Police are seeking the public’s help in tracking down a GTX Typhoon caravan stolen from a resident’s driveway in New Road, Sutton Bridge, yesterday (Thursday).

Villagers say there was an attempt to take a second van yesterday, which failed, and police have a “suspicious” incident at 10am yesterday where a man knocked on a resident’s door in Crowland asking to buy a caravan.

• The Typhoon GTX was stolen at some time between 10am and 3.30pm.

Witnesses are asked to call police on 101 quoting incident 257 of August 13 if they know anything about the theft from Sutton Bridge. Please dial the same number if you saw any suspicious callers in Crowland.

Villagers living in the South Forty Foot Drain area who have suffered flooding in the past are being urged to have their say about how best to manage future flood risk.

A six-week public consultation is focussing on the Black Sluice catchment, where water flows into the River Haven.

It includes the Black Sluice Pumping Station and the villages of Swaton and Billingborough – prime agricultural land which have previously experienced both surface water and river flooding.

The Environment Agency’s priority is to protect people and their homes, but flood risk to farming and national food security is also an important consideration.

Black Sluice Pumping Station was built in 1946 and all five of its pumps are at the end of their working life. Options specifically for the future of the pumping station include replacing the pumps, removing them, or transferring them to the local internal drainage board.

Deborah Campbell, flood risk manager at the Environment Agency, said: “We’ve been looking at flood risk management here since 2012, and it makes more sense for us to look at the catchment as a whole, rather than just the pumping station in isolation. This will allow us to make best use of Government funding to reduce the risk to people’s homes and businesses.

“The pumping station was never built to reduce flood risk to people’s homes, but rather to drain water from surrounding land. We want to reassure people that from our initial surveys, no homes would be at an increased risk if the pumps were decommissioned.

“While the Black Sluice pumping station does reduce flood risk to areas of agricultural land, this isn’t enough for Government to fund all the work, based on the Government funding formula we have to use. Our investigations have shown us that all the other drainage and flood risk structures in the catchment provide far more protection to this nationally important area for food production.

“This is why we are considering a range of options throughout the catchment, and we will continue our ongoing work and maintenance in the area to reduce the risk of flooding.”

Deborah continued: “This consultation is a chance for you to tell us your thoughts, and your views will help bring to light any other factors we should take into account when considering our realistic options.”

A series of information events have also been scheduled where people can come and learn more about the options:

Monday, August 17, 10am – 3pm, Black Sluice Internal Drainage Board office (address)

Tuesday, August 25, 1pm – 8pm, Billingborough Village Hall

Tuesday, September 1, 10am – 3pm, Black Sluice Internal Drainage Board office

Thursday, September 10, 1pm – 8pm, Rippingale Village Hall

Monday, September 14, 10am – 3pm, Black Sluice Internal Drainage Board office

Tuesday, September 22, 1pm – 8pm, Bicker Village Hall

The consultation can be accessed online https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/portal/ from Monday. You can also send your comments to BlackSluiceCatchment@environment-agency.gov.uk.

Previously...

Action call to prevent flood catastrophe

Two wildlife lovers visiting an RSPB nature reserve couldn’t believe their luck when they saw a family of weasels hanging out on the path right in front of them.

Daphne and Nigel Simpson were visiting RSPB Frampton Marsh when they spotted four baby weasels, called ‘kits,’ and an adult, just inches from where they were standing.

The mother took two of her offspring into the nearby undergrowth but the other two remained in sight for a few seconds.

Mrs Simpson managed to take some pictures before they disappeared and she says: “It really was a special sight and they are beautiful creatures. We’d been hoping to see lots of wildlife but we never imagined we’d get to see baby weasels. They really did have the ‘ahhh factor!”

Weasel kits are notoriously hard to see as their nests are usually well out of sight in crevices, tree roots and abandoned burrows.

They are also incredibly small – weasels are the UK’s smallest mustelid – a group of carnivorous mammals, – and adults grow no larger than twelve inches from nose to tail tip.

Murray Brown, volunteer visitor experience intern at Frampton Marsh, said: “We give all kinds of wildlife a home and see great creatures on site every day.

“We knew we had weasels but I can honestly say I have never seen the kits – I wish I had.”

Firefighters from Spalding and Bourne were sent out this afternoon (Friday) following a report of a building on fire on South Fen Road, at Bourne.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue said there was no fire and paint fumes had been mistaken for the smell of burning.

