Police are continuing their search for a man following an assault on on a 70-year-old man at Whaplode St Catherines.
Officers are trying to find William (Billy) Morris Gray so they can speak to him about the incident on September 4.
A police spokesman said: “If you have any information that could help us find him, please call 101.
“In an emergency always call 999.”
Sam Cowell’s last-minute try secured victory for Spalding on Saturday.
Having trailed at half-time, they took the lead but threw away that advantage until the final stages produced a first win of the season.
Ryan Chappell was the captain on the day with Harry Brown still injured and Luke Turner started his first senior game at lock.
Adam Castle played fly-half for the first time at this level in the absence of both James West and Harry Winch.
Oundle started with confidence, playing the early part in Spalding’s territory and forcing the home team to defend their line.
It was not long before a well-won lineout ball went out to their backs, drawing the first penalty successfully kicked.
Two high tackles by Spalding drew the next penalty missed by Oundle’s fly-half but shortly afterwards he put their centres into space and, helped by a missed tackle, the opening try went to the visitors.
Slowly the home team started to work their way back into the game with Chappell gaining distance every time he carried the ball and putting Spalding on the front foot.
Two successive lineout wins by Mark Heighton, who during the afternoon gave a masterclass on winning your own ball at the front, saw the ball was passed out to Castle who brilliantly delayed his pass to George Brown who ran through a gaping hole that had been created in Oundle’s defence and under the posts for a converted try, reducing the visitors’ half-time lead.
Coach George Reid was forced to use the bench with all three substitutes Kieran Bailey, Richard Cooke and Ozz Osbourne needing to come on at different stages covering for knocks and injuries.
But this did not seem to alter the team pattern as they started to play some good attacking rugby, using the width of the pitch and giving both the Sharmans chances down the wings.
Near the halfway line Oundle took the ball into a ruck with Will Shields lurking as always.
Control of the ball was lost and was immediately gathered by Shields and with no initial defence he headed deep into the opposition territory and with a swivel of his hips he had beaten the covering full-back and over for an outstanding try converted by Castle.
The Spalding scrum was going well and with Jordan Templer, Marc Miles and Cowell following Chappell’s lead, taking on the opposition, gaining territory and challenging at the breakdown, Oundle were penalised for holding on.
A successful kick by Castle gave Spalding a 17-8 lead and a first home win was beckoning.
A few minutes later Spalding attacked down the right wing. George Douglas and Sharman went to catch the ball but Oundle’s full-back won the battle to secure possession and counter-attacked as their left wing finished off the move to reduce the lead.
Oundle fought back as Spalding’s intensity and concentration dropped.
A further try was conceded and all of a sudden from a winning position Spalding were trailing by one point with just a couple of minutes left.
From the restart with Oundle in possession they conceded a penalty at the breakdown while illegally protecting the ball just inside their half.
A towering kick by Castle for touch in the corner saw Spalding with a lineout just a few metres short of the try line.
Heighton secured the ball and a well-constructed maul was formed. With force and determination they edged towards the line.
The crowd were shouting excitingly with encouragement as Cowell, with ball in hand at the base of the maul, finally drove over the try line.
Although the conversion was missed, a well-deserved victory had been secured in the last minute.
Spalding: Hutson, Caley, Cowell, Heighton, Turner, Templer, Miles, Chappell, Shields, Castle, G Sharman, McHugh, Brown, H Sharman, Douglas. Subs Osbourne, Cooke, Bailey.
More and more homeless people are sleeping rough in shop doorways and at prominent sites in Spalding.
People have slept rough for several days during daylight in the entrance to the old Johnson Hospital, in Priory Road, Spalding.
Three people have been seen in sleeping bags on a grassy area beside Double Street, between Hills Department Store and the Lincolnshire Poacher pub.
One man regularly sleeps in the entrance to the Lincolnshire Co-op Travel, in Hall Place, and another town travel agent has reportedly installed a gate to prevent rough sleepers accessing its yard.
A rough sleeper has also been seen bedding down in the entrance to the former Station Gates pub,
Homeless man Artur Dismanis (44) has spent around three months camping in the open air, first in a bus shelter and second in a tent on wasteland.
He was living side by side with recovering drug addict Ben Chapman (33), who was also homeless.
On Monday, Artur told us: “I haven’t seen Ben for two weeks.”
Artur lost his home when he lost his job and said this week he hadn’t been offered any help.
A town trader, who asked not to be named, said rough sleeping around the town centre has become more of an issue during the last month.
He said: “It doesn’t create a very good impression of Spalding and we have got the Pumpkin Parade coming up.”
The trader said people were sleeping at the Bull and Monkie pub site, before the council cleaned it up, and in tents at the former Welland Hospital site.
Coun Christine Lawton, council portfolio Holder for housing, said: “We actively work with partners to offer help and support to people sleeping rough in South Holland.
“We are aware of these cases in Spalding and are working with the P3 Lincolnshire Outreach Team to offer assistance.
“In the case of individuals at the old Johnson Hospital, they have been offered help but turned it down. EU Nationals who refuse to engage can be referred to the Home Office.
“We regularly monitor rough sleepers across the district, leaving no stone unturned to ensure every recorded case is dealt with.
“However, our work can only ever be a snapshot and it is vitally important that people report cases to us.
“Councils have a legal duty to help people who become homeless and our housing advice team offer advice and assistance to people in this situation.
• Legally there is a difference between rough sleeping and homelessness although to the layman they mean the same.
For example, someone who loses their house through a job loss is deemed legally homeless, whereas a rough sleeper may not have had a home and is sleeping rough through choice.
Councils have a legal duty to help people who are legally homeless and the following page outlines the help offered by South Holland District Council www.sholland.gov.uk/article/3339/Homelessness
Previously ...
It wasn’t just the range of real ales that secured The Ivy Wall’s listing in the Good Beer Guide.
One of the CAMRA testers said: “It is our belief that if a licensee serves an excellent pint of real ale then everything else in the pub, including customer service, quality of food and atmosphere, are likely to be of an equally high standard.”
