Helpful advice and support for people affected by dementia will be on offer at a special event in Spalding. A Dementia Support and Awareness event is being held at St Barnabas Hospice in Clover Way on Friday, May 22 from 10am until 2pm. People living with dementia, carers, friends and support networks are invited to come along. Visitors can find ...

South Holland District Council has held talks with neighbouring councils about forming a combined authority. A proposal has been put forward for six councils to join together to create a “functioning economic area”, seeking to improve local transport, increase economic development and drive regeneration. South Holland leader Gary Porter is one of the leading politicians behind the plan. Peterborough would ...

A trailer owned by Pinchbeck firm FreshLinc has been destroyed by fire following a collision on the A1. The lorry, carrying apples, collided with a Highways truck on the southbound carriageway near Grantham at about 1.30am on Thursday and caught fire. The truck ditched to the side of the road. The lorry driver is said to have been lucky to ...

A 12-year-old girl from Tydd St Mary is part of a “world class” street dance crew which wowed TV producer Simon Cowell on ITV show Britain’s Got Talent. Entity Allstars got a “golden buzzer” from judge and Strictly Come Dancing winner Alesha Dixon on last Saturday’s show, sending the youngsters straight through to the live semi-finals beginning on Monday week. ...

A Spalding salon director says her trust in people has been rocked by a hairdresser who stole money from the business. Ashleigh Hubbard used a card machine to make refunds of customers’ payments to her own bank account. She denied stealing £808.10 from Oasis Beauty Hair and Day Spa, but was found guilty during a trial at Boston Magistrates’ Court ...

Prime Minister David Cameron has appointed John Hayes to a key role in the Home Office. Three days after retaining his South Holland and The Deepings seat, Mr Hayes was made Minister of State (Minister for Security) in the new Conservative government. His role, working under Home Secretary Theresa May, includes responsibility for international counter-terrorism, counter-terrorism operations, space, maritime and ...

The headteacher at Spalding’s Sir John Gleed School has spoken of his pleasure after Ofsted confirmed today (Wednesday) that the academy is lifted out of “special measures”. The publication of the outcome confirms our report on April 23, stating that the two-year long spell in the lowest rating was over. During a visit in March, inspectors found that students were ...

New faces on South Holland District Council and some of those who missed out have been giving their reaction to last week’s election results. Paul Foyster was the second UKIP candidate after Spalding pub landlord Pete Williams to secure a seat on the council. He will represent Holbeach Town ward. Coun Foyster said: “It was not a great result nationally ...

John Hayes admits to being “humbled” by the amount of votes he received to return him to the House of Commons. Six in ten of the South Holland and The Deepings constituents who turned out backed the Conservative. He polled 29,303 votes. He said: “The share is exceptional and incredibly satisfying. “It’s actually quite touching to know that so many ...

Former members of two brass bands are being called upon for a reunion next month. Ex-Gleed School Band musicians Mark Le Sage and Trudy Habgood (nee Wood) have organised a get-together for afternoon tea at Whaplode Manor in Saracen’s Head on Sunday, June 28, at 2pm. They want to see as many ex-members of both Gleed School Band and Welland ...

UPDATE: John Hayes has been named as the new Minister of State for Security at the Home Office. The announcement came from Prime Minister David Cameron’s office at 5pm on Monday. Mr Hayes, who was Minister for Transport in the coalition government, will be the minister responsible for international counter-terrorism counter-terrorism operations   FRIDAY (10am): Newly re-elected MP John Hayes says ...

The Conservative group on South Holland District Council has increased its control by gaining extra seats. It now has 28 councillors – up three on the position before last week’s election. The Tories begin their fifth term as the ruling group with nine new faces. Meanwhile, UKIP has members for the first time – Pete Williams (Spalding St Mary’s) and ...

Planning permission to extend a controversial proposed off-licence in Spalding has been refused on the grounds of road safety and privacy grounds. A premises licence was granted to Hemen Ahmad for the former sub-Post Office in Bourne Road in January. He then applied for permission to build a single-storey extension to the rear. South Holland District Council said the proposed ...

A motorcylist living in Spalding was killed in a crash on the A151 on Sunday. Mindaugas Mockus (37) was riding a Yamaha motorbike when he was fatally injured in the single-vehicle collision at Corby Glen. The incident was reported at 10.52am and happened on Station Road, just before the railway bridge. Mr Mockus was part of a group of three ...

South Holland District Council now has a new composition for a fresh four-year term. The 37 members covering 18 wards were elected during a count in Spalding on Friday afternoon, following Thursday’s poll. It was a good election for the ruling Conservative group, which increased its number of seats by three to 28. For the first time, UKIP has members ...

John Hayes has been re-elected as Member of Parliament for South Holland and The Deepings. He was returned to the House of Commons for a fifth term with an increased share of the vote. His 29,303 votes was 60 per cent, up a single percentage point from 2010. In a speech moments after the result was declared in Spalding at ...

Very few people manage to visit all seven continents of the world in their lifetime – but Moulton man David Pritchard is among them. He has just returned from an expedition to Antarctica – one of the most inhospitable and inaccessible places on Earth – that has not only been a defining moment in his career, but also a life-changing ...

The patient who nominated a Long Sutton case manager for the Queen’s Nurse title has told of her joy at the award. Christine Wicks, who suffers from systemic actinomycosis, put Claire Walpole forward for her unstinting palliative care. The condition affects around one in 300,000 people and, for Christine, it affects all parts of her body, causing pain and “a ...

Parents and carers fighting for the survival of the short breaks service for their disabled children have been given hope. Lincolnshire County Council had been expected to end or dramatically cut funding in September. But after campaigning by concerned adults and a consultation, the council has revised plans. In a letter to parents and carers, it said: “The final offer for ...

A local magistrate has resigned in protest over a new court charge which he believes could affect defendants’ right to justice. The Criminal Courts Charge, introduced last month, is designed to ease the burden on taxpayers by making offenders pay towards the cost of courts. Anybody convicted of a summary (less serious) offence at a magistrates’ court after a guilty ...