As we head towards Christmas, I believe it is appropriate to concentrate on the good and some extraordinary acts by people who describe themselves as ‘normal’, ‘just doing my job’ or ‘it was nothing’!Let me start with the extraordinary acts of three young men – Charlie, Ben and Callum. I was privileged to accompany them to the National Police Public Bravery ...

Over the past few weeks we have had some terrible weather, wet and cold but almost every night, stalwart volunteers from several charities are once again walking their way around almost the whole of South Holland to bring some Christmas magic to thousands of children and adults along the routes.The Santa sleighs are working their way around our towns and ...

I find it difficult to understand why Spalding’s branch of Halifax bank is closing down in April 2024.I know the branch is well used.I am in my 40s and IT literate and competent, but I still go to the branch every month for a print out of a payment because I can’t do that at home or anywhere else.I hope ...

On Friday, December 8 at 11.45am we were involved in a road collision with another car at the roadworks on the Weston bypass.The other car sped through a red light to try and get through and collided with our car as we went through a green light to merge onto the main road, A151.Our car is a red Kia Rio, ...

Much has been written over the last week regarding the sad loss of Benjamin Zephaniah.I would like to pay tribute to this special human being on a local and personal level.I first met Benjamin around 11 years ago a year after he had moved to this area.I’d parked my car in Holbeach, on returning to my car he was getting ...

Santa made a special trip to St John the Baptist School in Spalding recently to sing along and talk with pupils. Courtesy of Spalding Rotary Club and Malcolm Biggadike, the Friends of St John made up of parents and staff from the school put on the Singing and Stories with Santa day on December 3.A spokeman for the Friends said: ...

Living in the heart of rural Lincolnshire, there can only be one way for Santa to arrive – by tractor. The Spalding and District Young Farmers organised a festive run on Sunday, and almost 100 vehicles took to the roads across South Holland.The Christmas road run was organised by club chairman Michael Sullivan, vice chairman Russell Newell and the management ...

Lincolnshire County Council’s executive committee has decided that it will not support solar farms on the highest-grade farmland in our region. The committee reviewed its Energy Infrastructure Position on Tuesday, with Colin Davie, the Portfolio Holder for Energy and Environment, emphasising that Lincolnshire’s policy does not endorse solar farms on grade one, two, or 3A land, writes Local Democracy Reporter ...

November proved a busy month for South Holland District Council’s Public Protection team, with 20 prosecutions for those who failed to pay FPNs (Fixed Penalty Notices) for littering offences and a further 109 FPNs were issued for offenders caught fly-tipping, spitting or littering in the district. Boston Magistrates Court issued the 20 offenders who hadn’t paid a fine of £220, ...

Spalding’s Chappell Centre is to get a refurbishment. The Lincolnshire County Council owned building on Pinchbeck Road provides the base of a host of local services.Regular users include the Deaf Society, Police Cadets, Carers UK and Age UK.The county council’s executive member for adult care and public health, Wendy Bowkett made the announcement as part of an update on the ...

The first UK grown baked beans have been tinned in Long Sutton. After 12-years of research by the University of Warwick, Andrew Ward of Leadenham has managed to grow suitable haricot beans, usually imported from around the world.But the first batch was officially canned at Princes’ in Long Sutton recently.The man behind the project, Eric Holub, said: “We went to ...

Patients in a palliative care suite in Spalding can have relatives stay with them overnight thanks to a generous donation. The Spalding Freemasons Lodge, Hundred of Elloe, Number 469, raised £600 at its recent Ladies’ Festival and decided to donate the money to the Tulip Suite refurbishment appeal at Johnson Hospital.A spokesman for the Freemasons said: “Charity is the cornerstone ...

A man has denied murdering a woman whose body was found in a Spalding churchyard. At Lincoln Crown Court last week, Paul Neilson, of Priory Road, Spalding pleaded not guilty to murder and manslaughter charges following the death of Colette Law earlier this year.The 26-year-old’s body was found in a tent in the grounds of St Mary and St Nicholas ...

One of the UK’s top poets and TV presenter Benjamin Zephaniah has died, his family have said. Benjamin, originally from Birmingham but who has lived in Moulton Chapel for around 12-years, had been diagnosed with a brain tumour eight weeks ago before his death today (December 7) aged 65, a statement posted on social media said. The statement says: “It ...

Three teenagers who stopped a ‘dangerous’ criminal from sexually assaulting a woman on a Spalding street have been given a national bravery award. Charlie Burley, Callum Smith and Ben Tyler were aged just 15 and 16 when they ran over to Kamil Gziut who was in the process of assaulting what the trio described as a woman in her early ...

A new music festival/carnival is set to take place in Spalding next July. Ayscoughfest is to take place on Saturday, July 27.Coun Mark Le Sage has began organising the event and is enlisting the help of Spalding Town Forum.“Ayscoughfest is a one-day mini music festival promoting local music,” he said. “We’re lucky to have Ayscoughfee and it’s about utilising that, ...

Police have charged a 47-year-old man after discovering £1m of drugs in a Whaplode St Catherine house. A warrant was executed in Cranesgate North last Wednesday (29).Specialist officers carried out a search of the property and located various equipment including pill presses, powders including Diazepam and anabolic steroids in a hidden room of the house, and an outside container at ...

Work has begun on the Sheep Market toilets in Spalding and its hoped it would be completed by May. Coun Henry Bingham, South Holland District Council’s portfolio holder for assets told last week’s Spalding Town Forum the authority was still liaising with contractors on the project but work has had to start to meet the deadline for the spending of ...

People have been incredibly generous in supporting our Give A Gift appeal this year. We have already received many gifts but we still need more presents and there are only a few days left to donate as the appeal closes on Wednesday, December 13.The appeal makes a huge difference to struggling families across South Holland and Boston, ensuring less fortunate ...

Circular seating in Hall Place known as an epicentre of anti-social behaviour in Spalding is to be replaced. However the move has already been criticised amid claims it won’t solve the area’s problems.The issue was discussed extensively at last week’s meeting of the Spalding Town Forum where Shop Watch representative Stuart Brotherton said ‘95 per cent’ of people involved in ...