I am pleased that something amuses Mr Cronin, although I did not find his unhelpful attitude at the steering group which looked at the possibilities of building a community centre for Wygate at all funny. On the question of delay perhaps he should consider “motes and beams”.

As to his central question: “Why are the residents being restricted to a building?”, the simple answer is that the 106 money from the developer was for a community building. Like my predecessor (before your time Mr Cronin) I too am a simple soul – I believe that a facility which could accommodate such excellent groups as cubs, WI, dancing classes for children, a meeting place for the retired would be in principle a fine idea. Difficult to host such groups in the open air!

That is why the Wygate community is being surveyed (by an independent charity) to ascertain the wishes and desires of the local residents. That sounds pretty democratic to me!

I value team-work and loyalty and wish to associate myself with the efforts of Cllr Gambba-Jones and others in this attempt to discover the 
appetite for a centre for Wygate residents. Let the people decide – it works for me.

As the Independent candidate for the Moulton, Weston and Cowbit ward in the forthcoming local elections, I am writing in response to the letter printed from the three Conservative candidates for this ward.

Unfortunately I find that the letter previously printed is somewhat selective in the advice given and hope that you will print this so as to provide a balanced view to voters.

Whilst their letter points out that voters can vote for all three Conservative candidates, it fails to point out that the choice for voters is considerably greater.

Voters in the Moulton, Weston and Cowbit ward will be able to “vote for not more than three candidates”. 
Accordingly they are permitted to vote for one, two or three candidates.

If a voter wishes to vote for more than one candidate they can choose from any of the seven candidates and these do not have to be from the same political party.

This is important as I have found that at local level many people vote for the individual rather than “the party”.

For example, many voters prefer to vote for candidates that live within the ward and/or who are active in that ward too.

I do hope that this clarifies the situation clearly for all residents of the Moulton, Weston and Cowbit ward.

I was disappointed in your report of the hustings that you did not report Mr Hayes’ reply that even in the event of a Tory government not getting concessions from the European Union, he would still campaign in a referendum to take Britain out of the EU and away from our natural trading partners.

Natural Conservative voters should think very carefully before they vote for this.

This country exports more to the five million people in Ireland alone than the three billion people in Brazil, Russia, India and China combined and this constituency with its heavy reliance on the food industry and agriculture would suffer more than most by the diminution of this trade that would be inevitable should Britain exit.

In conversation with friends, they say they will try to persuade him otherwise; I think it unlikely.

A vote for Mr Hayes is a vote to leave the European Union.

Is that what you really want?

Police are looking for man in his mid 20s and wearing a “goatee beard” in connection with a theft from a Spalding restaurant.

A photograph of the man has been released in relation to a theft from the Crystal Inn Restaurant in Churchgate on Wednesday.

The man is described as about 6’2’’ tall, slim build, with cropped brown hair and a goatee beard.

At the time of the alleged theft, he was wearing dark jeans, grey jumper with black trim around the shoulders and the number 86 in black across the front.

Anyone with information should call 101, quoting incident number 405 of April 29.

I would like to urge all your readers to vote for their local Independent candidates in the forthcoming District Council Elections.

Independents keep main party politics out of local government, which means party politics does not influence their decisions,

Independent s are free to vote as they wish to benefit the residents they represent.

Independents are not bound by any party political manifestos,

Most of all, they are people who care about the community, YOUR community.

My letter firstly is to say thank you to everyone so far who has shown great support to me during the election campaign for Holbeach.

It has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience, one that has given me the opportunity to hear lots of people’s different views and also given me the pleasure of meeting lots of new people.

I am extremely passionate about the election and I really would urge that everyone gives me their confidence and vote. I may not be as well known as some of the other candidates but what I do have is many abilities that I truly believe would really assist Holbeach to be heard. I fully admit and accept I have still have things to learn but i am fully committed to doing so as soon as possible and will do my utmost to serve the residents of Holbeach well if I am given this chance.

Please remember that you have three votes in Holbeach and I ask please that one of those is given to me.

Young people need to be given this opportunity. It is a very responsible position but I certainly have the maturity to appreciate the role.

I wish all the other candidates well in Holbeach and all other wards in South Holland.

Give youth, fresh Ideas and (lots of) energy the chance it deserves. I will ensure it is deserved and will do my best for our town of Holbeach.

