News

By South and the Deepings MP John Hayes Having never lost sight of the remarkable journey I made from a council estate childhood to the House of Commons and Downing Street, I retain the humbling sense of wonder at being a Member of Parliament. I am proud of my roots and the working class culture in which I was raised. ...

News that a Spalding signal box’s days are numbered has sparked a campaign to have it saved. Network Rail has confirmed that Winsover Road signal box will be demolished after work to automate the level crossing is completed next month. The crossing will then be overseen by a control room at Lincoln. Rail enthusiast Trevor Smith believes there could still ...

The nasal spray flu vaccination being piloted in Lincolnshire schools comes to South Holland next week. The NHS says Sir John Gleed School in Spalding is the first port of call on Tuesday (Oct 14). The programme will visit all secondary schools before November 25. Only pupils in years 7 and 8 will be offered the free vaccination.

Shoppers in Spalding were given advice about eyesight condition macular degeneration as part of a special event. A stall promoting Macular Society was set up at Spalding Market last week by local opticians Molsom and Associates. The stall aimed to help raise awareness of the condition, which is the most common cause of sight loss in the UK. Staff from ...

Nick Kendrick works as a health and safety officer for Compass Point Business Services (East Coast) Limited, a back office service of South Holland District Council. Nick says each week brings different challenges – no two weeks are ever the same. “I see it as my duty to dispel the myths of ‘elf and safety’ and make sure that the ...

Souvenir hunters are being warned not to attempt to approach the scene of yesterday’s plane crash in Weston Hills. As investigations continue into the cause of the accident, a cordon remains in place around the scene, staffed by Lincolnshire Police  and Ministry of Defence officers, and people have been told if they breach the cordon they could find themselves in serious ...

A new dance studio in Low Fulney is a step closer to receiving planning permission. Spalding School of Dance currently rents a base in Horseshoe Road, and wants to relocate to purpose-built premises in Rangell Gate, next to the home of school principal Claire Patman. The Environment Agency had objected to the original application due to a perceived flood risk ...

Almost a quarter of a million pounds in debts to South Holland District Council has been written off in this financial year alone. The £240,186.29 is made up of council tax and business rates plus former tenant arrears and housing benefit overpayments. However, the total is just a tiny percentage of the overall amount for which the council is responsible ...

Spalding pub landlord Pete Williams could become the first UKIP member on South Holland District Council. The owner of The Punchbowl in New Road is planning to stand for election in a Spalding ward next May – but won’t say which one at this stage. Mr Williams said: “I’ve not decided yet that I’ll definitely stand but if I do ...

A young dad was killed when the car he was driving left the road and hit stables in West Pinchbeck. Steven Gibling was alone when the accident happened in Starlode Drove on Sunday night. Police are trying to piece together what led to the car crashing on the straight rural road. The scene is in a 40mph speed limit not ...

If you need help or advice with using your laptop, tablet or smartphone, an event in Moulton on Thursday, October 16 will be just the ticket. To mark Get Online week, Moulton Community Centre is holding Techy Tea Party 2 between 2pm and 4pm. It will follow the same format as last month’s original tea party, with committee members bringing along their ...

It’s business as usual at a village school this morning after a military plane crashed just yards from it yesterday afternoon. A spokesman for Weston Hills Primary School said almost all of the children had been able to get to school this morning after road closures were lifted. She said: “The roads are mainly open around Weston Hills now. “The ...

A military plane crashed in Weston Hills on Wednesday afternoon. The F-15 fighter jet, from RAF Lakenheath, came down off Broadgate, not far from Weston Hills Primary School at about 3.30pm. The pilot ejected safely and there were no casualties on the ground. Plumes of thigh black smoke filled the air and nearby residents were recommended to stay inside and ...

Schools and colleges may have to form closer links to ensure funding cuts do not affect the variety of courses on offer for students after 16. It is feared smaller sixth forms across Lincolnshire could be left floundering by funding cuts which could see £2.8million wiped off education budgets this year and a further £1.2million next year. Lincolnshire County Council ...

A proposed Spalding free school hoping to open next year would teach its young pupils Spanish to a conversational level. Invicta Group is a new proposer aiming to reignite the previous application for a bilingual school in Spalding, which was withdrawn last year by The Phoenix Family of Schools Trust (PFOS). Invicta says it has already had an expression of ...

A Spalding charity shop is taking part in a nationwide musical instrument amnesty which aims to ensure children have the chance to play. The Oxfam shop in the town is acting as a drop-off point for the amnesty, which is being spearheaded by internationally-renowned classical pianist James Rhodes. He wants to see musical instruments passed onto UK school children who ...

Pupils at The Garth School in Spalding have new play equipment bought with donations from South Holland district councillors’ ward members’ budgets. Twenty members each contributed between £60 and £350 to give £2,370 to the special school. Pupils now have new weighted push-along toys, scooters, tricycles, wheelbarrows and buggies. There was even some left over to buy new screens. Coun ...

A pensioner died from a rare and unforeseeable complication following a hip replacement operation. Shortly after the prosthetic implant was fitted, Bertha Durrant suffered a catastrophic fat embolism – globules from bone marrow getting into the lungs, preventing blood being oxygenated sufficiently. Mrs Durrant (86) died in Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital on May 22 this year, the day after the operation. ...

A Spalding resident appeared at Lincoln Crown Court on Tuesday charged with causing the death of a motorcyclist by dangerous driving on the A16 near Crowland. Lithuanian national Edvinas Maciulevicius (25) is accused of causing the death of motorbike rider Marcel Banom following a collision on March 12 this year. Mr Banom (37) had an address in Peak Hill, Cowbit, ...

A car driver was killed in an accident in West Pinchbeck on Sunday night. His car left Starlode Drove and collided with a wall at about 11.15pm. The man was the only person in the car and was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency services. Lincolnshire Police are asking any witnesses who have not already spoken to officers to ...