess was appointed as part of the festivities and the two winners, Joseph Porter and Georgia van Dyke have been busy ever since “officiating” at numerous community events around the Spalding area. One of the judges of the competition last May, John Hayes, MP very kindly ...

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COLUMN: Let’s get town blooming again

Last year the hanging flower baskets around the town centre were stunning and it was not surprising that Spalding achieved Gold status in the East Midlands in Bloom competition. This year every effort will be made to maintain our Gold status and the Spalding in Bloom Committee is again asking local businesses to sponsor a hanging basket at their premises. ...

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COLUMN: Green Team

Last week we celebrated the first anniversary of the Green Bag Lottery. The rewards scheme has been running for 12 months with 102 winners of £100 over the course of the year. The Green Bag Lottery aims to encourage better recycling and with a dry recycling rate of around 30 per cent, South Holland has a lot to shout about! ...

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COLUMN: Voice from the Wildlife – Box clever for visitors this spring

Offered: Modern house. Popular area, with easy access to local facilities. Would suit couple looking to raise a family. No chain, enquire within. Sounds like a pretty good property, doesn’t it? But I’m not talking human habitation, rather a home for birds. This time of year might seem rather dank and cold to us, but wildlife knows that spring is ...

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VET COLUMN: Keep cigarettes and gum out of reach

This weekend I saw a dog who had eaten a packet of 25 Nicorette chewing gum. This highlighted two dangers that many owners are unaware of. Nicotine is toxic to dogs in these types of amounts. Nicorette gum also contains the artificial sweetener xylitol. This is also very toxic to dogs. It is reported to be 200 times more toxic ...

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Ageing is one of ‘big three’ UK challenges

A new survey has suggested that the country’s ageing population is seen to be one of the top three challenges facing UK society over the next 20 years, falling just behind healthcare and immigration. Meanwhile, four fifths (79 per cent) of adults think the ageing population will present a large challenge for the UK, according to a new YouGov poll ...

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Time for a chat with top businessman Jim Rogers

We recently had the chance to spend a fascinating hour with one of the most farsighted and interesting people we spoken to for a long time. He is Jim Rogers and he’s vice chairman of one of the UK’s major fresh food importers based here in Spalding. Jim established Fesa UK in 1985 and recently they have been expanding their ...

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COLUMN: Travel by train in style

A journey on the elegant Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train should be on every discerning traveller’s wish list – there is simply no better way to celebrate a special birthday or anniversary in style. From the moment you board, you take a step back in time to the bygone, golden-age of rail travel when a journey was about relishing the experience rather ...

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COLUMN: Vet’s Voice

Just recently in the news, supermarkets have been asked not to place daffodil bulbs near fruit and vegetables as the bulbs can be mistaken for onions and the stems look like Chinese vegetables. If they are used in cooking they are extremely toxic. Easy mistakes for humans to make but animals don’t know if something is toxic. Many plants are ...

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COLUMN: Green Team

South Holland’s dry recycling rate is fantastic, being around 30 per cent of all waste produced from our residents. This week I’ve been looking at what items are the most and least popular to recycle in our green bags. The most popular item found in green bags is paper, with this making up 39 per cent of all the materials ...

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VET COLUMN: Pets are part of the family

Regular readers of these articles will remember that after a long illness I had to put my old Cairn terrier Lady to sleep two months ago. In what in hindsight looks like an act of serendipity, before Lady died and before she became very ill, one of my clients offered me pick of litter from three Norfolk puppies. We visited ...

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COLUMN: Money Talks

The recent award-winning investigative current affairs programme, Dispatches on Channel 4, was titled HOW TO BLOW YOUR PENSION. The programme, presented by Michael Buerk, highlighted facts from various surveys which prove that the majority of those who will be able to take lump sums from their pension pots are unaware of the full facts and the consequences of doing so. ...

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COLUMN: Everyone’s got to do their bit

Blimey, February upon us already, daylight is slowly but surely extending into the evenings and no doubt people are beginning to think about booking their holidays, if they haven’t done so already. Some will be looking to spend their time at a caravan site or holiday resort in Lincolnshire and East Anglia; from where they may organise a day trip ...

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TULIP TALK: A great night of ten pin bowling at AlleyCatz

Last month Spalding and District Chamber of Commerce held its second Christmas ten pin bowling evening at AlleyCatz. An annual event that the town centre manager, Dennis decided to get recruiting for to make sure it was well attended with many local businesses, including Tom, Graham and the team at Hughes Electrical, Pete and family from the Punchbowl and Tulip ...

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