CHAMBER CHATTER: By Spalding and District Area Chamber of Commerce vice president David Norton

Young Enterprise Awards

On March 19 our president, Phil Scarlett, was a judge at the South Holland Young Enterprise Awards.

This year there were entries from nine schools. The winners were from Spalding High School who will go through to the next stage of the competition.

Their model company and products were excellent and would have stood up well if they had retailed on the high street.

The standard of entries was exceptionally high and our appreciation goes to Chamber members who have offered to mentor future applicants.

Transport Issues

On Monday, March 30, the Chamber of Commerce facilitated a visit by Coun Richard Davies, the Lincolnshire County Council portfolio holder for transport. Three separate meetings were arranged.

Coun Davies was firstly briefed about the fact that the fresh produce industry in South Holland was growing and that growth was forecasted to exceed 20 per cent per annum during the next three years.

Currently 37 per cent of the UK’s fresh food comes in/out of South Holland, with over a million truck movements per annum, of which 67 per cent go south on the A16.

The current road infrastructure is only just coping, but local businesses did not want a repeat of Kent’s food businesses experience which is at the point of strangling itself due to its poor road infrastructure.

A discussion followed on the key “pinch points” for traffic congestion. It was agreed that various roundabouts (the one at Eye in particular) needed improvements and the introduction of a third lane would greatly assist traffic flow and safety at some locations.

We will keep on lobbying for these improvements and will meet again in two months’ time when Coun Davies will be accompanied by the relevant officers from Highways.

Dennis Hannant, town centre manager, then asked Coun Davies to look into the possible use of the Market Place, Hall Place, Red Lion Street and Bridge Street for commercial enterprises on non-market days, Sunday to Monday and Wednesday to Friday. 

This would be for use by specialist markets, car dealerships, local flea markets and other relevant and suitable activities, all of which would be required to abide by current road closure restrictions and licensing obligations.

Coun Davis agreed to check out the details of the Market Charter. He also asked if we could consider having buses going through the town centre (as in Boston) and we now understand that there is a process under discussion for this to take place.

Finally, the Spalding and Peterborough Transport Forum expressed the desire for a new station at Littleworth, which was supported by their research.

Coun Davies urged them to pursue the train operator to provide more passenger trains, including a Sunday service. The Forum chairman agreed to contact the operators of East Midland Trains to arrange a meeting which Spalding Chamber is prepared to attend to give their support for a more frequent service.

Lincolnshire Forum for Agriculture

Our continued lobbying for South Holland to be recognised by the county council as a key food distribution area within the UK has resulted in an invitation for Trevor Hyde (logistics chair) and Phil Scarlett (chamber president) to attend this forum’s next meeting on April 27 in Horncastle.

Diary Date

Thursday, November 19, is the date for this year’s Business Awards, to be held again in Springfield Events and Conference Centre.

Look out for details of the various award categories in the Spalding Guardian to make sure that you celebrate and share the successes your business is enjoying in South Holland.

Rafa Mazzarella’s arrival as Bourne Town manager last summer sparked a massive improvement.

The Wakes had finished on 31 points, second from bottom and conceded an average of three goals per game during the 2013-14 campaign.

Mazzarella and his young squad have turned that into a top-half finish with a couple of four-match winning runs being the highlights.

Jezz Goldson-Williams started the season at Abbey Lawn in prolific form before his move to Deeping Rangers where he continued to score goals.

It will be interesting to see if Bourne can build on these foundations for next term.

APPEARANCES

League games (+ substitute)