Phil Britten, landlord of The Duke of York, which is being listed for the 20th year, agrees, saying it’s the tasty cooking served up by his partner Susan Goodenough that brings the punters in.
Phil, who believes drinking real ale himself gives him the edge when it comes to judging quality beer, says: “I am very pleased to be listed again. I have two regulars and a guest ale, but it’s a good food pub as well.”
Pubs Officer sounds like the dream job for many, especially as it involves drinking real ale.
Pubs Officer sounds like the dream job for many, especially as it involves drinking real ale.
For Malcolm Phillips (who holds that title) and his fellow real ale enthusiasts in the Fenland branch of CAMRA, drinking real ale is all in a day’s work when it comes to keeping up good standards in the district’s pubs.
The local CAMRA members are responsible for coming up with a list of pubs they think are suitable for listing in that beer guide classic, CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide.
That work has been completed for this year and the 2017 guide is now out, containing the names of around eight pubs in this district.
These include pubs, such as The Duke of York at Gosberton Risegate, that have been listed previously, as well as newcomers, such as Ye Olde Red Lion at Bicker.
Malcolm explains: “We do have to try and rotate pubs otherwise you would get some pubs that would always be in the guide and some equally good that would never get in.
“It’s subjective because everybody has their own idea of what a good beer is, but what we are looking for is quality, and that very much depends on the landlord’s ability to keep good beer.
“The landlord is key, much more so than with keg lagers, which are more forgiving. With real ale there is an art to keeping beer in really good condition.”
And the local pub landlords who can congratulate themselves on meeting the high standard demanded by the CAMRA testers are, in addition to The Duke of York and Ye Olde Red Lion, the Ivy Wall and Prior’s Oven in Spalding; The Ship Inn at Fosdyke; The Hare & Hounds at Haconby; The Bull Inn at Pinchbeck; and The White Hart in Quadring, a pub that is being listed again after a couple of years’ break.
The testers had 200 real ale pubs within their branch area to choose from, with individual members making visits to score the beer before putting forward suggestions.
The scoring doesn’t end with the beer though, as a pub’s ambience and friendly, community spirit could just tip the scales in its favour to ensure that important listing.
And, of course, a welcoming landlord or landlady is a pub requisite.
A medical emergency prevented a privileged audience inside St Botolph’s Church, Boston, from enjoying the town’s Sinfonia orchestra playing Jean Sibelius’s towering Symphony No 1.
But the new season of Boston Sinfonia concerts did unveil an international star of the piano as Ukrainian-born musician Syuzanna Kaszo weaved an intoxicating spell with her interpretation of Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor.
Fresh after flying in from the USA where she is studying for an Artist Diploma at Texas Christian University’s School of Music, Syuzanna brought a depth of harmony and sensitivity to the Norwegian composer’s music, helped by a self-disciplined accompaniment from Boston Sinfonia members.
Syuzanna said: “I really liked the acoustics of the place and it was so majestic.
“I like playing in churches because I feel a deeper spiritual connection and music is my religion.
“I also really liked what I saw of Boston which is a beautiful town, very peaceful and having a great history.”
The concert opened with Giuseppe Verdi’s overture to “The Force of Destiny”, described in the programme notes as “the grandest and most powerful start to any of his (Verdi’s) operatic works” and “the magnificent exception that proves the rule”.
Conductor Nigel Morley, now in his 15th cycle of Boston Sinfonia concert seasons, brought authority and empathy to leading the orchestra and Syuzanna before the concert was abruptly curtailed due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control.
But only after Syuzunna, born in the Transcarpathia region of Ukraine and described by classical music critics as “finger-perfect, youthful flair and a most gifted and expressive young artist, with an engaging poetic temperament”.
“One of the orchestra players’ wives is a compatriot of mine who comes from the same town in Ukraine,” Syuzanna said.
“She offered my CD to the conductor (Nigel Morley), he listened to it and I invited me over to play with the Boston Sinfonia.
“I learned Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor specifically for this concert and it was during that time when I learned that Grieg wrote a lot of dance music.
“That helped me look at the piece as a story and I tried to picture whatever Grieg was trying to tell his audience.
“There are a lot of lighter moments in the piece that describe nature and the country of Norway he was from.”
Syuzanna started her musical journey at the age of five, having been brought up in a Ukrainian-Hungarian home where her mother was pianist and her father was also a musician.
But she said: “I don’t think my origin or the family I was brought up in had anything to do with my passion and love for music, although it might seem a natural thing to do to follow in your parents’ footsteps.
“Music was always a place of refuge and solace for me, it’s my closest friend and partner in life - for a lifetime.
“It represents a place of origin and destination, both at the same time, a place that represents both my home, my religion and my faith.
“Music is a kingdom that lies beyond the mundane world and this is the place where I feel my happiest and most content whenever I receive the privilege to reach and enter it.
“However, it’s not always possible to go there which is why my life in music so far has been extremely difficult - in fact, more than difficult.
“There were a lot of times when I thought ‘I can’t do this any more’, but it’s that inner love and passion I first found in myself when I was seven years old that keeps me going.”
Syuzanna initially studied at the National Music Academy of Ukraine before joining the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, where she studied under Graham Scott.
Described by the classical music magazine Gramaphone as “an exceptional talent”, Graham shared with Syuzanna the experience obtained from performing with leading orchestras, notably the London Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National and New York Chamber Symphony.
Syuzanna said: “Studying at the Royal Northern College of Music was a wonderful experience for me and one of the greatest opportunities I have received in my life because it presented me with the chance to play Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerto.
“It also opened the door to appearing at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, one of my most favorite performance halls in the UK and one which I always return to with excitement and enthusiasm.
“I’ve had a difficult, but very enjoyable journey in my life musically.
“But what really matters to me is if I can speak to the hearts of the people I play to and if I can achieve that, it’s the greatest victory and the greatest gift for me.”
Among the celebrated musicians Syuzanna has encountered are Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich, widely acclaimed as one of the greatest pianists of the second half of the 20th century, and American Malcolm Billson who has become known as the “Father of the Fortepiano” (an early version of the piano thought to have been used by composers such as Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Liszt.
