Keeper Ashley Elderkin was the hero as Spalding United advanced to the quarter-finals of the PFA Challenge Cup with a dramatic 6-5 win on penalties at Langtoft United Reserves. The drama on Saturday (November 28) followed a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes. With Spalding’s league form dipping over recent weeks, a cup game was a welcome break to try and ...

Spalding Christmas Market – scheduled for Sunday (November 29) – has been cancelled due to forecasted high winds. Organisers contacted The Voice at 7pm on Saturday with the news. Spalding town centre manager Dennis Hannant said: “We have had to cancel the Christmas Market tomorrow due to the expected bad weather; wind speeds of between 30-45 mph.” Ayscoughfee Hall Winter ...

South Holland District Council leader and Local Government Association chairman Gary Porter (55) last week (November 18) had his first day in Parliament’s second chamber as Lord Porter of Spalding. It coincided with an #ourday Twitter initiative to highlight the work of local government. We’ve fleshed out his tweets to give a flavour of a memorable day in his life. ...

Planning councillors stand accused of being “draconian” after getting tough over work done without permission. Homeowner Simon Barker has been ordered to reinstate the line of a replacement boundary fence which he extended to enclose a 9m x 2m piece of his land that had attracted animal fouling and litter. And Zagros Abdullah has been told to restore a window ...

The Rotary Club of Holbeach has confirmed its dates for this year’s Santa’s sleigh run. A spokesman said: “Santa with his sleigh and helpers will set off at 5.30pm (Sunday timings to be confirmed closer to the time) and will visit as many homes and children as he can fit in until 8pm. “Please listen for his sleigh bells and ...

Police have launched a manhunt after an alleged assault and car crash. Ryan Brooks left an address in Pinchbeck on Tuesday morning (November 24), using a car he had taken without permission. The vehicle was then involved in a collision before being abandoned at Holbeach Drove. Police said: “The condition of the vehicle suggests that Ryan is likely to have suffered an ...

An arrest warrant has been issued to secure the attendance of a Moulton woman at court. Maria Pridmore (35) was due to attend Lincoln Crown Court on Wednesday (November 25) for a plea and case management hearing, but her legal team told the court that she said she was not fit to attend. Pridmore, of West Cobgate, is charged with the theft ...

By Coun Nick Worth, deputy leader of South Holland District Council Public services are likely to be severely tested as a result of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement this week. This stems from his incessant drive to tackle the national debt and balance the books by 2020. District councils are proportionately likely to take a larger hit – our main funding ...

The wait of more than 30 years to get a proper footpath for a popular pedestrian route in Holbeach is over. Issues over land ownership and public rights of way hampered efforts to get a path – known locally as Skinners Chase – installed between Langwith Gardens and Stukeley Hall Drive. Coun Francis Biggadike, in particular, has put a lot ...

A free advice session about personal safety in and out of the home is being offered. Holbeach district councillors Francis Biggadike and Tracey Carter and Holbeach county councillor Nick Worth have organised the Staying Safe session run by former police detective Stuart Gibbons. Topics will include: home security bogus callers and rogue traders scammers personal safety safe shopping safe use ...

Father Christmas is about to start his annual sleigh ride tour of Spalding and other parts of South Holland. In Spalding, his reindeer and sleigh will be provided as usual by the Rotary Club of South Holland – and Rotarians escorting the sleigh will be supported by other local charities and community groups who will also benefit from the collections. ...

A Spalding man who suffered a broken leg in a fall and then spent a night sleeping outside in cold conditions died four days later. Nicholas Letchford was “well in drink” when the injury occurred, an inquest heard. The following morning two homeless people came across him on the cleared site of the town’s former Welland Hospital in Roman Bank, ...

Winter Paralympics silver medallist Jade Etherington was the inspirational guest at the latest South Holland Duke of Edinburgh’s awards presentation event. Before presenting the awards at a busy hall at University Academy Holbeach, Jade talked about her skiing successes at Sochi 2014 and the trials and tribulations leading up to the event. Six candidates from UAH, three from Spalding High ...

Half of Lincolnshire’s road safety cameras have not been working for at least two years. It means that many thousands of drivers have got away with speeding offences at locations known to be accident blackspots. In South Holland, three of the seven cameras have been out of action since 2013 and a fourth only came back into operation last month ...

Extra train services through Spalding are being provided for the duration of Lincoln Christmas Market. East Midlands Trains is providing a further 14,000 seats across its network between Friday, December 4 and Sunday, December 6. For Spalding, there is a 10.22 service to Lincoln and a 16.43 train back on the Saturday. On Sunday, there are services to Lincoln at 09.31 and ...

The gritters covering South Holland’s roads have been blessed ahead of their winter programme. The annual service took place at Lincolnshire County Council’s Highways Alliance depot in Pode Hole. There are six gritting routes out of Pode Hole and a spare gritter to cover for breakdowns, making a total of seven lorries. Pictured (back, from left) – Nicholas Bell, Tom ...

Pupils from Spalding’s Ayscoughfee Hall School learned about crime and punishment in Victorian times, on a trip to the Galleries of Justice in Nottingham. As part of its history topic work, the year six class experienced the harsh conditions children faced in a reform school. They also participated in a re-enactment of two court cases, each child taking the role ...

Opening hours at Spalding tip are set to reduce further after South Holland District Council approved a pilot scheme for a garden waste collection service. Lincolnshire County Council, which runs the Household Waste Recycling Centre in West Marsh Road, has indicated that it will also stop Saturday morning skip collections around the district. District council cabinet members last week approved ...

Residents of ten new almshouses in Spalding can look forward to being in their properties by Christmas. Broadgate Homes built the Larkspur Way homes and also delivered the previous batch in Clover Way. The one-bedroom bungalows – known as the John Van Geest Homes – have a fitted kitchen, wet room with bath and shower and carpets. They are also fitted ...

Charity and community group members have the chance to find out how to successfully apply for grants at a free training session in Holbeach. Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Service (LCVS) is running the session on Wednesday (Nov 25) at Holbeach United Services, 50 Church Street (1.30pm to 3.30pm). Marie Chapman, LCVS senior community development and volunteering officer, said: “Whilst every ...