Community

Meet your new friendly neighbourhood PCSOs. Three new police community support officers are on the streets after an intense training schedule. Nikki Timms, Ken Stephenson and Tim Nicholls are currently on patrol with their mentors in their respective areas. Nikki can be found in Spalding town, Ken is patroling estates and Tim is taking care of the rural regions. Inspector ...

A Spalding charity has received a late Christmas present thanks to the owners of a town fish and chip shop. Westlode Fisheries opened on Christmas Day to serve free lunch for those who would be on their own otherwise. Around 35 people made use of the offer between 1pm and 3pm. The family-run business also delivered fish and chips to ...

A Spalding man who 16 times crossed the channel as part of the Normandy landings in 1944 has been awarded France’s highest honour. Edwin West (92), known as Ted, was presented with the National Order of the Legion of Honour by the honorary consul for France, Jean-Claude Lafontaine at a special ceremony at the Services Club on Friday, January 19. ...

All young people can benefit from acting, says the leader of Spalding show group Act II. On Saturday, January 27, Act II Theatre Company will welcome youngsters and their families or carers to the Clay Lake studio for a chance to see what goes on at the company that puts on scores of performances a year. “Act II is not ...

A music festival dedicated to those with a disability or learning difficulties is being held in Spalding this year – and organisers want to hear from those who wish to get involved. The Going Forward Music Festival is set to take place later this year on Saturday, July 28 at The Priory School. Spalding-based poet Callum Brazzo is one of ...

Staff at Spalding’s Johnson Community Hospital have been presented with some Handy Reachers for the patients. In October, joint Spalding District Commissioners Jane Amess and Bridget Scase attended a meeting of The Friends of Johnson Community Hospital, which supports the hospital with, amongst other things, the purchase of equipment that helps patients on the wards and the clinics. At that ...

From next month, repeat prescriptions must be ordered manually each time they are needed in an attempt by the NHS to reduce waste. From February 1, pharmacies in South Lincolnshire will no longer be able to re-order medication on repeat prescription for patients. Instead, patients must “manage their own repeat prescriptions by requesting items online, or by handing paper copies ...

A group of Slimming World consultants from Spalding were congratulated on helping slimmers to lose weight and change their lives by singer and TV presenter Peter Andre. The team, who run Slimming World groups in Spalding, were delighted to get a chance to meet Peter when he presented the annual Slimming World Awards. The Mysterious Girl singer co-hosted the event ...

A village school was overrun with superheroes and other colourful characters as part Let’s Pretend day. Whaplode Church of England Primary School welcomed the likes of Spiderman, Spidergirl, Batgirl, Frozen’s Anna and Elsa, Sonic The Hedgehog and Captain America among its ranks. A school spokesman said: “Reception children at Whaplode decided that they wanted to come to school dressed as ...

A college that has a campus in Spalding is celebrating a ‘good’ Ofsted rating. Ofsted recognised high standards of provision, performance and quality of teaching at Boston College during its recent inspection. The report concluded that the college, with its Spalding and Boston campuses, had built on previous inspection performance with aspects of provision described as “life-changing”. There was excellent ...

A Spalding singer-songwriter has started the year on a musical note with the release of a three-track EP. Matthew James Aylett (31) released his rootsy, country-inflected Factory Blues EP online on Friday. Matthew, who has lived in Spalding all his life, said his music reflects the area and his experience working here, best summed up in the opening track, Ain’t ...

A couple who aptly live on Love Lane in Spalding have celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. Ena Turner (87) and husband Les (92) were wed at Whaplode Church on December 27, 1947. They celebrated their platinum anniversary together at home. The pair had met in the Odeon Cinema in Spalding, though neither can remember when and what they were there ...

A Spalding resident says she has had enough of residents and fly-tippers who have “no thought for the town”, leaving rubbish in streets. Jackie Allen, of Victoria Mews, says rubbish being left on the surrounding streets and fly-tipping around Victoria Street Car Park leaves visitors to Spalding with a poor first impression of the town. Jackie told The Voice: “I’ve ...

Anyone looking to get active in the New Year can try their feet at jive dancing as a new beginners’ class opens in Pinchbeck. Run by Boston Jive, aka Claire and Neil Seabrook, the classes teach jive and swing dance, to the backbeat of good old-fashioned rock and roll. Claire, who teaches across the county said: “Thursday nights are now ...

The Donington and Quadring branch of the Royal British Legion has closed its Malting Lane club for the final time. A statement on the group’s Facebook page said: “It’s the sad end of an era where dwindling numbers and increasing overheads led to this unfortunate outcome but we are not alone as Legion clubs are closing all over the country ...

New swimming classes are coming to Spalding. Billie’s Fins Swim School will offer classes at Woodhouse Lodge hotel in Spalding from February. Billie Whyatt, who runs the swimming school for more than 350 pupils around Peterborough said she is looking forward to starting in Spalding. “Woodhouse Lodge is a beautiful venue, it’s private, clean and quaint. There is a restaurant ...

Construction and waste management firm Mick George has awarded money from its community fund to two South Holland causes. In Crowland, Mick George granted £15,000 to Crowland Methodist Church. After a five-year consultation period to decide whether the church should relocate, committee members decided it would remain where it is and undergo the necessary maintenance work. A spokesman for Mick ...

Award winning artist Vic Bearcroft had Spalding Art and Crafts Society howling at their latest meeting. Vic specialises in animal portraits and he provided a demonstration of pastel and black valour using just four colours.   Vic created Howling Wolf from an original photo taken in a Berkshire Wildlife centre of a North American grey wolf called Nuka. The meeting ...

Winter can be the loneliest time for the elderly, but a Spalding institution brings them together every weekday. The Spalding District branch of Age UK’s Sir John Geest Centre has now been bringing together those who otherwise would be left by themselves. An army of around 50 mainly volunteers collects the pensioners and brings them to the centre on The ...

A Spalding GP practice has been put into special measures after it was rated inadequate by inspectors and patients are said to be “at risk of harm” due to missing systems. Patients at Pennygate Health Centre were deemed to be “at risk of harm” because systems were not in place to keep them safe. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) published ...