Syuzanna said: “Most people from our part of the world are very, very hard-working and really give their all to what they chooses as their path in life.
“I’m very fiery and very determined in keeping to what I want to do which is why it’s not so much abouth the venues I play in, but the experience of playing music itself.
“At most of my concerts, I want the audience to be as one with the music as I am.
“One example of this was when I played at the Sala Sao Paolo, Brazil in 2006, a magnificent memory and probably one of the most inspiring and memorable moments of my life.
“I remember that I played Mozart Sonata K 310, Debussy’s Images Book 1 and some Liszt as well.
“In the summer, I went to the Schlern International Music Festival, another magnificent experience and one of the best summer courses I have ever attended in my life because it provided every participant with plenty of performing opportunities, communication with like-minded peers and mentors. “These are our beacons in the music world and one of the greatest features of the event was when some magnificent guest artists performed in concerts which provided us with a lot of insight too.
“In the autumn, I have several performances coming up in the north of England, including Newcastle and Durham, which will be followed by more in the state of Texas during November and December.”
Interview and review by Winston Brown
The new head teacher of The Deepings School has pledged to make it ‘a consistently good school for teaching and learning”.
Richard Lord, of Uffington, is in his fourth week as leader of the comprehensive school and sixth form after taking over from Richard Trow on September 1.
Mr Lord was previously principal of Ken Stimpson Community School, Peterborough, and has joined The Deepings School after a summer when almost 75 per cent of A-level students achieved grades of A* to C and the first GCSE students came through the school’s £4 million science centre.
Mr Lord said: “It’s been really exciting and re-energizing for me to be in a new position and I’ve had a really warm welcome from teachers, students, parents and governors.
“There’s always a sense of trepidation when a new head comes in because people don’t like change very often.
“But there’s been a really good buzz around the place and what I do get from the staff is a massive sense of willingness to develop and be the best teachers they can be.”
Mr Lord is only the seventh head teacher in the school’s 58 year history but he has already introduced new ideas, including a weekly newsletter for parents, daily staff meetings and plans for a new “alumni network2 for past students of The Deepings School.
“Schools are like living organisms, with their own language and culture,” Mr Lord said.
“I was appointed to be head of The Deepings School in May so the summertime was really busy in terms of getting to know this place, doing the handover at my old school and ensuring that the two staff training days at the start of September went well.
“Since then, I’ve spoke to every year group in assemblies and told them that I want this to be an exciting place to teach and an exciting place to learn.”
The Deepings School was rated as “Outstanding” by Ofsted in both 2009 and 2013 under previous head teacher Chris Beckett.
But Mr Lord said that developing his students to be “good citizens with good outcomes” was as important as improving exam results.
“The accountability regime, according to Ofsted, prioritises standard outcomes and I understand that,” Mr Lord said.
“At some point, my job depends on exam results and you come into a job like this knowing that’s the deal.
“On the other hand, we’re trying to develop well-rounded students ready to go on to be good citizens, with good outcomes and having made really good progress from when they joined us in Year 7, right through to Year 13.
“The Deepings School has all the ingredients to be a hotbed of teaching and learning in the CfBT Education Development Trust and the challenge over the next two years is for the school to be consistently good in all it does.”
Meanwhile, Mr Lord has reassured the Deepings community that the school would continue to play an important role there during his time as head teacher.
The school has been home to Deepings Foodbank for nearly three years and will host The Deepings Business Awards on Friday.
Mr Lord said: “I want to maintain The Deepings School as one that is really at the heart of its local community and the challenge for me is to engage with that and, if possible, to take it to the next level.”
New headteacher starts work at The Deepings School
Neil Johnson looks at this weekend’s match action in the cup and league competitions...
SHARMAN BURGESS SPORTS CUP
There were no shocks in the opening round of the Sharman Burgess Sports Cup, although Park United went mighty close to causing a shock.
Although losing 2-1 away at Old Doningtonians, Park United put in their best performance of the season against the higher-league opposition, pushing them all the way and keeping the result in the balance until the last minute.
The first half ended all-square at 1-1 with the Park goal coming from Ryan Huskisson and Brandon Harker replying for the Dons.
The all-important winner came in the dying moments when Mark Sharman fired home into the top corner from the edge of the box to put an end to Park’s brave fight.
Two sides relegated from the Premier Division, Kirton Town and Fishtoft, clashed at Graves Park and it was the home side who started the game strongly, opening up a quick-fire two goal lead before Fishtoft settled themselves towards the end of the half, hitting the crossbar with a good header from a corner.
Kirton again came out of the blocks quickly in the second half, scoring another goal to make it 3-0 almost straight from kick off.
This woke Fishtoft up and they finally got back into the game through Casey Sullivan before a further goal then followed through a well taken free-kick from Jamie Kuhn to set up a tense finish.
Fishtoft did carve out several good chances and even had the ball in the back of the net, only to see the goal ruled out for offside as Kirton hung on for a narrow 3-2 victory.
In an all-Division Three clash, Boston Titans edged out Northgate Olympic 3-2 with Mike Mcphail scoring twice.
Faria Helder was also on target for the Titans.
Two goals from Chris Bates helped Fulbeck United to a 5-2 away win at Holbeach Bank.
The other Fulbeck goals came from Ben Pollard, Paul Crampton and Nathan Selby.
Unfortunately Woodhall Spa United found themselves without a game after their scheduled home tie against FC Kirton was postponed owing to the visitors being unable to raise enough players for the trip.
TAYLORS GARAGES PREMIER DIVISION
A Jordan Turner hat-trick fired Spilsby Town to a fine 5-2 away win at Pointon in the Taylors Garages Premier Division.
Liam Papworth and Matthew Upton also got on the scoresheet for the visitors.
Pointon replied through Ben Dobson and Sam Husband.
Swineshead remain hot on the heels of the leaders following a 3-0 home win against Old Leake.
Guy Mantle struck two of the goals while Bert Snaith grabbed the other.