The alarm was raised shortly before 1.20pm.

Fire crews were called to reports of a fire that turned out to be paint fumes.

Two crews from Bourne and Spalding were called to South Fen Road in Bourne at about 1.20pm today (Friday). There was no fire and the caller had mistaken paint fumes for the smell of burning.

The start of the season begins a new era for Spalding United on and off the pitch.

The Tulips have put together a squad full of summer signings following the club’s takeover by a local consortium.

After just missing out on a play-off place last term, boss Pat Rayment has set his sights on promotion this time.

Rayment admitted: “As a club we want to go forward so we need to improve on what we did last season.

“We are always trying to do better.

“This is a brand new team and the start of a new era for the club.”

EVO-STIK NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE FIRST DIVISION SOUTH

AUGUST

Saturday 15: Romulus (A)

Tuesday 18: Loughborough Dynamo (H)

Saturday 22: Tividale (H)

Tuesday 25: Sheffield (A)

Saturday 29: Radford / Sleaford Town - Emirates FA Cup (A)

Monday 31: Gresley (A)

SEPTEMBER

Saturday 5: Stafford Rangers (H)

Tuesday 8: Belper Town (H)

Saturday 12: Emirates FA Cup first qualifying round

Saturday 19: Market Drayton Town (A)

Tuesday 22: Basford United (A)

Saturday 26: Stocksbridge Park Steels (H)

Tuesday 29: Daventry Town (A)

OCTOBER

Saturday 3: Newcastle Town - FA Trophy (A)

Saturday 10: Kidsgrove Athletic (H)

Tuesday 13: Coalville Town (H)

Saturday 17: Goole (A)

Saturday 24: Chasetown (A)

Saturday 31: Shaw Lane Aquaforce (H)

NOVEMBER

Saturday 7: Newcastle Town (H)

Tuesday 10: Matlock Town - Integro League Cup (H)

Saturday 14: Leek Town (A)

Saturday 21: Carlton Town (H)

Saturday 28: Rugby Town (A)

DECEMBER

Saturday 5: Market Drayton Town (H)

Saturday 12: Stafford Rangers (A)

Saturday 19: Basford United (H)

Saturday 26: Lincoln United (A)

Monday 28: Gresley (H)

JANUARY

Saturday 2: Stocksbridge Park Steels (A)

Saturday 9: Romulus (H)

Saturday 16: Loughborough Dynamo (A)

Saturday 23: Sheffield (H)

Saturday 30: Tividale (A)

FEBRUARY

Saturday 6: Kidsgrove Athletic (A)

Saturday 13: Daventry Town (H)

Saturday 20: Coalville Town (A)

Saturday 27: Goole (H)

MARCH

Saturday 5: Carlton Town (A)

Saturday 12: Rugby Town (H)

Saturday 26: Belper Town (A)

Monday 28: Lincoln United (H)

APRIL

Saturday 2: Shaw Lane Aquaforce (A)

Saturday 9: Chasetown (H)

Saturday 16: Newcastle Town (A)

Saturday 23: Leek Town (H)

TRANSFERS - IN

Sam Murphy (M, Peterborough Northern Star), Adam Millson (M, Wisbech Town), Michael Frew (F, King’s Lynn Town), Neal Spafford (D, Wisbech Town), Paul Walker (D, Grimsby Town), Dan Lawlor (M, Stamford), Josh Moreman (F, Kettering Town), Mapeo Mendes (M, Irchester United), Will Rawdon (D, Grantham Town), George Zuerner (M, Grantham Town), Jack Barlow (F).

OUT

Chris Hall (M, Lincoln United), Jack McGovern (M, Lincoln United), Jamie Stevens (D, Holbeach United), Avelino Vieira (F, Peterborough Sports), Lewis Webb (M, Peterborough Sports), Lee Beeson (M, Grantham Town), Jamie Thurlbourne (M, retired due to injury), Alex Pycock (GK, Loughborough Dynamo).

WARD’S WORLD: By John Ward

I used to think it was me but hearing comments from other folk who like me still endeavour to fit clothing to their bodies, it’s the size situation that seems to be going in all directions. Whatever the size marked on the label, it’s a sure thing it’s a 50/50 gamble it will fit your body where it ought to.

