A rundown building in a prominent town-centre position is the subject of a conversion plan. A proposal has been put forward to turn The Bell Hotel in Holbeach’s High Street into a licensed restaurant and six apartments (three each on the first and second floors). The property, which is not listed but is in the Holbeach Conservation Area, has been bought ...

The streets around Spalding Parish Church came to a standstill on Tuesday lunchtime (Sep 13) as hundreds of people paid their last respects to someone synonomous with the town. Gordon Boswell, founder of the Romany museum at Clay Lake, died on August 27 at the age of 76. He took over his father Sylvester’s scrap metal yard in 1977 and, ...

Healthwatch Lincolnshire is a consumer champion for health and social care issues. It is not part of the NHS, but will raise issues of local significance to Healthwatch England for it to use as influencing evidence at government level. Here, information and signposting officer Julie Evans (pictured) describes a typical day at the office in Swineshead…  My day starts with ...

Independent shopkeepers in South Holland are invited to a special workshop aimed at helping to increase their profits. Organised by the district council in association with the Federation of Small Businesses, the free event is open to owners and staff members of independents. Subjects include ways of attracting and retaining customers by utilising shop fronts, window displays and merchandising. A ...

A Spalding Parish Day School student has received a runner-up award in the Lincolnshire Media Education Awards. Emily Wright was the school’s first-ever representative at the awards ceremony in Lincoln and was shortlisted in the Primary Writing Award category. Assistant headteacher Kim Bird said: “Emily was nominated because her writing ability is out-standing and it is always a pleasure to ...

South Holland District Council has launched new self-service pods in the reception area of its offices in Priory Road, Spalding. They allow access to the council’s website, enabling residents to complete services including paying council tax and reporting a range of community issues. The pods have access for disabled people and can be used at any time during office opening ...

Harvest Church Spalding is joining in the first-ever global Alpha advertising campaign, which features Bear Grylls. The survival expert said: “My Christian faith has brought light to a dark path, warmth to a cold mountain and strength to a failing body. I remember crawling onto the summit of Everest and clearing the snow from my mask to see the curvature ...

The Spalding branch of the Western Front Association is inviting the public to hear its guest speaker next Thursday.(Sep 22) Former Boston farmer Martin Middlebrook – one of the county’s best known military historians and authors – is finally bringing to an end over 40 years of writing and lectures on military history. He wrote his first book ‘The First ...

The family of a cerebral palsy spastic quadraplegic have launched a £12,000 appeal to buy her a powered wheelchair which would transform her life. It comes after Phoebe Matthews had the chance to try the chair which reclines, and helps her to sit and stand. Mum Amanda said Phoebe’s face lit up when she was able to stand in the ...

The potential level of nuisance by a heavy industrial site to a proposed housing development in Crowland is to be investigated. South Holland District Council planning members voted on August 31 to defer Wheatley Homes’ application for upto 100 homes on land either side of Harvester Way, which abuts Crowland Cranes’ site. Coun Pete Williams said the firm had chosen ...

A free workshop is being offered, giving advice on how to apply for a new Big Lottery grant for one-off community events and activities. Between £300 and £10,000 is available through the Celebrate! programme for one-off events or activities which bring local communities together. Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Service (LCVS) is holding the ‘Celebrate – writing a good funding application’ ...

A proposed development of 86 homes was recommended to be built 1.5 metres above the existing ground level to counter the risk of them flooding. And South Holland District Council’s planning committee has been told to expect many more similar recommendations by the Environment Agency in the future. At a meeting on August 31, some members had reservations about the eventual ...

A girl and boy accused of killing a Spalding dinner lady and her 13-year-old daughter have admitted manslaughter but denied charges of murder. The teenagers – both 15 – appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday (Sept 6). The pair each denied the murder of Liz Edwards between April 4 and 15 this year. They each also denied murdering Katie Edwards between April ...

Forty full-time roles are being recruited to at Bakkavor’s soups and sauces factory in Spalding. The fresh prepared foods manufacturer wants operatives for cooking, filling and spice room and has roles within dispatch and hygiene. The roles involve both day and night shifts. Werner Bezuidenhout, head of HR at Bakkavor Meals, said: “This is an exciting period for our business. “The diverse ...

A mum who lost 16 babies before having a “miracle daughter” has been jailed for three years after she used two of her dead children’s identities to claim benefits. Former nurse Maria Pridmore (36) suffered 14 miscarriages, a stillbirth and the death of an infant son over a heartbreaking 13-year period until she successfully gave birth in 2012. Lincoln Crown Court heard ...

A new car sales site could be built on an “important gateway site” in Pinchbeck. EMG Motor Group wants to relocate from St John’s Road in Spalding to a more prominent position in Elsoms Way, just off the Wardentree Lane/West Marsh Road roundabout. One side of the road would be the car showroom and outdoor display area, the other would ...

Entries to the annual South Holland Business Awards are being encouraged after a slow start. More than two-thirds of sponsorship opportunities for this year’s event have been snapped up by local businesses. Now Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce, which launched the 2016 awards in June, is urging firms to submit their entries for the event on Thursday, November 24. Phil Scarlett, ...

When Emma Frost’s love life suddenly broke down, she was pretty fed up and turned to Google to provide her with a lift. The 26-year-old from Holbeach St Johns typed in “apply for TV shows”. Now, nine months later she is in with a chance of winning a life-changing amount of money in a reality TV show. The Perfect World ...

Users of Gedney Dyke Village Hall will have a warm glow this winter thanks to a £7,785 grant. A new Calor Gas central heating system is to be installed, replacing a costly electric heating system, which was put in when the hall was built in 1977. The grant issued to the Main Street building, which is a registered charity, comes ...

Sainsbury’s Spalding’s Local Charity of the Year got off to a tremendous start. Launch weekend at the Holland Market store for 12 months of support for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) raised £1,318. Velo One cycling club’s Dan Carr (whose eight-year-old son Oliver has Type 1 diabetes), Josh Wallis and Neil Palmer helped the cause by clocking up 146 miles ...