Benington’s in-form strike force of Adam Lyon and Gavin Bell bagged the goals to secure a narrow 2-1 win in a close contest at Coningsby.
Bell had fired the visitors into the lead in the first half before Coningsby got back on level terms after the break through Tom Sewell.
Lyon then stepped up to score the winner from the penalty spot for his third goal in as many games after Jason Cade had been bundled over in the box.
Wyberton Reserves and Leverton ended up all-square at 1-1 over at The Causeway with Michael Smith grabbing the Wyberton goal.
TAYLORS PEUGEOT DIVISION ONE
In the Taylors Peugeot Division One, Railway Athletic are already opening up a sizeable gap at the top of the table following their 4-2 away win at Friskney.
Greg Brown and Victor Sibert grabbed the Friskney goals but it was never going to be enough against an in-form Railway outfit.
Luke Smith, Jak Stephenson, Leon Creasey and Danny Woods hit the crucial goals for the visitors.
Freiston recorded a 4-2 home win against Fosdyke thanks to goals from Perrie Dale (two), Tom Bates and Reece Lovelace.
In a seven-goal thriller at AFC Tetford, visitors Swineshead Reserves gained their first points of the season following a 4-3 away win.
Giles Favell did most of the damage for Swineshead with a hat-trick while Callum Karpyszyn hit the other match-winner.
TAYLORS FORD DIVISION TWO
Two goals from Piotr Puchala helped keep Boston International in the early Taylors Ford Division Two promotion chase when they defeated Wrangle 4-1 at home.
Arek Michalczyk and Patryk Wachowicz were also on target for the international side.
Fishtoft enjoyed a comfortable 4-1 home win against Swineshead A, and with more composure they could have doubled their score.
They were 2-0 up at half time thanks to goals from Lee Bradley and Ian Mitchell, but were slow out the blocks in the second half and Swineshead did get a goal back through James Robinson to make it 2-1.
But further goals from Lee Bradley and Ian Mitchell sealed victory.
Spilsby Town Reserves hit Kirton Town Reserves for six in their home encounter with the goals in a 6-0 victory coming from Shaun Connelly, James Fairburn, Travis Herberts, Tom Pickett, Taylor Marsden and Robert Kent.
TAYLORS VAUXHALL DIVISION THREE
Spalding Harriers bounced back from their previous weeks disappointment with a morale-boosting 6-0 away win at Fosdyke Reserves in the Taylors Vauxhall Division Three.
In striker Rafal Marczewski they have a player with an appetite for goals.
The in-form striker bagged his fourth hat-trick of the season while Dilip Tamang, Zac Mercer and Aiden Doherty completed the rout.
There was a landmark result for Mareham United when their lengthy run of defeats finally came to an end when they defeated Leverton SFC Reserves 4-1 at home.
Chris Barnes (two), Oliver Bentley and Jack Harwood hit the match-winning goals for a jubilant Mareham side.
The game that was evenly balanced until the end of the first half when the home side capitalised on a defensive mix up to take the lead.
This was extended minutes before half time when a mazy run from midfield past two players saw a cool finish from the edge of the area to make it 2-0.
Leverton were struggling to get going and looked lost for the majority of the game but were offered a glimmer of hope when Harley Bryant bundled in at the back post.
Their hopes were short-lived however when more sloppy defending resulted in Mareham finishing from close range past an unfortunate Leverton goalkeeper.
The game was put beyond doubt when the home side again made the most of the opposition’s uncertainty to a tap in and give themselves a 4-1 victory.
Boston College Reserves and Old Doningtonians Reserves shared the points in a high-scoring 4-4 thriller.
Nathan Ball, Deivedas Urbsys, Lewis Lane and Elliott Browne grabbed The College goals.
Boston Athletic dropped their first points of the season when they entertained Wyberton A.
Although Andy Brown and Craig Owens got on the score-sheet for Athletic, Wyberton took maximum points following a fine 4-2 away win with double strikes from both Mckenzie Smyth and Ollie Walker.
A woman from France who paid £600 for chairs ordered from a former Pinchbeck firm has revealed her anger after learning of its liquidation.
Helen Schneider, who lives in the French capital Paris, ordered and paid for two outdoor armchairs from Lloyd Loom of Spalding Limited in May, only to find out four months later that the firm had been under police investigation.
It ended without any action being taken but the firm went into liquidation on February 17.
Mrs Schneider said: “In July 2009, I ordered a Belvoir outdoor settee from Lloyd Loom of Spalding Ltd which was to delivered to my address in Paris within two weeks of ordering.
“To complete my set of garden furniture, and well-pleased with its service in the past, I placed another order with Lloyd Loom of Spalding Ltd for two outdoors armchairs in May 2016.
“They were to be delivered in the first half of June and, at the request of Lloyd Loom of Spalding Ltd, I arranged for the transfer of £600 to cover the cost of purchase and shipping to France.
“The payment was made more or less by return but for four months now, I have been trying to get some response from Lloyd Loom of Spalding Ltd as to the order of my chairs.
“So I was absolutely appalled to learn that Lloyd Loom of Spalding Ltd went into liquidation on February 17 this year, nearly three months before I, in all innocence, contacted them this year to order furniture.”
Mrs Schneider’s complaint came six weeks after the Free Press reported on West Pinchbeck couple Derek and Jean Jackson who paid £1,000 to Lloyd Loom of Spalding Ltd for four dining chairs in November 2015 which they are yet to receive.
“I’d trusted Lloyd Loom of Spalding Ltd implicitly, given my past experience with them, and there was no reason to have any doubts about them,” Mrs Schneider said.
“It is probably going to be very difficult for me, living outside the UK, to be able to recover anything.
“There is legal protection insurance here in France and I shall see what, if anything, they can do for me.
“It never occurred to me for one minute that Lloyd Loom of Spalding Ltd was in difficulties and I am very saddened to learn of the demise of such a prestigious firm.”
Anthony Draxler, former managing director of Lloyd Loom of Spalding Ltd, said: “People order goods and sometimes they get them late, sometimes early.
“But that’s nothing to do with Lloyd Loom of Spalding Ltd which went into liquidation due to unfortunate circumstances.
