Author Archives: Peter Sargent

Shake-up as Wilko announces up to 3,900 redundancies

A national store with a branch in Spalding town centre has announced up to 3,900 redundancies. Wilko is currently consulting with staff on the shake-up. The company is looking to take out a level of supervisory roles across the UK but is also creating 1,000 new senior positions as part of the changes. The consultation is due to run until ...

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Ban for pensioner after fatal collision on the A16

A Long Sutton grandfather of ten died when a pensioner failed to see his motorcycle on the A16, a court was told this week. Jean Taylor (74), of Stickford, admitted causing the death of Terence Westrop (65) by careless driving following the collision on the A16 at Sibsey in December. Lincoln Crown Court heard Taylor was driving her husband to ...

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Knit, purl and prayer as Spalding parish church goes on display in wool

A woollen version of Spalding’s parish church is on display at Lincoln Cathedral. It is one of seven marking the culmination of Woolly Spires, a county-wide project. The exhibition features the church of St Mary and St Nicolas along with those from Boston, Sleaford, Louth, Grantham and Stow Minster – one representing each rural district in Lincolnshire. Many of the ...

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Lincolnshire police make statement of intent on rural crime

Lincolnshire Police have laid out the force’s strategy on rural crime. Deputy Chief Constable Craig Naylor recently brought together stakeholders and partner agencies, including the NFU, from across law enforcement and the rural community in the first meeting of Lincolnshire Police’s new Rural Community Safety Multi-Agency Gold Group. The meeting was an opportunity to review last year’s rural crime and ...

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Up to 10,000 people at Spalding 1940s weekend event

Record crowds were in Spalding over the weekend when the clock was turned back to the wartime years. It was the era of ration books, Lindy Hops and the dreaded Doodlebugs. But visitors were In the Mood when they dressed in their finest for the occasion. The 1940s event held at Ayscoughfee Hall saw around 10,000 people enjoy the sunshine ...

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Farmyards turned into ‘fortresses’ as Lincolnshire is hit by rise in rural crime

Rural crime cost Lincolnshire a staggering £2.5million in 2016, up 5 per cent from £2.4million in 2015. The figures form part of NFU Mutual’s annual Rural Crime Report, published today, revealing that despite Britain seeing a 4 per cent drop last year, the cost of rural theft has risen sharply in the first half of 2017. According to NFU Mutual’s ...

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Aldi’s Spalding supermarket to close until September

Aldi’s Spalding supermarket will be closed for several weeks for major refurbishment to be completed. The Spalding shop in Winsover Road is expected to shut from 4pm on Sunday, August 27. An Aldi spokesperson said: “Our Spalding store will be temporarily closed while we extend the store and add more parking spaces. We look forward to welcoming our customers back ...

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Sound system problem halts district council planning meeting

A planning meeting had to be cancelled because of a sound system failure. Members of South Holland District Council’s Planning Committee were due to meet last Wednesday evening (August 2). But it was cancelled at the last minute because of the issue. “The decision was made because, in the absence of the microphone system, not everyone in attendance could hear ...

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Residential care home Hovenden House closes its doors for the last time

The doors of a South Holland residential home closed for business for the last time on Friday. Residents of Hovenden House, Fleet, have already moved out and the home has ceased to operate. Charity Leonard Cheshire Disability announced the closure in April, saying the Grade II listed building needed renovation and a great deal of money spending on it. At ...

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Gedney Hill crash completes busy day for air ambulance

Air ambulance crews had one of their busiest days last week with five serious 999 calls last Tuesday. The final call of a hectic shift was to a motorcyclist injured in a crash at Gedney Hill. The day’s crew of Chief Pilot Paul Smith, co-pilot Llewis Ingamells, paramedics Neil Clarke and RIch Irwin along with Dr Dave Cookson started the ...

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Auction day boost for St Mary’s, Long Sutton

Almost £1,000 was raised by a special auction at a Long Sutton church which is planning its 850th anniversary. The event was held at St Mary’s, which will mark the milestone in 2020 and money is being raised to create a new community room by way of celebration. Father Jonathan Sibley, parish priest, said the auction had been a great ...

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Art and open day in Holbeach at cemetery chapels

Budding artists in Holbeach can capture the majesty of the cemetery chapels on Thursday (August 10). The artwork created during Paint Out Day will then be displayed inside the chapels at the open day this Saturday. At Paint Out Day, art expert Phil Biggs will be on hand to offer free guidance and tips for painting the chapels. Phil ran ...

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Suspect driver back in prison but Police still hunting three after Crowland Co-Op ram raid

Police are still hunting three men believed to be involved in a ram raid at Crowland Co-Op on August 1. One man suspected of driving the Audi used as a getaway vehicle has been sent back to jail. The car was involved in a fatal crash at Ramsey Road, Whittlesey, around 4.20am on Tuesday, August 1. Police arrested the 31-year-old ...

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Dinosaurs and digs at historical Spalding festival

Visitors to Ayscoughfee Hall had a blast with the past at the Festival of Archaeology. The two-day history event transformed the gardens into Ayscoughfee “Jurassic” park. Staff from Cambridgeshire museum Fossils Galore brought along real dinosaur bones for visitors to handle. Remains from Indie, an eight-metre-long Iguanodon, and the skull of Stompy, a woolly rhinoceros, were on display. Stompy, who ...

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Patients at King’s Lynn hospital help with medical studies

More than 800 hospital patients across South Lincolnshire, King’s Lynn and Cambridgeshire are assisting with medical studies. Medical research at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, has seen a 116 per cent increase in participants in the past 12 months. The increase in willing patients has resulted in Dr Antonia Hardcastle’s Research and Development Team setting up more studies to ...

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Local skills and transport shortfalls hinder Lincolnshire businesses

More than half of Lincolnshire’s biggest businesses have highlighted a lack of skills as being a problem in the region. In the study by business and financial adviser Grant Thornton UK LLP, more than a third of businesses also said the county’s transport and infrastructure systems must improve if they are to continue to grow. Some 53 per cent of ...

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Spalding mum to Brave the Shave for cancer charity

A Spalding mum is about to have the shortest haircut of her life – to raise money for a cancer charity. Emma Fisher, pictured right, will be having her head shaved, in public, to help a charity very close to her heart. When she was ten years old her mum Jayne Bycraft died from cancer. She was nursed by Macmillan ...

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Custodial sentence likely as Spalding man admits child porn charges

A Spalding man admitted downloading more than 60,000 indecent images of children when he appeared before Lincoln Crown Court. David Kaye had previously denied the charges and was due to stand trial in front of a jury, but changed his plea when he appeared in  the dock. Kaye (43), of Spring Street, pleaded guilty to three charges of making a total of ...

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Roundabout takes shape at new A17 road junction layout

A brand new roundabout is taking shape on the A17 in a multi-million pound project. The junction near Holbeach is currently closed while work continues to replace the T-junction with a roundabout. The move will also open-up development for the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone. Lincolnshire County Council is spearheading the project which has already seen new gullies, a new ...

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Spalding man sent to jail for sex act

A Spalding man who sexually assaulted a woman while she lay asleep has been jailed for two years and four months. Ashley Bray (27) touched the woman inappropriately after she fell asleep on a sofa, a court was told. Bray (pictured) denied his motive was sexual but was convicted of the assault by a jury at Lincoln Crown Court. The ...

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