Times I wander about looking at assorted items of clothing that catch the eye but as being ‘trendy’ has never fitted into my mindset due to my shape based on a boulder with attitude because all I look for is that the item has buttons or a zip in the right place but preferably not together plus a reasonable colour, two sleeves, two legs as appropriate that will do nicely ta thank you very much and off I can trundle to dazzle them on the Jungle Fresh Bamboo Shoot counter in our local supermarket.

Sizes then. At one time in the not too distant past you could be safe in the fact you chose a shirt that said size 16 collar and it would fit you but now a size 16 it’s often not the case as assuming you can pull the two ends of the collar together with a winch, and you button it up and release the said winch, you would strangle yourself and would need a passing para-medic team to attend and cut you free in most cases.

One assumes that the measured inch is slightly different in, say, the orient where it seems a lot of our clothing is churned out, sorry, fashionably styled and tailored to the highest possible standards - or then again not as we are finding out.

Another mind numbing bit of silliness is the Small, Medium, Large, X-Large, XX- Large, XXX-Large and so on size range as for years we had inches that went into kilos whatever as a size gauge but now nothing fits properly unless you know your alphabet.

I have been in clothing outlets – menswear is no longer the buzz word for blokes gear it seems – where I have tried or attempted to try garments on that would put a self respecting straight jacket to shame as once, on you need three people to get it off again and that is without anaesthetic and once off stare at the label and it clearly states it’s a size 44 chest but 44 of what exactly?.

I thought it was me for ages but now I meet other people who are having the same life changing moments where they pick a size 52 to make sure it fits their 38 inch chest. Trousers are another ball game so to speak as once again the tape measure would appear to have been left out in the sun too long as its shrunk so that my 30 inside leg allows the bottom of the leg bits to dangle mid way from the knees to ankles but as I pointed out earlier I have no desire to appear trendy but think if I was let loose in, say, Monte Carlo or Cleethorpes in such attire I could well set the fashion world ablaze.

THOUGHTS OF A FRUITCAKE: By Carolyn Aldis

So, after a fun day at the seaside, stuffing our faces with junk food, I arrived home with tummy ache.

I decided that as I was feeling ill, I would have an early night and went to bed at 7p.m…I felt that bad.

I took my trousers off, got into bed and fell asleep quickly. At 9 p.m, I became aware of a familiar sound that filled my hazy mind with dread… the sound of a football being kicked against our fence.

Now, I know it’s no big deal that people play football and it may seem petty that I am bothered by it…but our summer last year was ruined by large groups of youths, kicking the ball against our fence, climbing into our garden to retrieve it and being disrespectful.

Having heard the ball hit again, I went to look out of the window, and as I did, a football sailed through the air and landed in my garden. With lightning speed, two faces appeared at the fence and one young man made to climb over. I was angry now and made my presence known, waving my hand and making it clear he wasn’t allowed in.

He put his hands together, pleading for the ball. I reached up to open the window, remembering too late I only had underwear on my bottom half. Hastily I opened it and crouched down to shout at them.

“Why should I give you your ball back, when you have repeatedly kicked it against my fence and woken me up?”

They looked dumbfounded and uncomfortable…I couldn’t tell if it was my attire or my attitude, but it allowed my husband to go and talk calmly to them. He asked their names, told jokes and shared his knowledge of their language.

He came upstairs to tell me he had given them their ball back …I knew he would in his role of good cop. He said that when he told them about last summer, they looked genuinely sorry for us.

“Did you go to the window dressed like that?”

My sheepish look spoke volumes.

“That explains a lot…” He said, chuckling and left. I sat down, slightly annoyed to hear the ball being played with again. I began to reflect on my reaction and entered into a dialogue with God about “What Would Jesus Do?”

It usually starts with me thinking about what Jesus would NOT do and in this case, I think it’s safe to say He wouldn’t have appeared at the window in His underwear, He wouldn’t have been angry, He wouldn’t have given His side of the story, even though He could have done.

He would have been the good cop and talked to them, asked their names and spoken their language, laughed with them and given the ball back, knowing they may well do the same thing again…

God gives me the same scenario again and again, knowing that I often react with the wrong emotion, yet still He loves me and waits patiently until I learn the right response.

A bad cop can become a good cop in God’s world.

Shop owners say they could soon be forced to start charging customers to use cash machines or remove them altogether as a result of changes to the way they are taxed.

In 2013, the Valuation Office Agency ruled that any ATM situated on the front wall of a store should incur a separate rates bill. It identified around 10,500 such cash machines.

