Features

Butcher is best when buying your meat

Consumers are being reminded that when it comes to buying their meat the #butcherisbetter! Butchers throughout the UK are gearing up for National Butchers Week (March 23-29), which aims to celebrate everything that is great about the high street butcher, reinforcing the fact that butchers remain the number one choice for range, service and convenience when it comes to purchasing ...

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Find out about pre-school funding

All three and four-year-olds in England are entitled to 570 hours of free early education or childcare a year. This is often taken as 15 hours each week for 38 weeks of the year. Some two-year-olds are also eligible. You can start claiming after your child turns three. The date you can claim will depend on when their birthday is. ...

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Little Stars puts your child’s safety and happiness first

Children’s happiness and safety are the be all and end all at one of the area’s newest pre-schools. Little Stars opened in September, but has already forged strong links with Surfleet Primary School, where it is located, to ensure a smooth transition to “big school” for its pre-schoolers. The pre-school occupies a mobile classroom within the grounds of the school ...

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Businesses galore on Wardentree Lane

The Wardentree Lane Industrial Estate has much to offer with its many branch roads, one of which, Cresswell Close, offers an abundance of businesses for both trade and private customers. Here are just a few of the great businesses you will find on the L-shaped cul-de-sac. If you are looking to improve your home with new curtains or carpets then ...

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Classic Curtains branching out

Pinchbeck firm Classic Curtains is branching out with a new range of services including paint, wallpaper and bespoke soft furnishings. The business, which has been trading from its Cresswell Close address for 25 years, came under new ownership in December when Lisa Woodcock and Mark Slater took over. The company already specialised in curtains, blinds, pelmets, cushions, bed runners and ...

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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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Is the Motability scheme for you?

Motability is a national charity set up, with all-party parliamentary support, in 1977 and incorporated by Royal Charter. Its objective is to help disabled people with their personal mobility. The Motability Scheme enables disabled people to use their government-funded mobility allowance to lease a car, powered wheelchair or scooter. Recipients of either the Higher Rate Mobility Component (HRMC) of Disability ...

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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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Crowland is thriving market town with good transport links

Crowland is situated in the very south of the county. A thriving market town, Crowland supports a population of approximately 4,200 with the majority of the residents living within the town itself. The town is a pleasant mix of older properties surrounding the Trinity Bridge and Crowland Abbey and several large modern housing estates on the edges which overlook the ...

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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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Apprenticeships: Get paid while you study for new career

As an apprentice you will be employed, earn a wage and work alongside experienced staff to gain job-specific skills. Anyone living in England, over 16 years-old and not in full-time education can apply, whether you are just leaving school, have been working for years or are seeking to start a new career. You just need to be living in England ...

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A celebration of apprenticeships

Next week the contribution apprentices make to the UK’s businesses will be celebrated with National Apprenticeship Week 2015. Apprenticeships are thriving in England and the week will celebrate apprenticeships and the positive impact that they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy. Co-ordinated by the Skills Funding Agency, the week will include hundreds of events and activities across England. ...

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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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