“A commitment has been made for customers to receive their goods and they will in the near future.”
West Pinchbeck couple’s nine-month wait for goods from Lloyd Loom of Spalding Ltd
Firefighters from Holbeach were called out in the early hours of today (Tuesday) to tackle a blaze in a dyke at Whaplode.
The incident in Snaffers Lane was reported just after 3.45am.
Firefighters used one hose reel jet to extinguish the rubbish fire.
The Chief Constable for Lincolnshire has gone into detail about the reason for his controversial Twitter comment where he said police officers were having to ferry patients to A&E when ambulances were unavailable.
In his Tweet in the early hours of Sunday morning the county’s top police officer Neil Rhodes called for ambulance services in the county to be better resourced and his his on line blog has explained that police officers are becoming too regularly “the service of last resort”, taking casualties to hospital in incidents they have been called to.
Mr Rhodes relesased his explanation via his blog yesterday evening (Monday). In it he said: “About 24 hours ago, reading through the overnight incidents, I saw that officers from Lincoln and Boston had been required to take casualties to Accident & Emergency departments because ambulances weren’t available within a practical timeframe.
“I tweeted at that time, ‘Officers from both Lincoln and Boston ended up working as ambulances last night. EMAS needs to be properly resourced.’ I hadn’t realised at that time just how much interest my tweet would attract. A day later it’s been retweeted 117 times and liked 129 times, which is quite an unusual amount of attention for me.”
He went on: “I had clearly hit a raw nerve with many members of the public, judging from some of the responses that I got. Equally, one or two members of the ambulance service responded and felt that I was being personally critical of ambulance crews. I need to say - far from it – I am a real supporter of EMAS.
“On that evening, Saturday evening, I had been at a function in Lincoln where a person had been taken ill and collapsed. Within around 30 minutes an ambulance arrived and the care and compassion displayed by that ambulance crew was absolutely exemplary. I have also, in the past, been in the back of Lincoln A&E and seen four or five ambulance crews queueing, sometimes for a matter of hours, to hand over their patients and get back on the streets. I have some understanding of the demands they face.
“However, it just can’t be right that police officers are regularly being needed to take people from the scenes of accidents or road traffic collisions to hospital because the Ambulance Service just does not have the resources available to cope. One of the incidents I discussed on Saturday was where a person had been assaulted in the early hours and suffered significant head injuries. I both support and applaud the decision of the officers in that matter to take the man to Accident and Emergency, rather than wait a considerable period of time for an ambulance to attend.
“I also ask myself what would happen if someone died in a police car whilst being taken to hospital? The public deserve a better service and my officers cannot be asked to fill the gap that exists at times. We are, on many occasions, the service of last resort and when there is no-one else available to help, I always want it to be that a police officer is prepared to step into the breach. But, when what should be an exceptional occurrence is becoming a regular occurrence then it’s up to me to say and do something about it.”
He has since discussed the issue with Richard Henderson, the Chief Executive of the East Midlands Ambulance Service.
He said: “A picture readily emerges of a service that is under-resourced, in comparison with the demands placed upon it across the East Midlands, a problem that is exacerbated by the fact that ambulance crews can spend an inordinate amount of time queueing in busy hospitals waiting to hand over their patients.”
Over the next few weeks Mr Rhodes intends to monitor when police officers feel they have to take people to hospital because of issues with ambulance cover, and he will be sharing that information with East Midlands Ambulance Service.
Mr Rhodes re-iterated: “I have an enormous amount of time for the crews that operate alongside police officers on the roads of Lincolnshire, and would much prefer that my comments are seen as supportive rather than critical.”
EMAS says they have asked for details regarding the incidents referred to and confirmed Richard Henderson, EMAS Chief Executive had spoken to Mr Rhodes yesterday to discuss the matter.
In a statement on their website EMAS explained that, as with all UK ambulance services, EMAS always tries to provide prompt back-up when police colleagues request support, and meets with Lincolnshire Police on a monthly basis o review activity and services provided.
EMAS stated: “Both organisations are committed to providing the best possible service to the public and we will continue to work in partnership with police colleagues to reduce the number of times they feel it appropriate to provide transport.
“The Association of Ambulance Service Chief Executives has been working closely with the National Police Chief’s Council (and its predecessor organisation), to eliminate occasions where the police convey patients to hospital.”
The county ambulance service revealed on an average day in Lincolnshire it receives over 500 emergency and urgent 999 calls and has 45 ambulances and 14 fast response cars with skilled clinicians on board to respond. Of those 500 calls, just over half result in a patient needing to go to hospital.
The statement said: “In its latest report about EMAS (published May 2016), the Care Quality Commission said inspectors found that we are open and honest about the challenges we are facing and what we are doing to address them. Ambulance availability can be impacted by the number of
ambulance crews kept waiting at hospital.
“We have been funded £152.5 million to provide our 999 service across the six counties in the East Midlands during 2016/17. A key part of this year’s contract is the agreement to carry out an independent strategic demand, capacity and price review to look at the level of staff and vehicles needed, along with finance, to respond to demand on our services. We and our commissioners have committed to implement the outcomes of the review.”
EMAS has also stated that it has not been given any extra funding or resources to cope with the longer trips to AandE while the AndE department at Grantham Hospital is closed for three months at nights due to staffing pressures.
According to figures released by EMAS, between April 1 and August 31 2016, Lincolnshire Police asked EMAS for assistance on 1,583 occasions (during the same time period, EMAS asked Lincolnshire Police for support or attendance on scene 217 times).
From the 1,583 incidents there are 603 reports of the patient needing hospital assessment or treatment (38.09 per cent). All others calls were dealt with appropriately over the telephone and face-to-face responses.
EMAS states: “The 999 calls received from police colleagues are dealt with in the same way as all other 999 calls in that they are all categorised dependent on the clinical need of the patient.
“Police colleagues have access to our Clinical Assessment Team where they can receive additional triage support from paramedics and nurses working in our control centre. Our average response time for the 1,583 incidents was 20 minutes, and we remained on scene for an average of 36 minutes.
