by Andy Hall at Survanabumi Airport It was indeed a welcome development that the Supreme Court of Thailand issued its judgment on November 3 at Prakanong Court, dismissing, after almost four years at a final stage of appeal, a criminal defamation case against me. In this case I was prosecuted as a researcher and migrant activist for criminal defamation by Thailand’s ...

A new pot of money has been made available to accelerate new investment opportunities and increase economic activity across Greater Lincolnshire. The Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership has announced the launch of a new Feasibility Fund worth £160,000. Businesses and organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors can apply for grant funding of up to £50,000 towards detailed feasibility ...

A computer technician who downloaded videos of young children being abused has been jailed for ten months. Gene Lee Swallow was arrested after police raided his home in Spalding and discovered that he had used a flash drive connected to his television to access the illegal films. Lincoln Crown Court heard that one of the films showed the abuse of ...

Cutting police officer numbers and a degradation of service is the only option to make further necessary savings for Lincolnshire’s force, an independent report has found – leading to another call for more funds. Lincolnshire’s Chief Constable has said an interim Government grant is needed after promised funding was withdrawn. A HMIC efficiency report into the force said: “The force ...

Santa has announced the dates that he will be journeying around the streets of Spalding with his helpers from Rotary Club of South Holland in the run-up to Christmas. The sleigh, sponsored by Oasis Pools and Spas this year, will be trying to visit as many homes as possible during December. Evening runs are between 5.30pm and 8pm. The first outings ...

Spalding business owner Michael Morris has been named FHT Complementary Therapist of the Year at a national awards ceremony. Organised by the Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT), the event recognises high-calibre practitioners, students and tutors working in the complementary, holistic beauty and sports therapy industries. Michael, of Tonic Health, said: “I’m really thrilled to receive this award as it celebrates ...

A couple have celebrated their golden wedding anniversary by raising over £650 for the Stroke Association, after their son had a stroke. Shirley and Albert Storey (both 80) invited guests at their 50th anniversary party to donate money to the charity, as their son Chris had a stroke at the age 47 in May 2015. Chris was supported by the ...

The annual Spalding Action Medical Research Christmas Gift Fair is at Springfields Event Centre on Monday, November 7 (2pm-9pm) and Tuesday, November 8 (9am-4pm). More than 50 stalls will offer items to solve Christmas gift shopping in one quick go. Spalding Arts and Crafts Society will be exhibiting too. The website www.spaldingAMRchristmasgiftfair.co.uk has details of fashions on show on both ...

South Holland councillors have voted in favour of a devolution of powers deal for Lincolnshire, but final decisions from other parts of the county are now key. The government’s Department for Communities and Local Government has issued a statement calling on Lincolnshire leaders to back the deal. It said: “This historic devolution deal offers local authorities in Greater Lincolnshire new ...

Spalding town centre will be more attractive to shoppers in the run-up to Christmas thanks to a financial lift enabling a series of events. Spalding Town Centre Management Board (STCMB) has agreed funding of more than £5,000 from the Springfields S106 pot. The cash injection comes soon after Baytree Garden Centre at Weston extended its agreement to donate a Christmas ...

Moulton Mill has reappeared on the Heritage at Risk register after part of the £2million restoration project carried out there failed – but work is well under way to resolve the issue. A £80,000 to £90,000 piece of work is needed to replace part of the fantail staging where wood that was expected to last for 30 years has failed ...

Residents and businesses are being asked to collect barcodes from packets of Yorkshire tea and teabags to help Rotary Club of South Holland provide vital mobility equipment to disabled children and adults around the world. Rotary International in Britain and Ireland (RIBI), in conjunction with Yorkshire Tea, is helping the Wheelchair Foundation UK in its aim to provide a wheelchair ...

Fleet Post Office could be moving to a new location early next year. A six-week consultation is under way to gauge customers’ feelings about the branch being sited about 650m away at The Chestnut Tea Rooms, in Topsgate, Gedney. The current opening hours are Monday to Friday 8.30am-5pm and Saturday 9am-noon, but if the move goes ahead it would be ...

John Hayes, hang your head in shame. You have voted to abolish Disability Living Allowance. This will mean absolute misery for thousands of people across our country, young and old. People who have served this country well in the forces and through no fault of their own are now left with disabilities. You were elected to serve the people of ...

A motivational speaker who has lived through domestic abuse has launched a £3,500 crowdfunding campaign in a bid to host events to help others. Taz Thornton ran a pilot workshop in Spalding in September in association with Lincolnshire County Council for people who had escaped abusive relationships and is now keen to do more. The 42-year-old, of Cowbit, said it ...

The benches in Spalding town are in a terrible condition. If we want to attract shoppers in town, then we should replace the old seating. This would cost very little and make a big difference to the town. There are a lot of people who need to sit down when they are out shopping, especially the elderly and those with ...

One reads on the front page of The Voice (October 27) of how the South Holland District Council have finally removed disruptive tenants from Princes Street, Sutton Bridge. The article might have been written by South Holland District Council as it seemingly suggests how the “blues and twos” flashed as the whole council acted in haste to rid the suffering ...

A fashion show staged by East Elloe Lions Club raised hundreds of pounds for charity. And there were hot flushes among some of the volunteer models when they were escorted along the catwalk by firefighters in uniform. The show at Sutton St James Village Hall was a sell-out. Good quality garments by High Street names were sold at heavily discounted ...

Holbeach Cemetery Chapels Trust would like to learn more about the people buried in the Park Road cemetery and is inviting the public to share their stories, memories and keepsakes of loved ones at an informal Reminiscence Day on Sunday.(Nov 6) Members of Holbeach Cemetery Research Group will help recording people’s memories and there will be old photographs on display. ...

This pile of medication – worth hundreds of pounds and returned to a South Holland GPs’ surgery – demonstrates a big financial problem facing the NHS. We reported on October 20 about Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group’s plan to save £13.5million a year by stopping prescriptions for minor ailments for medicines which are available over the counter, such as painkillers and ...