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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas with Spalding getting ready for Saturday’s festive lights switch on. The official turning on of the Christmas tree lights is due to take place around 5pm on Saturday, amid a day of celebration in the Market Place. Santa himself will be in town accompanied by the Rotary Club of South Holland. Spalding’s ...

An acclaimed equestrian artist gave a painting demonstration at a recent Spalding Arts and Crafts Society meeting. Award-winning painter Jane Lazenby travelled to Pinchbeck to show how to immortalise a horse using pencil and acrylic paint. A Spalding Arts and Crafts Society spokesman said: “Jane’s love of horses came through in her painting of a runaway horse based on a ...

Two paramedics from Spalding Ambulance Station are avoiding razors for a month to take part in Movember. Movember is the annual charity event in which men are sponsored to sport a moustache and raise money and awareness for men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer and suicide. Spalding paramedics Trevor Wain and Tomas Picha have both signed up ...

A South Holland charity has donated £7,000 to three good causes in the area. The Chosen charity, of Holbeach, has given £2,000 to the town’s scouts and guides who are looking to raise £8,500 for a new roof and guttering on their meeting hut. A further £2,000 was donated to the Holbeach United U11 (Black) FC who needed warm tracksuits ...

A successful scheme to compost garden waste in a two-year trial looks likely to double in size. There are currently 1,555 households registered on the waiting list for brown bins in South Holland. During the trial, 3,404 subscriptions have been secured with 324 buying additional bins. There were also 222 paper sacks bought. “The success of the pilot scheme and ...

A public meeting is to be held in town on plans to turn Spalding’s Post 16 Centre into an academy for youngsters who may have been excluded from other schools or have problems. Springwell Alternative Academy’s proposal to convert the Matmore Gate building has met some opposition with a petition having been launched opposing the move. The meeting will run ...

A Spalding couple have met a child they sponsor during a trip to Uganda. Rachel and Paul Wilson met five-year-old Blessing for the first-time while on a trip to visit their daughter Emily who is currently volunteering in Africa with charities Mission Direct and Chilli Children. Rachel and Paul sponsor Blessing through the Compassion UK charity and took the opportunity ...

A Holbeach hero has been awarded a long service medal to commemorate 20 years in the fire service. Crew Manager Simon Smith joined the fire service in 1992, based out of Holbeach. He served until 1997 and rejoined the service in 2001 after a short break. At an awards ceremony in Lincoln last week, Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire, ...

Santa will be out and about touring the district with the Spalding Lions. Monday, December 4 – Donington: Park Lane, Gleed Avenue, Church View Close, Church Street, Main Road, Church Lane, Browntoft Lane, Manchester Way, Badgate Lane, Crosslands, Mill Lane, Mallards Reach, Saxony Way, Highfield Road, Market Place. Tuesday, December 5 – Donington: Market Place, Station Street, Barnes Road, Cowleys ...

Lincolnshire Police are appealing for people to hand over any unwanted guns as part of a national two-week surrender of firearms and ammunition. Superintendent Kieran English said: “Keeping a firearm is a huge responsibility. This is an opportunity to ask if it is a responsibility that you really want and if so, do you have the legal right to hold ...

This weekend sees a raft of Remembrance Sunday events taking place right across South Holland. Pinchbeck: On Sunday there will be a service at the Baptist Church from 10.30am. The service at St Mary’s Church, Pinchbeck, beings at 10.45am. The parade will leave the village hall at 10:30 and then proceed to church. After the service, wreaths will be laid ...

Shop santas and their helpers can get a free lesson in sign language to make sure as many children as possible can join in the festive fun. Two free sessions are available to teach people working as festive figures the key signs and symbols that will help ensure all children can experience the same magical moments while visiting Santa this ...

Stores in Spalding and Long Sutton will again participate in Lincolnshire Co-op’s popular Santa’s Suitcase appeal. After the success of last year’s collection for homelessness charities, Lincolnshire Co-op’s 13 travel branches are currently running the Santa’s Suitcase appeal – collecting presents which will be shared with local social inclusion groups. It forms parts of Lincolnshire Co-op’s Community Champions scheme, which ...

Holbeach Hospital has been presented with a cheque for £1,200 from Bakkavor Pizza. The money was raised at summertime events. Welly wangers at the Bakkavor Fun Weekend and people who enjoyed pizzas from the company’s mobile oven at the Holbeach Food Festival all contributed. Hospital manager Maxine Winch said: “I would like to thank Bakkavor for their very generous donation; ...

Public safety issues could force a traffic ban for Long Sutton Market Place when the market is in town. A public meeting has been called on Monday to discuss a range of options for the market. “The close proximity of moving vehicles to pedestrians, traders and customers as the market is erected, during trading hours and while stalls are dismantled, ...

Membership is growing at Holbeach Civic Society with new members signing-up at the last meeting. The society had been at risk of closing with a falling number of members and a lack of people coming forward to take roles within the organisation. But Nick Worth has stepped in as chairman, Tracey Carter has taken the position of secretary, with Val ...

A Spalding man is “feeling fantastic” in the run-up to facing the New York Marathon this weekend in aid of Cancer Research UK. Duncan Wright (51) said: “I simply can’t wait. Training has gone well, although the long runs have been tough. I’ve ticked all the boxes on my training plan so hopefully I’ll be able to get round in ...

Cold Feet star John Thomson added a bit of sparkle to Springfields when he switched on this year’s Christmas lights. The event was hosted by Heart FM’s breakfast show favourites Kev and Ros with live performances from Classical Reflections, as seen on BBC1’s TV programme The Voice and Spalding’s St Paul’s Community Primary School Choir. John Thomson switched on the ...

A Whaplode woman has receieved an award for her group’s poppy collection efforts. Margaret Gregory, poppy organiser for the Holbeach St Marks branch of the Royal British Legion, travelled to the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre in East Kirkby last week for the launch of the Lincolnshire poppies ceremony. It was there she was given the Jill Rymer award by HM ...

Ten Ford Kugas have joined Lincolnshire Police’s ranks to help officers tackle crime in tough conditions in Lincolnshire. The vehicles, which will be used in South Holland when needed, are designed to cover fields and farm tracks, as well as difficult winter weather conditions such as icy or flooded roads. The vehicles will cost £195,000, which includes the cost of ...