Aaron Jesson 39, Aaron Fagan 37, Henry Dunn 35, Dan Wilson 33 (+1), Andrew Moss 28 (+1), Jones De Sousa 27 (+6), Scott Spearink 25 (+4), Kevin Elgar 21 (+2), Harley Williams 20 (+7), Joe Bull 16 (+11), Aris Placis 14 (+4), Cardin Pierre-Liverpool 13 (+5), Tyler Sculthorpe 11 (+4), Josh Hales 11 (+3), Daniel Smith 11, Lewis Hall 9 (+3), Jack Bottreill 8 (+4), Joe Moore-Papworth 8 (+2), Daniel Bratcher 7 (+5), Mark Walklin 6 (+4), Jezz Goldson-Williams 6, Craig Rook 5 (+5), Thomas Cardall 4 (+3), Zak Munton 3 (+3), Samuel Deykin 3 (+2), Charlie Wallace 3 (+2), Ryan Brown 2, Keith Gray 2, Darren Paling 2, Max Burrell 1 (+3), Kieran Rodgers 1 (+2), Lewis McKue 1 (+1), Rhys Evans 1, Alex Smith 1, Kieran Blanchard 0 (+3), Rafa Mazzarella 0 (+3), Daniel Mason 0 (+2), Daniel Pick 0 (+2), Kane Gilbert 0 (+1), George Holliday 0 (+1), Ben Johnson 0 (+1), Aaron Warrener 0 (+1), Ashley Wilson 0 (+1).

GOALS

Dunn 10, Williams 10, Goldson-Williams 9, Hales 9, Spearink 6, Bull 4, De Sousa 4, Jesson 4, Placis 4, Smith 2, D Wilson 2, Brown 1, Moore-Papworth 1, Moss 1, Munton 1, Pierre-Liverpool 1, Sculthorpe 1, A Wilson 1.

OVERALL RECORD

P43 W17 D6 L20 F79 A95

A Moulton Chapel man who is fighting his way back to mobility after two brain tumours has vowed he will never give up.

Robert Hunt (65) was expecting to have been officially asked to leave Spalding’s Johnson Community Hospital today, in spite of fearing he was unready to cope after suffering two falls at home.

But after a meeting with hospital staff yesterday the request was postponed until Lifeline and Telecare support is put in place.

However, his wife Annie said it was the friends and family who turned out to support him who had really made the difference because they still believed in him.

Annie said: “We can’t fault the nursing and care at the hospital but we didn’t think he was ready to leave.

“Before the meeting he was feeling very down about his future after being offered psychiatric help - it was like being told to accept he would never get any better. But after today he’s ready to fight back, with the support of the NHS.

“He did it before with hours of pilates and exercises at the gym, as well as private physiotherapy sessions – and he will again.”

The Spalding Guardian was touched by the story of Robert Hunt’s fight back after operations for two brain tumours following a call from a family friend, Deborah Scales.

She said: “He’s always been a glass half full sort of guy. After everything he’s been through, he’s not the sort of person to complain.

“Until 10 years ago when he had his first operation for a brain tumour, he was a highways engineer at Peterborough City Council – he’s got three university degrees.

“Robert astounded doctors by the way he recovered – but he put in the hard work.

“The last operation two years ago affected three limbs. Recovery is slow but there has been some improvement – and a lot of laughter along the way. You should see us going through the woods with a wheelchair.

“It’s been heartbreaking seeing his mood change since his falls after Christmas and ending up in hospital again. All he needs is physiotherapy and people to believe in him.”

Billingborough inched ahead of Boston at the top of the South Lincolnshire & Border League Premier Division in a weekend where talented young players were to the fore.

Belton Park’s victory over Spalding 2nd owed much to two 16-year-olds – bowler Tom Ward whose 10 overs yielded 5-18 and Matthew Law who hit an unbeaten 57 and claimed four wicketkeeping catches.

And in Division Two, 14-year-old Amelia Gardner claimed 5-25 off six overs for Spalding 3rd against a strong Claypole side.

Billingborough beat Stamford after Chris King (84) and Mitch Griffiths (74) got the innings off to a good start with an opening stand of 153.

Billingborough closed on 244-4 and Nathan Garfoot’s 5-83 helped bowl Stamford out for 200.

An even higher scoring game at Boston saw the home side rack up 286-3 with Dave Newman’s 128 taking his total past the 300-run mark after only three matches.

Tom Baxter ended on 96 not out but Bourne 2nd also took advantage of the good batting conditions with Jordan Temple hitting 61 and Robert Dunn 51, both unbeaten, as the visitors’ innings closed on 200-2.

Rohan Perera hit 50 for Belton Park as he and Law helped the total to 187-8.

Ward then dismissed both Spalding openers cheaply and with Law’s four catches behind the stumps, Spalding 2nd were all out for 114.

For the second week in a row, Long Sutton were on the wrong end of an agonising defeat.

Having won the toss and elected to bat on what looked like a pitch full of runs,

Sleaford were quickly on the back foot when Barry Stanway sent Simon Godby’s stumps flying.

