Things to do

Reasonable rental rates and a clear space suitable for almost all events put village halls at the heart of their local community. The diverse events on offer at our local hubs – from exercise classes to film clubs – are testament to the creative and community-minded organisers who book the space. Whaplode Village Hall is an excellent example of a ...

A scheme aimed at getting more people in South Holland walking has celebrated its tenth anniversary. The Walking for Health initiative held a special event at the South Holland Centre which was attended by 130 walk leaders and volunteers. New members are always welcome to join the club which has eight walking clubs across the district offering 13 walks. A ...

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will once again fly over Spalding this weekend. Spectacular flypasts of iconic World War Two aircraft will thrill people of all ages this Saturday and Sunday. The era of the war years, big bands and ration books will be vividly brought back to life at Ayscoughfee Hall Museum and Gardens. The historic Spalding venue ...

After such a great run of new films at the cinema in recent weeks, I suppose it’s apt that the sequence ended with Captain Underpants. We’ve been spoiled by SpiderMan: Homecoming, War For The Planet Of The Apes and Dunkirk over the past month or so. It’s fair to say that 20th Century Fox’s animated adventure isn’t in that league ...

A star-studded line-up of 80s icons will be appearing in the county next month – and we have a pair of tickets to be won.   Spalding-based Live Promotions are staging an Icons of the 80s night at Lincoln Castle on Saturday, August 12, featuring the likes of Go West, Tony Hadley and T’Pau.   This year marks the 30th ...

Every now and then, a film comes along that gives you a unique experience at the cinema. I’ll never forget seeing Avatar in 3D, which was the first film (regardless of your view on it) that genuinely made you feel like you were in that world for a couple of hours. Christopher Nolan’s epic Dunkirk is one of those films. ...

For me, Matt Reeves’ Planet Of The Apes reboot is one of the best surprises of the last cinematic decade. After the 2001 offering directed by Tim Burton (and starring Mark Wahlberg) bombed, it felt like the popular series would be left in the past. But I’m glad that Reeves had other ideas. If 2011’s Rise Of The Planet Of ...

Whether you’re a super-hero fan or not, you’ll no doubt be fully aware of Spider-Man – so having the iconic web-slinger back for a solo film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was always likely to be one of the big events of the year. Tom Holland’s Peter Parker made his much-anticipated MCU debut in last year’s Captain America: Civil ...

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a film starring the always excellent Rachel Weisz at the cinema – and her performance in My Cousin Rachel is certainly one I won’t forget in a hurry. I’ll be honest from the off, I wasn’t expecting much from this big screen adaptation of the 1951 novel by Daphne du Maurier. And, to ...

I’ll be honest, the 1999 version of The Mummy is one of my guilty pleasures. Headlined by Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, it mixed a solid cast with a dark story that never really took itself too seriously. In short, it’s the sort of film that you’d find on ITV2 at 10pm and watch for the tenth time for reasons ...

Being the first female-led big budget superhero film – while also being billed as the DC Extended Universe’s (DCEU) beacon of hope – Wonder Woman always had a lot riding on it. While I’m not one of the many who didn’t enjoy Man Of Steel (MOS), Batman v Superman (BvS) or Suicide Squad, popular opinion seems to be that the ...

It may not be a universal view, but I’ve always enjoyed the Pirates of the Caribbean films. Ever since the original way back in 2003, the Disney offerings have always felt like a big deal – mixing stellar star power with swashbuckling action that is suitable for the entire family without ever being too child-orientated. That being said, the fourth ...

When it comes to sci-fi horror franchises, Ridley Scott’s Alien offerings can certainly claim to be the granddaddy of them all. Few will forget the first time they saw the xenomorph explode out of a human chest back in the 1979 original – and the creature remains the gold standard for extra-terrestrial beings in film. If you discount the ridiculous ...

The original Guardians Of The Galaxy was one of my favourite “surprise hits” of the year back in 2014. Sure, Marvel Studios aren’t known for producing flops, but I remember a lot of trepidation before the James Gunn-directed superhero offering hit the big screen. This time around, expectations were through the roof ahead of the second outing for the ‘Cosmic ...

Very few film franchises reach an eighth instalment, but the Fast and Furious movies have never really looked like slowing down. What started as a series that paid homage to fast cars and introduced a likeable bunch of characters has slowly turned into an action series that isn’t afraid to speed beyond the realms of possibility. Love it or hate ...

A chance to discover the occupations of Victorians buried in a Holbeach cemetery and see inside its Grade II listed chapels is on offer on Saturday.(April 22) The open day is the latest event in a diary of activities being supported by a £49,000 Heritage Lottery Fund award. Gill Graper, a trustee of Holbeach Cemeteries Chapel Trust, said: “There aren’t many ...

From the moment I saw the first trailer for Dreamworks’ The Boss Baby drop, I was sure it was going to be a bit of a stinker. Truth be told, I was hoping that it’d fall on a week that had a few other more promising releases. But, to my surprise, it is nowhere near as bad as the promotional ...

The identity of Zebra’s new lead guitarist was revealed on Saturday night to an extremely packed and lively Lincolnshire Poacher.   Ro Barrett, who hails from near Stamford, has stepped up to take on the coveted role and has previously gigged with bands throughout Europe as well as having a successful career as a singer/songwriter.   The dance floor was ...

Remaking a classic is always a dangerous game – and Ghost In The Shell certainly came in for plenty of criticism before it had even dropped a trailer. For those of you (like me) that haven’t seen the 1995 British-Japanese science fiction anime original, it is something of a cult classic with a 96 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. ...

I’m a sucker for a science fiction (sci-fi) film – so when I saw the stellar cast attached to Life, my expectations went through the roof. Not to be confused with the incredibly funny Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence film of the same name (1999), Life is directed by Daniel Espinosa (Child 44) and focuses on a group of astronauts ...