“During Saturday and Sunday September 24 and 25, 2016, EMAS ambulance crews experienced delays at hospitals in Lincoln, Boston, Scunthorpe and Grimsby meaning we lost over 80 hours of time.”
New figures from 31 police forces across England and Wales show a fall in domestic violence actions with Lincolnshire Constabulary recording a two per cent drop.
The figures, obtained through Freedom of Information, show significant variations in levels of prosecutions across forces with more than half recording a fall in domestic violence prosecutions.
Overall, 2,820 fewer people were charged with domestic violence offences in the first half of 2016 compared with that same period in 2015 – reversing previous years’ trends.
Emma Pearmaine, Director of Family Services at Simpson Millar has actively campaigned on the issue of domestic violence since 2012. She is concerned that the fall in prosecutions might not be a positive sign but rather a symptom of a cash-strapped support system.
She said: “For several years we have seen a steady rise in domestic violence prosecutions which was largely attributed to an increase in public awareness and a change in the attitude within police forces to pro-actively tackle these cases. It is rather idealistic or hopeful to assume that we are witnessing a society-wide fall in instances of domestic violence, regardless of how much I wish that was true.”
Emma suggests that legal aid cuts are starting to filter through in terms of the number of people who have access to legal advice. She explains: “A cut in the legal aid budget has had a negative impact on the level of access people have to legal advice; this could now be having serious implications for abuse victims.
“My team of family lawyers and I always advise victims of domestic abuse to report it to the Police – even when it is a matter of coercive control and not yet physical violence. But in the past 12 months we have seen a marked fall in those cases which is reflected in the latest police statistics – with some regions showing a particularly significant drop in prosecutions.
“In some police authority areas, the number of prosecutions has fallen by over a third from one year to the next. We urgently need to understand why this might be to make sure victims are not suffering in silence.”
Emma, who is also Chair of domestic violence charity, Corporate Alliance, adds: “If there is a problem we need to resolve it and make sure the Police have the tools they need to bring perpetrators to justice and protect victims. It could be that some forces would benefit from additional awareness and training in how to spot the signs of domestic violence.”
Emma added: “Victims of domestic violence need to know that they can come forward and ask for help from either the Police, their lawyer or other support agencies for help. But I fear that fewer people now feel and understand that help is within reach.
“For women aged 15-44, domestic violence is the single greatest cause of injury and illness and we need to make sure that the law is being applied so that they can live without fear and harassment.”
Bookmark of Spalding recommends Iris Grace by Arabella Carter-Johnson as its book of the week.
Iris Grace is the story of the kitten who saved the little girl.... and it’s a heartwarming tale that will move many.
Iris Grace is different, as readers will discover.
From the moment she was born she found the world a strange and terrifying place: she neither smiled nor spoke.
The doctors couldn’t help, telling her parents she might never be able to communicate –she’d never call them mummy or daddy.
But then Iris met Thula.
This special kitten and Iris became instant best friends. They did everything together – painting, playing, bathing, snuggling, sleeping, exploring.
And then a miracle happened: Iris said her first words.
The story of the amazing bond between Iris and Thula is a heartwarming tale of finding hope and happiness in the most unexpected places.
Because different really is brilliant.
Take advantage of our discount vouchers printed each week with Bookmark’s Book of the Week suggestions and enjoy some good reads during the autumn days.#
The book retails for £7.99 but there is a 20 per cent discount voucher in the Spalding Guardian of September 29.
Motorists across South Holland are being asked by firefighters to park sensibly to help crews in case of emergencies.
Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue has made the appeal after recent cases where crews have been faced with access and parking issues.
Firefighters are asking vehicle owners to think where they park in a bid to improve access in an emergency, something Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue is faced with on a daily basis in the county
Danny Moss, deputy divisional commander at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, said: “Our streets were not designed to accommodate the number of cars that are now being parked on them.
“This coupled with households having two, three or four cars, all wanting them to be parked close to their home, and we are finding that residents are sometimes double-parking, parking at an angle or even parking on double yellow lines.
“Our fire engines need a gap of ten feet, or three metres, to pass safely and if a road is congested with parked cars on both sides, this can delay us by minutes.
“Every minute counts in an emergency so we would urge people who park on the roadside to park tightly to the kerb, fold in their wing mirrors and avoid parking on a junction.
“This would to help us to provide the prompt emergency response that is rightly expected of us.”
Bakkavor Pizza has unveiled plans to expand its factory in Holbeach St Marks and install new production lines.
An area of just over 1,500 square feet (141 square metres) for new assembly and bakery line would be created at the site in Sluice Road, Holbeach St Marks.
In a statement, Bakkavor Pizza said the plans were “essentially the continuation” of expansion work permitted by South Holland District Council in 2010. The statement added: “Bakkavor bought its Holbeach St Marks site in 2001 and, in 2003, created a pizza manufacturing facility which supplies several UK retailers.
“On August 5, 2010, planning permission was granted to extend the building to accommodate additional manufacturing lines, chilled storage space and repacking for distribution to retailers.
“The application is for the extension of food production facilities, for an existing, established business.
“Providing that the current flood defences for the district are maintained, we are of the opinion that the development is appropriate in terms of risk of flooding.”
Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue is urging people to get their fires, boilers and other gas appliances checked by a qualified engineer.
The regular gas safety campaign is also encouraging the public to help the vulnerable and elderly, along with friends and family, to keep them safe from poorly maintained gas appliances that could pose a potential risk.
An appeal for people to have their gas appliances inspected by a qualified Gas Safe-registered engineer was also part of Gas Safety Week which ended on Sunday.
Steve Screaton, deputy community safety manager at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, said: “With the cold weather on its way, we would encourage you to get your gas appliances checked now, particularly if they have not been done in the last year.
“Faulty gas appliances can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning, a gas leak or even an explosion, all of which are extremely dangerous.
“Carbon monoxide is a particular worry as it is colourless and odourless, so can be emitted by faulty appliances without you even noticing.