But it was Jimmy Wright (4-35) who did the bulk of the damage with a mixture of line and length and vicious short balls.

And when spin wizard Rob Simpson removed Kurt Colyn, Sleaford were in all sorts of trouble at 83-6.

However the Sleaford tail wagged and Sutton’s bowlers were unable to make regular breakthroughs as the lower order butchered their way to 206-9 from the 45 overs.

Sutton set about their run chase and although Chris Booth departed early, captain Phil Barnes and vice-captain Wright were soon into the swing of things and scoring freely in a splendid 100 partnership.

But when Barnes fell to a somewhat dubious lbw decision for a very well-made 59, the Sutton collapse began.

Wright was soon to follow after making a classy 63 and Steve Skoulding and Dan Oldfield were the only other batsmen to make double figures as Sutton fell just 20 runs short.

Wright said: “Once again we’ve pushed the opposition very close and we know we’re not far away from getting our first victory of the season.”

Market Deeping 2nd continue to dominate Division One, beating close rivals Long Sutton 2nd, who currently lie second, by seven wickets.

Deeping won the toss and put Sutton into bat.

Openers Andy Wright and Luke Lovegrove started well, finding the boundary regularly until Lovegrove holed out to mid on.

Jimmy Harrison joined Wright and they pushed it along nicely until Wright went the same way as Lovegrove for a well-made 38.

Sutton then lost three wickets in quick succession for just one run but Ian Morris steadied the innings with a well-struck 21 and a ‘calypso’ knock from number 11 Ross Gavaghan took the total to 157-9 from their 45 overs.

In reply Deeping set off slowly due to some tight bowling from Morris and Steven Milnes.

John McDougall and Ryan Bainborough put on a century partnership for the opening wicket until Harrison took a sharp caught and bowled to dismiss McDougall for a fine 60.

Milnes then had Connor Gillett caught behind to reward his good bowling.

Ellie Burton came into the attack and she claimed the wicket of skipper Richard Witt but with Sutton spilling three catches Deeping reached their target in the 43rd over.

Heckington are mounting a challenge after Jake Ellis’s six wickets for nine runs helped them to victory over Billingborough 2nd.

The lowest scoring game in Division Two proved to be the most exciting as Nick Crook’s 5-5 for Pinchbeck saw Baston bowled out for 82.

James Langford’s hat-trick 
had decimated the home side’s opening order and only three batsmen reached double figures in the innings.

Baston’s opening bowlers were on equally good form with Adam Hilless taking 5-34 and Liam Davies 4-26 as Pinchbeck were all out for 70.

Baston now lie second to Claypole for whom Ben Wadd made 137 of a total of 321, Andy Attewell hitting 64 and Scott Barnsdale an unbeaten 52.

Wadd was the first of Gardner’s five victims and Ashley Bright took four wickets.

Spalding were then bowled out for 97 with Matthew Revill taking 5-26 and Barnsdale 4-26.

I have only recorded 70mm or just under 3in of rain since January the 1st, writes Nicholas Watts.

Rainfall records around here were started in 1829 and there has only been one dryer start to the year than this year since 1829.

That was in 1976 when only 60mm or 2½in of rain fell.

May was a short relief to the drought in 1976 when 1.4in fell, but during June and July we might as well have been in the south of France.

No doubt many of you will remember the drought and the heat of that summer and the prices we received for our crops, so perhaps it will be a good thing to have a drought as we have just experienced a winter of low prices of nearly every commodity that we have grown.

That is as a result of every farmer having good crops of everything.

You can still see the value of hay as some of the round bales from last year are still in fields; farmers had too much hay and they just didn’t have room in their sheds.

It has been very pleasant farming in this dry time. There has been no mud sticking to my boots and I have been able to do what I wanted when I wanted but I can’t help thinking that one day the heavens will open and we were wishing it was still dry.

It is quite usual for a very dry time to be followed by a very wet time so look out boys, the heavens will open before too long.

Bourne’s Ben Stroud took the first hat-trick of the Readers Lincolnshire ECB Premier League season and Warren Nel of Spalding hit the day’s only century.

Market Rasen are proving to be the surprise team, claiming their second win of the year.

Having been candidates for relegation until the final game of 2014, victory at Spalding has left Rasen in fifth place.