The agency also decided to backdate this charge to 2010, leaving some shop owners facing one-off bills running into the tens of thousands of pounds.

As a result of these initial costs and the ongoing, higher charges now levied, many free ATMs have become financially unviable.

The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has written to the Government calling on it to remove the charge on free ATMs, claiming they provide customers access to their money at a time when many last banks in town are closing.

It added: “We believe that ATMs are a high street enabler providing shared benefits to a range of traders, allowing consumers to access their cash and spend it within their local communities.”

“We have worked with the Department for Communities and Local Government to promote the use of discretionary rates relief by local authorities to exempt ATM machines from rating, but there are very few examples where this has occurred. We therefore believe that the Government should consider removing ATMs from the rating list completely.”

A regular column from South Holland Centre in Spalding.

Reviewing previews is a risky enterprise and there has been some predictable
disagreement amongst the critics.

Jan Moir happily wrote in the Daily Mail: “His Hamlet in a hoodie was electrifying, a performance that veered from moments of genuinely
hilarious comedy to plunge down to the very depths of throat-scalding tragedy.”

And in the Telegraph
Serena Davies feels that director Lyndsey Turner and designer Es Devlin, “have
created a lavish, epic
Hamlet for the Barbican’s vast stage.”

But in The Times Kate
Maltby was slightly less impressed, writing: “Cumberbatch has all the energy Hamlet requires…but this is Hamlet for kids raised on Moulin Rouge… a wasted opportunity.”

Meanwhile Cumberbatch himself has put out a plea to his legions of fans not to record his performances on mobile phones.

He says “I can’t give you what I want to give you, which is a live performance that you’ll remember in your minds and brains, rather than on your phones.”

The hazards of his near cult status among Sherlock fans brings its own challenges it seems.

It has all promoted discussion of the play with Shakespeare’s work, as ever, adapting to another new era and new audiences.

The good news is that you can come and judge for yourselves as the long sold out Barbican Hamlet is beamed live to the South Holland Centre by NT Live on Thursday, October 15 at 7pm.

The Cumberbatch effect means that tickets are already in high demand!

Regarding the letter published last week “Facts on MPs pay quite clear” I assume Mr Richards was referring to my letter of July 28. Well, seeing the national news and like millions of others hearing the newsreader say MPs are in for a 10% pay rise, I never said MPs vote for a pay rise, and haven’t had one for nine years.

Correct me again but do I recall last year or the year before they were offered another pay rise? And I probably never bought the local paper that week – what I heard I heard on national TV news.

As for saying MPs’ pay is decided by an outside body, you mean Brussels - the country just seems to be run by that place.

The former air traffic control tower on the Wainfleet bombing range is one of the quirkier properties that have been sold by William H Brown in its long history.

Then there was the former life boat station at Skegness, the converted churches, barns and agricultural buildings, but no haunted houses that Jamie Forman knows about.

“People always ask about haunted houses,” says Jamie, area director of William H Brown which celebrates its 125th anniversary this year.

The company, one of the oldest firms established in Lincolnshire, has a network of over 110 branches including Spalding, Long Sutton, Boston, Sleaford, Skegness, Grantham and Lincoln in Lincolnshire, as well as offices in Yorkshire, East Anglia, the Midlands and the Home Counties.

Jamie has worked for the company for 30 years, and spent time in a number of different offices, so has a broad knowledge of the business’s activities.

He said Lincolnshire in particular is quite diverse, with different parts of the county having a unique appeal to different buyers. For instance, people in the Home Counties tend to want to retire to the south of the county, whereas Midlanders are attracted to areas of the coast.

What is still true of the county as a whole though, says Jamie, is: “Lincolnshire is perceived to be really good value in comparison to other areas of the country, and it’s a lovely place to live. Probably the general pace of life is a little bit slower than some areas. It’s still a popular county to relocate to.”

While the business has grown from its humble beginnings in 1890, when it offered auctions and a valuation service from a hut on a stackyard in Ruskington, William H Brown stays true to a part of its original heritage. The firm continues to offer an auctions service from its two auction centres, one in East Anglia and one in the North of England.

There have been changes, of course, such as the general increase in prices across the county and the growth of the rental market.

Jamie said: “The rental market is very strong and we have lettings offices in Spalding, Boston, King’s Lynn, Peterborough, Sleaford and Grantham. That’s been a large part of our growth. We have grown our lettings quite quickly in the patch really. That’s been quite a change we have seen in our business, but also more rental businesses have set up over the course of that period as well.”