“An annual check significantly reduces the risk of this happening so if your appliances have not been checked, please book a check today.”
Jonathan Samuel, managing director for Gas Safe Register which replaced CORGI as the body for registered gas engineers in 2009, said: “We know that around one in six gas appliances in the UK are unsafe, meaning far too many people are victims of preventable gas-related incidents.”
A regular column from Tulip Radio’s Jan Whitbourn.
Tulip Radio’s Christmas event will take place on Friday, December 2 at St John the Baptist Church in Spalding.
Preparations are underway and we hope that as many people as possible will attend. The agenda for the event is changing all the time and getting very exciting.
Following on from our Armed Forces Day celebration earlier in the summer, the event will feature more presentations of Armed Forces Veterans Badges to ex-service personnel as a gesture of recognition and thanks from us all for their service and their families’ sacrifice.
In July, Tulip Radio was honoured to compère the Armed Forces Day celebration held at the Anglia Motel at Fleet Hargate. The day included a Spitfire and Hurricane flypast, a quiz and a special ‘Ready Steady Cook’ competition that saw the Army take on the Navy.
Entertainment will be provided in the form of our annual School Choirs Competition. Local businesses have donated some amazing prizes. The first ten schools to enter their choir will receive £50, donated by Majestic Bingo and EMG. An iPad will be given to the winning school and many more prizes will be announced shortly and of course Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the man himself, Father Christmas will be making an appearance!
The deadline to enter the School Choir Competition is Tuesday, November 1. Call Jan Whitbourn on 01775 712400 or email jan@tulip-radio.co.uk
A regular wildlife column from Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust’s Rachel Shaw.
When the sun shines butterflies and bees are still on the wing, but there is now a chill in the early morning air and enough leaves have fallen from the trees lining my street that I can kick the leaves. Surely a sign the season has changed. Autumn has arrived.
As the landscape changes, first with the colour, then the fall of autumn leaves, we are joined by thousands of winter migrants. These are the birds that fly here to escape the harsh cold of winter of more northern countries. This migration of birds can be very visible. You may hear pink-footed geese flying overhead or see their distinctive ‘v’ formation as they arrive from their breeding grounds in Spitsbergen, Iceland and Greenland; or flocks of redwings that spent the summer in Scandinavia may arrive in your garden to feast on red berries. On a dark night, stand quietly for a while and listen. You may well hear the high pitched ‘seep’ of redwings flying over in the dark.
Redwings are often spotted with fieldfares as they move from bush to bush looking for food. Both are species of thrush; the redwing is like a song thrush but with a white eyebrow stripe and red under their wings, fieldfares are larger with a chestnut-brown back and grey head.
The journeys these birds make are pretty awe-inspiring. Europe’s smallest bird, the goldcrest, weighs the same as a ten pence piece and yet is able to make its way across the North Sea to spend its winter here with us.
Autumn migration can be seen almost anywhere but the major migration hotspots are around our coasts. Every autumn hundreds of thousands of wading birds make a beeline for the food-rich shelter of the UK’s estuaries. The numbers are truly astounding. One and a half million lapwings from across northern Europe, half a million dunlin from Scandinavia, 300,000 knot from northern Canada, 300,000 oystercatchers from Iceland and Norway, 60,000 bar-tailed godwits from north west Russia, 50,000 Icelandic redshanks and 40,000 grey plovers from the high Arctic join local birds to spend the winter jostling for space on our mudflats.
The Wash is one of their destinations and one of the most important wetlands on the North Sea, home to upwards of 500,000 birds during the winter. There’s nothing quite like the clamour and swirling patterns of flocks of birds wheeling together as they come in to roost or move from one feeding site to another. Time your visit for an hour or so before high tide, and you’ll be there to see the birds pushed up off the mud by the incoming water. At high tide roost sites, thousands of birds gather together, jostling for space on what remains of the higher ground. There are few more mind-blowing wildlife experiences than watching them pass by and marvelling at how far they’ve come.
Strictly Come Dancing star Brendan Cole will switch on the Christmas lights at Springfields shopping centre in Spalding on Thursday, October 27.
The switch-on is at 7.30pm, after which there will be entertainment from Kev and Roz of Heart FM and singing from Chantelle Lee and Peterborough Youth Choir.
The entertainment continues on Thursday, November 3 with the Springfields Fireworks and Music Fest, a musical journey through the decades accompanied by a fantastic light show.
Fireworks start at 8pm and early booking price for this all-ticket event is £6 adults, £4 children (under 12 months free –but it will be loud!) .
Tickets sold on the night are £8 adult, £5 children - under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.
Finally, Father Christmas arrives on the land train at Springfields on Thursday, December 1 at 7pm. The Grotto will open for a limited number once he has arrived.
Tom Everton fired a hat-trick as Spalding hit Felixstowe for six.
He put them ahead inside five minutes and completed a first-half double along with Stuart Cunnington.
Felixstowe looked for long balls up to their forwards and the occasional aerial ball caught Spalding off guard but these were well dealt with defensively.
Spalding controlled the ball and the game for the whole of the first half as they went 4-0 up.
Spalding took their foot off the gas and slowed down which allowed Felixstowe some time on the ball.
They scored a drag flick but Spalding then regained the initiative.
They worked the ball into some good positions and Everton won a flick which was saved by the keeper.
Man of the match Everton got his hat-trick just a few moments later with a backpost tap-in.
Spalding were awarded a short corner on the final whistle which youngster Joe Rogers stepped up to take and finished smartly into the top corner of the goal.
Meanwhile, Spalding’s ladies first team continued their excellent start to the season with a 6-2 win over Cambridge City 3rd.
The visitors started in their usual bright fashion and were soon causing problems – particularly with the pace of the Maplethorpe sisters down the right.
It was no surprise when Spalding took the lead with Evie Maltby slotting home after some great team play.
Skipper for the day Karen Timby slotted home the second goal and Georgina Maplethorpe made it 3-0 soon afterwards.
The home side came back into the game more after the break.
But Spalding bounced back as Timby and Charlotte Maplethorpe found the net to stretch the lead.