Accurate bowling restricted Spalding to 205-7 with Nel making 103 and Josh Newton 46.

Matt Rutherford took four wickets for Rasen then Will Bradford (59) and Liam Scales (45) got their reply off to a good start before, with four wickets down, Rutherford (42no) and Graeme Bell (31no) joined forces to take their side to victory.

Bourne were involved in a tight game against Skegness, despite bowling their visitors out for 181.

The seasiders were reduced to 32-3 before Pradeep Chanditha (51) and Jamie Epton dug in.

This left Skegness 82-5 but Brendan Young’s 66 off 67 balls helped his side to a respectable score before the New Zealander become the second victim in Stroud’s hat-trick.

Bourne also found themselves in trouble on 13-2 but captain Pete Morgan anchored the innings with 55 and Rob Bentley was unbeaten on 48 when Bourne claimed a three-wicket win.

Grimsby Town suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Market Deeping who finished on 241-8, David Gillett making 51 and Alex Wheatley 85.

Grimsby were then bowled out for 79.

Other results: Bracebridge Heath 211-8 (Atri 82), Lindum 137; Grantham 148 (Bandara 6-49), Woodhall Spa 150-1; Louth 182 (Morris 5-46), Sleaford 187-6 (McIntosh 98no, Shorthouse 64).

Aaron Scott came within seconds of breaking the 21-year-old course record as he led home the Langtoft 10k field on Sunday.

Just a week after finishing 22nd in the London Marathon, Scott won in a time of 31:43 – six seconds outside Andrew Aked’s record set in 1994.

Stamford-based Scott finished ahead of William Strangeway (34:00), while Nadine Lewycky (38:10) led home the women, with Claire Steels (39:46) the second woman home.

Sunday was another success for the Langtoft Road Race committee as the 253 runners in the 10k represented a record number for the event, which was sponsored by Market Deeping-based Empire Gym.

The youngest runner was aged 15 and the oldest 75.

There were also more than 200 runners in the 3k fun run, despite heavy rain both before and during the event.

The 3k was won by 14-year-old Aaron Hunt, with 12-year-old Elin James the first girl home.

Bourne Westfield Academy won the primary schools challenge.

There was also a nice prize double for the Preston family as year three pupil Thomas was the first Langtoft Primary School male pupil home in the 3k and dad Andy was the first Langtoft resident to finish the 10k. Maisie Fuller was the first Langtoft Primary girl home.

Race secretary Sue Archer said: “The weather was dreadful while we were setting up and during the 3k so to still get a record number of runners for the 10k was fantastic.

“We would like to thank all the runners, spectators, volunteers and sponsors for supporting us and making our 26th event a great success despite the weather.”

HEALTH MATTERS: A monthly column by Jenny Hinchliffe, Head of Clinical Services for the South at Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust

Nationally this year we have seen unprecedented pressures within the health and social care community this winter. Within Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS), we have risen to the challenge to support the people that are medically fit for discharge to return to the community.

This has been supported by our Assertive In-reach Teams. We now have teams in Peterborough City Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn and United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust. The staff are employed by LCHS and work with any patients in hospital who are registered with a Lincolnshire GP.

The Assertive In-reach Team are experienced nurses who work with the acute hospital team to identify those patients who are medically fit for discharge. The team then work with the patient, their family and carers to arrange a safe discharge into the community.

Patients can be supported on discharge in a variety of settings, which include Johnson Community Hospital Spalding. Our Independent Living Team also supports patients who are discharged into a local care home or to their own home.

The Independent Living Team consists of therapists, care staff and nurses support patients to gain their independence and confidence following discharge form hospital.

This year LCHS has been successful in securing additional funding to enhance the team due to the huge success it has made in reducing the number of patients that are medically fit for discharge and cannot be discharged because of ongoing need.

This is enabling us to have a proactive approach in identifying patients registered with a Lincolnshire GP in hospital and to work with the wards to ensure we facilitate the discharge as soon as the patient is medically fit. We are also able to educate ward staff of the services which are available in Lincolnshire.

Ensuring patients are assessed as individuals is key to the success of the Assertive In-reach staff. This includes assessing patients nursing needs, mobility needs and activities of daily living, and ordering any equipment that is required or making arrangements for adaptations to be made in order for the patient to live as independent and full a life as possible.

