Rail fares for East Midlands Trains customers will rise by an average 1.5 per cent next month, with the increase nationally being 2.3 per cent. East Midlands Trains – the train operator for Spalding services – says the rise, which start on January 2, equates to 23p per average single journey. It says customers will see fares on average reducing in ...

Few people can say they retired from the same job in which they started 45 years previously. Loyal NHS employee Katrina (Tina) Gray, who finished working at Johnson Community Hospital on Wednesday (Nov 30), is one such person. However, although she started and finished in the same role, Tina (62) held other roles inbetween as well as taking a break while ...

Traveller families have completed their move off an unauthorised site at Gosberton Clough – 12 years after the first of them arrived. They have moved to a new Spalding site developed by South Holland District Council as a replacement. The council will take ownership of the empty site in Broad Drove. The new site at Drain Bank North, which has ten ...

A proposed sharp rates rise is threatening the future of a riding stables business in West Pinchbeck. Four Winds Equestrian Centre proprietor Paula Leverton says the rise equates to an extra £200 per month and passing that amount on to clients is troublesome for the business. She said: “Nobody objects to an increase but it’s got to be in line. ...

This is an e-fit image of a suspect police want to speak to about a distraction burglary and assault in Crowland. At about 2.45pm on Monday, November 21, the man walked into a property in Glebe Gardens asking to read the meter. Police said: “He then assaulted the occupant by slapping him and demanding to know if there was money in the ...

Planning applications have been submitted for a total of 135 homes on two sites, in Holbeach and Gosberton. A development of 55 new homes is proposed on farm land behind 50 Fleet Road, Holbeach, which would be demolished to create access. An outline planning application submitted to South Holland district Council by the owner of the house, Mr T Morriss, said: ...

By Karen Johnson South Holland District Council community development officer The first signs of winter have begun to creep in. It’s amazing how after changing the clocks the nights soon start to draw in and many of us start to light our log burners or turn up the central heating in a bid to keep warm and toasty in our ...

Businesses canvassed about a proposal for Spalding to become a Business Improvement District (BID) have demonstrated a “clear appetite”. A survey was commissioned to gauge interest in a defined area paying a levy, based on a premises’ rateable value. A BID – last mooted and rejected in 2009 – would employ a town centre manager and support events. News of ...

Thank you to D Loos, of Fleet, for their advice ‘Check your water bill’ (November 17). I have been promised a refund of £125 since I had been charged “foul and surface” despite my downpipes going to soakaway and not into a drain. J Newman Spalding I am writing to say thank you to D Loos for their letter. I ...

Due to the general inertia and torporific attitude in alerting the neighbourhood displayed by our local police, may I warn fellow residents of Whaplode St Catherine of a couple of prowlers, resulting in a theft from a garage on Sunday night/Monday morning. Their transport was believed to be a white Vauxhall Golf, or similar. With such a brazen attitude by ...

I read with interest the proposed changes in the distribution of green recycling sacks (Voice, November 24). I am a great believer in recycling, always using one green sack per week. Strangely, I ran out of sacks in September and had to collect a supply from Priory Road reception. I again ran out of sacks in November and had to ...

Further to the report “Better pool hygiene is already evident” (Voice, November 10), I no longer use the Castle Sports Centre as it’s not fit for purpose. I am someone who goes to other pools (ie. Peterborough, Boston, etc) due to the fact one is never able to get a decent swim as it’s very overused, as with the gym. ...

When my mother lived in Holbeach, she insisted on using Fleet Road Garage, even after being advised by our family not to. She bought cars off them which were far too expensive for what they were worth, and sold cars to them for half the value that the car was actually worth. My mother, was a lovely lady (widowed and ...

Police and traders are working together to identify and stop shoplifters. Recognise anyone in these CCTV images? They’re all wanted for questioning over recent incidents. Stuart Brotherton, ShopWatch co-ordinator, said: “There is bound to be a spike in shoplifting as it is the time of year. Clearly this is a time for extra vigilance with shops working together using the ...

Housing developments on the downtrodden Red Cow Hotel site in Donington and in Peterborough Road, Crowland, are poised for planning consent tonight (Wednesday, Nov 30). Market Homes proposed 31 new homes on the derelict Red Cow Hotel site, which has been closed for around 15 years, and to demolish the tap bar. The listed coach house would be converted into ...

Holbeach’s Chosen charity shop has made a double whammy of presentations for £2,000. Spalding PHAB is planning to put the money towards taking 50 members to a Christmas pantomime. And Boston Samaritans is using the donation to recruit new members for the support group. Pictured (from left): Mary Stevenson, Dorothy Katze, Iris Boland, Pauline Bowyer of The Samaritans, Nigel Pulford, ...

Plans for a prototype house capable of being lifted on mechanical stilts to escape flooding are expected to gain planning permission tonight (Wednesday, Nov 30). Larkfleet Homes applied to build the experimental three-bedroom detached house on land associated with Ashgrove Lodge, in Austendyke Road, Weston Hills. Following the end of the five-year temporary permission the modular property could be dismantled ...

Spalding Primary School has benefited from a community project by Swinton Insurance. A company representative joined the Year 6 gardening club to clear the outdoor learning space and make it usable. And then he teamed up with a representative from B&Q to donate buckets, trowels, spades and gardening gloves for the young gardeners to use to maintain and improve the ...

It’s all systems go for two big Christmas events in Holbeach this weekend. (Dec 3 and 4) Holbeach St Nicholas Fayre is centred around All Saints’ Church on Saturday and Sunday, and Holbeach Hub Christmas Celebration is in Boston Road South on Sunday. For St Nicholas Fayre, it is the third annual running of the event. Organisers say this year’s ...

Holbeach’s Fleet Road will once more become a wonderland of Christmas lights as Jack Turner switches on the illuminations at his home. Each year Jack decorates his home to raise money for Holbeach and East Elloe Hospitals Trust. Last year his home was covered in more than 60,000 lights, raising £1,245 for the charity. This year he promises there will ...