Book characters came to life across South Holland on Thursday March 7 as young people across the region celebrated World Book Day. Young (and some older) across the district dressed in a theme to show their appreciation of books. Many were inspired by their favourite books including Mia Holmes dressing up as Little Miss Fox and Pete Bailey monkeying around ...

A junction on the A16 at Crowland is to be reported to the Government and Lincolnshire County Council by a senior coroner as “not a fit and proper configuration”. The ‘island’ junction – where the B1166 Hulls Drove and James Road meet the trunk road – has been the scene of up to four fatalities since its installation in 2010, ...

A three time drink driver from Spalding told a court he would not be driving again, but then asked Boston magistrates to be allowed to take the course that would reduce his driving ban. Svajunas Bagdonavicius, 47, of Holyrood Walk admitted failing to provide a breath test for analysis after he was arrested by police on suspicion of drunk driving ...

A Spalding businesswoman is running her first ever marathon to help the family of a ten-year-old girl battling illness. Monika Todd will be pounding the streets of the capital for the London Marathon next month and has extra motivation to succeed. She is raising money for Alethia Greenfield who is waiting for a vital appointment at Great Ormond Street Hospital ...

Two young people gave up their weekend to raise money for six hours of nursing care for someone local with cancer. Elizabeth (6) and Victoria Hammond (3) joined mum Hannah in collecting for Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal. The pair collected over £122. Elizabeth said: “I have been helping my mummy since I was a baby and now my best ...

New providers have taken over the district’s leisure sites, with a pledge to focus on customer service and cleanliness – two issues that have dogged the Spalding facility in recent times. Parkwood this week replaced 1Life as operators of the Castle Sports Complex in Spalding and Long Sutton’s Peele Leisure Centre, and pledged to improve both facilities. The five-year contract ...

A mums’ group that’s been going for over 30 years has helped seven local good causes. Moulton Ladies raised £700 over the past year through events and, as with every year, they nominated charities, groups and organisations to receive the cash. This year’s nominated good causes that received cheques were Tonic Health and Dementia, Abbeygate, Moulton Community Association, Mia, Charlie ...

Spalding Grammar School continues to be ‘good’ says its latest Ofsted report. The short inspection at the school was carried out on February 5 and the report published this week. “The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection,” says the report. “The progress made by pupils was exceptionally strong in mathematics, ...

A 21-year-old has been ranked among the best in the country at her profession just a year after opening her Spalding business. Amber-Jane Parish owns The Painted Lady which on Sunday was named as the runner-up in the Nail Salon of the Year at the English Hair and Beauty Awards 2019. She and her only employee, 17-year-old sister Eden-Ann Parish, ...

The deadline for the consultation on proposals for the Spalding Western Relief Road is this Friday. There have been four drop-in sessions held in the town to have a look at the proposed central section of the new road. An online consultation has also been held and it comes to an end on Friday, March 8. “At the moment, the ...

A Spalding man has told of his sadness at the closure of a busy train line that ceased to service the town 60 years ago – and is appealing for specific pictures. Life-long railway fanatic David Smith (75) remembers the day the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway stopped its passenger service in Spalding when he was just 15. “I ...

Nearly 600 people attended a jobs fair which proved popular with both businesses and job-hunters. South Holland Jobs Fair, which is organised by the district council and The Department for Work and Pensions saw a host of businesses and organisations at the Castle Sports Complex in Spalding on Tuesday. And 586 people, up from around 550 last year, attended the ...

A woman accused of murdering her partner after driving for nearly 200 metres with him on the bonnet of their car had discussed marriage with him just weeks earlier, a jury was told. Alison Skingsly exchanged text messages with Kevin Nix in which talked about getting married, the jury heard. James Thomas, prosecuting, read out a series of texts between ...

Generous Spalding residents have helped a retiring fundraiser provide nearly a quarter of a million pounds to The Poppy Appeal in the last decade, including £23,000 around the 2018 Remembrance Day. Peter Lyon has run the appeal for the Spalding branch of the Royal British Legion for the last ten years but is stepping down from the role due to ...

A local band’s latest release is another bumper cheque for charity. Six-piece band RetrospeKt have been going eight years and their 60s and 70s inspired guitar music has been raising money for a host of good causes. Their past 12 months of fundraising through gigs has led to a £1,300 donation to The Alzheimer’s Society. The band’s John Heron, said: ...

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I saw the piece about the station refit. You could knock the existing building down and replace it with a copy of Buckingham Palace but if the train service is poor what difference will it really make to the travelling public? The actual day to day trip on the Spalding to ...

I’m sure that many of us will have heard the expressions “that’s karma” and also “they’ll get their comeuppance”, but has anyone actually witnessed this first-hand? I can now truly claim to have done so. The other day, I was walking along a street in Spalding when I observed a council civil enforcement officer (traffic warden) issuing tickets to wrongly/illegally ...

If Tusk is right – I look forward to my special place in Hell and I will thank God that I have done my duty and Britain is free to be great again. Richard Fairman Cowbit

Thank you to the lady (I think her name is Theresa) who helped my husband Geoff up when he fell near Carphone Warehouse in Spalding on Monday, and helped him to the barber’s shop on New Road. Nancy Smythe Spalding

So Holbeach Parish Council is to increase its share of council tax by twice the rate of inflation, at five per cent, followed by the usual cry of lack of resources. Perhaps the chairman of the council could explain to the people of the district why, in view of the hardship cries, the 18 councillors voted to spend over £3,000 ...