The Assertive In-reach teams work with colleagues across Lincolnshire Community Health Services and other health and social care colleagues to ensure the transfer from acute care to the community is a smooth transition. With consent from the patient, records are shared from the Assertive In-reach Team to the Community Team to reduce duplication of assessments for the patient.

Kirton-born Joseph Travis was hanged for murder at Lincoln Castle in 1848.

It would have been a spectator event, with 10-20,000 people standing outside the castle walls for what was regarded as a good day out.

Today, we can hear Joseph’s story – his crime and what prison life was like then – for the first time in over 150 years thanks to a £22 million transformation.

When the castle’s gates swung open again in the spring following the work, they revealed a visitor attraction containing three separate, but equally important, aspects.

For the first time in 500 years, visitors can walk all the way round the castle walls, exploring its towers and dungeons and uncovering a violent past of battles, sieges and public hangings.

They can visit the imposing Victorian prison and chapel, hearing the stories of some of the prisoners, and learning about the Victorian prison regime.

Visitors can also see the Magna Carta, one of just four original copies in existence, and the Charter of the Forests.

Even a visit to the coffee shop in the prison building is an experience, with a large sign listing the daily rations prisoners would have eaten, much of it consisting of oatmeal gruel and bread.

A visit to Lincoln Castle is a journey to the past when debtors and murderers received rough justice. The debtor was incarcerated until his debts were paid off, and the felons – murderers, rapists, thieves – were either hanged or sent to the colonies. Women who ‘concealed a birth’ were also imprisoned, as well as children.

Castle development manager Rachael Thomas said: “We are trying to recreate the Victorian prison experience and we have recreated some cells and others tell the stories of prison life and its characters.”

That is cleverly achieved through digital interpretation displays within some of the cells, with visitors able to touch screens, swipe for different information or use a digital magnifying glass to highlight something of interest.

There is also a dressing up cell, where visitors can pretend to be matron, surgeon, prison governor or warden. Rachel says the outfits are incredibly popular – many of the images taken ending up on social media.

At weekends during the summer there will be costumed performances, with four original plays being performed by a mix of professional actors and volunteers.

Eight-year-old John Cook was held in the adult prison at Lincoln Castle accused of setting fire to a haystack.

The jury recommended leniency but the judge sentenced him to ten years’ imprisonment. Tragically, he fell ill, was released from prison, and died.

It’s these kind of stories, as well as excerpts from staff journals, that bring the prison to life for visitors.

Films also help to explain the past, both in the prison and in the Magna Carta vault, where two films – one leading up to the signing of the charter and the other explaining its significance – are shown on a wide screen.

For visitors who want to get the most out of their visit, there are four or five guided tours a day, as well as an audio guide.

There is an all-inclusive entry ticket, covering the wall walk, the Magna Carta vault as well as the Victorian prison.

These are £12 for adults (which allows a free return visit, including event days), £9.60 concessions and £7.20 children – a family ticket for two adults and up to three children costs £31.20.

Alternatively, visitors can visit the elements separately at reduced prices.

There is also a castle (open 10am to 5pm) and Lincoln Cathedral join ticket: £16, £13, £10 and £40 for families.

Entry to the grounds themselves is free and is worth a visit, if only for a picnic on the grassy slopes.

The grounds also contain an Eleanor Cross, Oriel window, statue of George III and the Heritage Skills Centre.

The death of a Surfleet microlight pilot following a mid-air crash was accidental, a coroner has ruled.

Stephen Spavins (46) was killed on his commute to work at a funeral directors in Sandy, Bedfordshire, when his Kitfox machine hit a Cessna light aircraft on September 23 last year.

The crash happened at between 2,000ft and 3,000ft.

Both aircraft spiralled downwards and Mr Spavins crashed into a field near Rectory Farm, near the Black Cat roundabout on the A1.

The inquest heard Mr Spavins died instantly from multiple injuries.

The surviving Cessna pilot, Graham Waller, was flying to Sywell Aerodrome, Northamptonshire, that day.

He described seeing “a flash of red” before the crash and then struggled to pull his four-seater plane out of a nosedive.

An expert from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), Anthony Severs, told the inquest that “both aircraft were trying to take evasive action but they had just not seen each other soon enough”.