Maltby scored in the closing stages to round off another excellent performance.
Long Sutton’s first away game of the season brought a 6-4 victory at Blueharts 2nd.
Ben Shore tucked home Dan Batten’s right-wing cross top open the scoring.
However, the lead didn’t last long as Blueharts went 2-1 up.
Sutton levelled one minute later with a lovely strike by Batten from the top of the D.
Determined to improve on the first half, Sutton again started the stronger team by making it 3-2 up 43 seconds after the restart.
Will Cook found Shore who coolly added his second and two minutes later, Josh Fyson’s skill again found Shore who completed his hat-trick by hammering the ball into the net.
The next 10 minutes saw Sutton defending resolutely as Blueharts were determined to get back in the game.
They pulled the score back to 4-3 after converting a well-worked short corner routine that went in off the crossbar.
Jamie Featherstone extended the lead and, after Blueharts added their fourth goal, Fyson found Cook who scored again.
The ladies first team beat Newmarket 3-0 thanks to first-half goals from Leanne Woodhead (2) and Connie Gittins. Before the break Jo Bland also had a penalty saved.
RESULTS
MEN’S LEAGUE
Premier B: I-ES 1 Havering 0, West Herts 2nd 1 Blueharts 1, Spalding 6 Felixstowe 1, Waltham Forest 0 Cambridge Uni 2nd 1, Old Southendian 4 Norwich City 0, Wisbech Town 5 CoP 2nd 3.
Division One: Shefford & Sandy 5 Harleston Magpies 2nd 3, CoP 3rd 4 Bourne Deeping 5, Norwich City 2nd 3 Cambridge City 3rd 6, Upminster 4 Bishop’s Stortford 6, Wapping 2nd 2 East London 0, Blueharts 2nd 4 Long Sutton 6.
Division 3NW: Horncastle 8 Wisbech Town 2nd 0, Long Sutton 2nd 1 St Ives 4, Spalding 3rd 1 Cambridge City Vets 0, Ely City 2 St Neots 5, Leadenham 3 Spalding 2nd 2, Bourne Deeping 2nd 3 CoP 4th 1.
Division 4NW: Wisbech Town 3rd 0 St Ives 2nd 5, CoP 5th 3 Bourne Deeping 3rd 0, Wellingborough 3 Cambridge South 2nd 2, St Neots 2nd 4 Alford & District 0, Cambridge City 5th 5 Kettering 5, Cambridge Nomads 2nd 2 CoP 6th 0.
Division 5NW: St Ives 3rd 6 Horncastle 2nd 2, Louth 8 CoP 7th 0, Kettering 2nd 1 Cambridge City 6th 2, March Town 2nd 1 St Neots 3rd 1, Cambridge South 3rd 4 Bourne Deeping 4th 0, CoP 8th 5 Ely City 2nd 0.
EAST WOMEN’S LEAGUE
Division 2NW: Long Sutton 3 Newmarket 0, CoP 2nd 3 Wisbech Town 2nd 1, Cambridge Nomads 3 Alford & District 5, St Neots 4 Cambridge Uni 3rd 0, Cambridge City 3rd 2 Spalding 6, Bourne Deeping 0 Royston 6.
Division 3NW: Newmarket 2nd 2 Horncastle 4, Huntingdon 0 St Ives 2nd 3, Spalding 2nd 4 Cambridge City 4th 1, Pelicans 3 Ely City 1, Cambridge South 8 Haverhill 0, Wisbech Town 3rd 2 CoP 3rd 10.
Division 4NW(N): Skegness 7 Long Sutton 2nd 1, CoP 4th 0 Bourne Deeping 2nd 2, March Town 5 Leadenham 1, Spilsby 4 Woodhall Spa 1, Alford & District 2nd 0 Spalding 3rd 4, Bourne Deeping 3rd 2 Louth 2nd 0.
FIXTURES
EAST MEN’S LEAGUE
Premier B: Blueharts v Spalding, Felixstowe v Waltham Forest, Cambridge Uni 2nd v Old Southendian, Norwich City v Wisbech Town, CoP 2nd v Havering, I-ES v West Herts 2nd.
Division One: Bourne Deeping v Norwich City 2nd, Cambridge City 3rd v Upminster, Bishop’s Stortford v Wapping 2nd, East London v Blueharts 2nd, Long Sutton v Harleston Magpies 2nd, Shefford & Sandy v CoP 3rd.
Division 3NW: St Ives v Spalding 3rd, Cambridge City Vets v Ely City, St Neots v Leadenham, Spalding 2nd v Bourne Deeping 2nd, CoP 4th v Wisbech Town 2nd, Horncastle v Long Sutton 2nd.
Division 4NW: Bourne Deeping 3rd v Wellingborough, Cambridge South 2nd v St Neots 2nd, Alford & District v Cambridge City 5th, Kettering v Cambridge Nomads 2nd, CoP 6th v St Ives 2nd, Wisbech Town 3rd v CoP 5th.
Division 5NW: CoP 7th v Kettering 2nd, Cambridge City 6th v March Town 2nd, St Neots 3rd v Cambridge South 3rd, Bourne Deeping 4th v CoP 8th, Ely City 2nd v Horncastle 2nd, St Ives 3rd v Louth.
EAST WOMEN’S LEAGUE
Division 2NW: Wisbech Town 2nd v Cambridge Nomads, Alford & District v St Neots, Cambridge Uni 3rd v Cambridge City 3rd, Spalding v Bourne Deeping, Royston v Newmarket, Long Sutton v CoP 2nd.
Division 3NW: St Ives 2nd v Spalding 2nd, Cambridge City 4th v Pelicans, Ely City v Cambridge South, Haverhill v Wisbech Town 3rd, CoP 3rd v Horncastle, Newmarket 2nd v Huntingdon.
Division 4NW(N): Bourne Deeping 2nd v March Town, Leadenham v Spilsby, Woodhall Spa v Alford & District 2nd, Spalding 3rd v Bourne Deeping 3rd, Louth 2nd v Long Sutton 2nd, Skegness v CoP 4th.