News

An innovative scheme to help toddlers hit the right note has been launched in South Holland. ToddlerBand is the brainchild of experienced multi-instrumentalist and music tutor Gary De-Vanche. Gary has developed the ToddlerBand course as a way of offering music to children who have traditionally had to wait to start learning an instrument. And courses have been launched in Spalding ...

Surfleet mum-of-two Sophie Bailey is hoping to raise awareness for the Little Princess Trust after losing her locks for charity. The 23-year-old from Cheal Road decided to help the charity – who provide real hair wigs to children who have lost their own hair through illness – after concerns during her second pregnancy. And she now wants more residents and ...

A village cricket club has been left counting the cost of damage caused to the covers used to protect their square. Officials at Moulton Harrox Cricket Club discovered on Sunday that the corrugated plasticised sheeting on their covers had been damaged beyond repair. And the South Lincs and Border League club now faces a race against time to repair its ...

The winners of the Pride of South Holland Awards 2016 have been announced. Hundreds turned out this afternoon (Sat) to see the district’s unsung heroes honoured at a ceremony at Spalding’s South Holland Centre, hosted by Jan Whitbourn and Chris Carter of Tulip Radio. Special guest, soapstar Andy Whyment – who plays Kirk Surtherland in Coronation Street – handed out ...

Citroën dealership Rylatt & Sons has gone bust with the loss of six jobs. The Pinchbeck-based firm went into administration last Thursday (June 9). Rylatt & Sons’ Facebook page was updated with “permanently closed” on Friday before being taken down completely. A spokesman for Citroën said: “Rylatt & Sons, who operates the Citroën franchise in Spalding, is in administration and ...

Battle lines have been drawn in the war to drive shoplifters and troublemakers away from Spalding town centre. In the past six months four people have been given lifetime bans and another a 12-month ban from most of the town’s pubs for violence and drug offences. There are currently ten persistent shoplifters barred indefinitely from town centre shops, with a ...

Police say they have been “frustrated” a Spalding shop has been allowed to carry on its criminal activity during an appeal against a ban on selling alcohol. Nasza Biedronka, of Sheep Market, has its alcohol premises licence revoked in January after a series of raids uncovered a large quantity of illegal cigarettes. But the shop immediately appealed the decision and ...

Five million pounds is to be spent tackling the bad smell that continues to hang over Spalding. The cash is earmarked for improvements at Anglian Water’s sewage treatment works over the next three years. It will pay for a replacement for the sludge processing plant with a modern centrifuge system which will better contain the sludge and process it faster ...

A shortage of GPs to cope with Lincolnshire’s growing and ageing population has reached crisis point. It is feared difficulties recruiting doctors to work in Lincolnshire – and many retiring early due to the pressure of growing workloads – mean patients could face longer waits for appointments. They could also see delays in having their illness diagnosed and it is ...

People with sight or hearing loss in Spalding can get a helping hand to make the most of the internet at a free online skills session. RNIB’s Online Today project is aimed at supporting 125,000 people with sensory loss nationally get online and benefit from technology. Blind and partially sighted people in Spalding are invited to attend a free online ...

Public fears have prompted a U-turn on a decision to turn some of the county’s streetlights off at 10pm. Lincolnshire County Council is looking to save £1.7million from its annual £5million streetlighting budget, which will involve turning off some lights in residential areas for part of the night. Although the majority of these lights will go out at midnight, the ...

The site of Adcocks Drinks Company in Crowland could make way for up to 50 new homes. The business has applied to South Holland District Council for outline planning permission in Crease Drove. Early indications are that the mix of housing might be 12 two-bedroom, 26 three-bedroom and nine four or five-bedroom. The agent says: “This equates to approximately 33 dwelling ...

A second set of relatives and friends of a late Spalding man are attempting a difficult fundraising challenge in his memory. Sisters Diane Sinclair and Christine Ambrose, nephew Jason Sinclair and his girlfriend Tara McNab will be chasing the rising sun this weekend. They will leave Hunstanton at 9.30pm on Saturday and cycle the 100 miles along coast roads to ...

Stallholders at Holbeach Market claim they have never had it so good following its trial relocation. Traders say the market has doubled in size and business is booming in Boston Road car park because it’s a safer environment and customers are enjoying a better shopping experience. However, several High Street shops say footfall has noticeably declined on Thursdays and Saturdays ...

Residents concerned about the impact of a proposed anaerobic digestion plant are being given the opportunity to find out more. The planning application submitted by WD Branton, of Willow Tree Farm, Deeping St Nicholas, has upset some neighbours of the proposed site near Counter Drain Drove in Tongue End. One objector, Helen Eve, says concerns centre around transport movements and ...

Spalding United has warned that the club needs a proper base to enable it to continue to grow and deliver a popular learning environment for hundreds of children. With close to 300 boys and girls now involved in its teams from under-seven to under-18 age groups, the club says its nomadic existence is not sustainable in the long-term. Training and ...

Modest Normandy Landings veteran Tony Blackman says he is “surprised” at the level of ceremony as he receives France’s highest order for military merit. The Weston 91-year-old will be presented with the Légion d’Honneur at a service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on Saturday, June 18. Tony has been invited by the Colonel Commandant of The Parachute Regiment, ...

This phone kiosk in Spalding might be adopted by South Holland District Council. For just £1, it could be considered a good call. One suggested use for the run-down kiosk near The White Horse in Churchgate is as a quirky tourist information point. Spalding Town Forum vice-chairman Coun Jack McLean is due to discuss the possible adoption and uses with fellow ...

South Holland District Council has issued an assurance on the immediate future of Spalding’s Castle Sports Complex. Commenting on the future of Spalding Beer and Music Festival, the first of which was held at the leisure centre last month, Castle ward member Coun Gary Taylor said: “There is still some uncertainty regarding the future of the Castle site, which needs to be resolved.” ...

Something which will stimulate debate and divide opinion in homes, workplaces and pubs across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland is about to happen. No, not the omnipresent EU Referendum – football’s European Championships 2016 kicks off in Paris on Friday (June 10). And with the rare circumstance of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland all involved, ...