Bedfordshire Coroner Tom Osborne accepted the findings of the AAIB and recorded a verdict of accidental death.

In February, a report from the AAIB said the accident happened because neither pilot saw the other aircraft “in sufficient time to take effective avoiding action”.

Mr Waller told investigators he did not see Mr Spavins’ plane until it was about 20ft away.

The AAIB said a low sun position may have contributed to the problem.

Mr Waller said he suddenly saw a red, light aircraft that he “thought was climbing towards him”.

Considering a collision was imminent, Mr Waller pulled the control panel back and to the left.

He told investigators that he thought Mr Spavins had not seen his aircraft because he did not appear to have taken evasive action.

The AAIB said the tip of the right wing of Mr Spavins’ plane then hit the Cessna’s propeller.

Nearly half of the microlight’s wing was found over a wide area, suggesting the damage had been caused in the air.

Last September, a friend of Mr Spavins revealed he used to live in Sandy but bought a plot of land near Spalding so he could fly to work.

The A17 in Gedney is still blocked after a lorry overturned and shed its load of potatoes this morning.

Police and highways engineers are clearing the road after the accident near Gedney roundabout at about 7.30am this morning.

A Lincolnshire Police spokesman said: “There don’t appear to be any injuries but the road is still blocked as they are in the process of trying to get the trailer’s load of potatoes cleared.”

TUESDAY 9.10AM: Overturned lorry causes disruption on A17 in Gedney

Drivers are facing a travel nightmare on the A17 in Gedney this morning after a lorry overturned and shed its load of potatoes.

It happened near the junction of Main Road, causing slow traffic towards Long Sutton.

There will be more details as soon as we get them.

Event four of Spalding Cycling Club’s 10-mile Time Trial League event proved to be slowest night of the 2015 season so far with times often a minute or slower for most of the 19 members and nine guests competing.

Windy, cold and with a low sun right in the riders’ faces on the long trips down the Delph, the conditions really only favoured those with more power and a pair of sunglasses!

As ever the top places went to Neil Palmer and Chris Ward who both posted their slowest ‘10’ times of the season in 22.40 and 23.28 respectively while third place was taken by the ever-improving Mark Hills.

He stopped the clock on 27.46, just one second ahead of Ross McGivern whose 27.47 was just 27 seconds slower than his fastest time of the year.

Second Claim member Tom Neale, riding in his Catford CC Team colours, recorded 24.36 as fastest guest rider with J Durrin of Neon Velo in second on 25.18 and J Norman of Fenland Clarion with 26.21.

Spalding’s new members did well as Kayleigh Adams took the award for first lady, finishing in 29.00 for ninth overall while Clare Wookey was 14th in 33.14.

With both now full members the only guest lady was Louise Day. Her 28.17 would have put her in sixth place over all if club and guest results were combined.

The under-16s category had a different outcome as neither Jake Norton nor Matt Ellis were riding so top honours went to Will Gurney whose 31.53 was good enough for 11th overall in the club standings.

Gurney finished 2.59 ahead of fellow under-16 rider Tom Wright who along with ‘super vet’ Bill Woods tied for 15th overall in 34.52.

Sophie Wright, having had several close races against her brother in the previous weeks, just narrowly missed beating his time by finishing in 34.55.

The under-16 guests finished in the same order as round three, albeit on slower times – Bourne Wheelers Bryn Richards (30.15) and Molly Peel (35.55), Cam Neilson of Fenland Clarion (31.11).

Other times: Chris Peel 28.12, Andrew Gurney 28.19, Ben Richards, 28.31, B Heron, 28.33, Barry Drew 30.10, Geoff Hughes, 31.58, Brian Johnson, 32.41, Adrian Thurston 35.33, Max Bland 36.03, Tom Drew (Spalding Tri) 27.37, Gareth Richards (Bourne Wheelers) 27.56.

Having already set a new personal best and course record for Spalding’s 10-mile TT, Neil Palmer smashed the club 25-mile TT record set in 1997 at 53.07.

Despite rainy conditions, he finished joint-third in a fantastic 51.54 in the VTTA Notts & East Midlands 25-mile TT on the super-fast dragstrip Allington- Ollerton-Long Bennington A1 course.

Team-mate Chris Ward took fifth overall with a fine 56.32.