What has stayed the same is the business’s commitment to a quality service.

Divisional managing director Simon Arnes said: “The 125th anniversary signifies an important achievement for William H Brown, its employees and our customers. It speaks volumes about the value of our expertise and experience in the property industry and the talent and good service at the heart of our company. We are proud and excited to celebrate this milestone year, looking back on our incredible heritage and accomplishments and towards a prosperous future.”

Different offices have arranged their own celebrations, such as the vintage tea party held at Long Sutton, when staff in fancy dress offered cake and drinks to customers, and the party is set to continue for the rest of the year!

I am one of the people at the heart of the Save Lincolnshire Libraries campaign. Martin Hill has now written an open letter (dated July 29) attacking me and other campaigners, claiming our actions are political and unnecessary. I must now make it clear I have several motivations for opposing Mr Hill’s plan. None of them are political, and people can judge for themselves if my concerns are well-founded.

I am a mother of two. Libraries have allowed me to better my life and it has been a delight to watch libraries and the staff within them work the same magic on my young children.

I am also a business owner. Libraries have contributed the knowledge and intelligence that powers my business, which provides work for me and other people. I believe that a strong and successful enterprise needs certain foundations: people selected on the basis of skills and experience, contracts of employment, ongoing training, and financial rewards to keep people motivated (and frankly most people in this world need a wage). Any enterprise that does not have these foundations in place is relying far too much on luck, and Martin Hill’s plan to replace libraries with around 30 volunteer community hubs is doing just that. I was also one of the directors on Market Rasen’s Portas Pilot scheme, and I can say with absolute certainty that finding enough good volunteers with enough time to spare in a rural location was an Achilles Heel. The volunteer board I was a part of soon became exhausted. Support from additional volunteers for our initiatives was patchy and required much more management than anticipated. Our fall-back position was employed management resource – paid staff. So I have direct experience of volunteer initiatives and their limitations behind my opposition to this plan.

I can also say from my conversations with national library campaigners that there is no in-depth research in the UK into volunteer libraries to confirm they are sustainable, with much anecdotal evidence saying they are not.

So, my stance is this: Martin Hill’s plan to close libraries and replace them with volunteer community hubs takes a huge risk with a greatly loved service that is vital to many, especially children, the elderly and unemployed. He has ignored massive and sustained opposition. He was shown how an efficient service provider could make all the cuts he wanted while keeping all the libraries open and fully staffed, and he has ignored that offer too.

For these many reasons I have campaigned against Mr Hill’s plan. I have no need to add political ones to the list.  I am not a Labour councillor or a member of the Labour party. My vote has gone to three different parties in my time as I vote for the least annoying candidate.

If you want to really understand the people supporting this campaign, you must read the 900 comments on our website from those who signed our online petition (www.savelincslibraries.org.uk/nine-hundred-comments/). If you can get through that page without becoming tearful you have a heart of stone. This is just a snapshot of the tens of thousands of people who support the campaign: good citizens of Lincolnshire who pay their taxes and want a secure library service in return. These are the people Martin Hill is now putting the boot into. Mr Hill’s obsession with other councillors should not be allowed to cover up the massive support this grassroots campaign has gathered.

To say Save Lincolnshire Libraries cannot be distinguished from The Labour Party is preposterous. Labour councillors are involved in the campaign but that is their job, they have a duty to be The Opposition.

Any comment by Mr Hill on the matter of wasting taxpayers’ money is him protesting about the public purse being used to reveal that he and his fellow executives acted unlawfully, the reason they lost the 2014 Judicial Review on two counts. 

And what recourse did people have but to take this to the highest court? The people of Lincolnshire do not like being dictated to (God bless them) and Martin Hill’s first unlawful consultation did just that. If he had let people truly have their say on the future of the library service they are paying for, the outcome would have been so different. If he had got round the table with campaigners (the offer was made many times) he could also have avoided this costly battle.

Families have the opportunity to have fun, get fit and win prizes at the launch of the Shout and About event in Spalding today.

A variety of activities are being held at Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field as part of a 12-week promotion that includes arts, crafts, walking, exercise classes, cooking, gardening, dancing and much more.

By completing the activities, participants will be awarded points which go towards winning a series of prizes.

Run by South Holland District Council’s Community Development team, the competition is open to everyone in the district and people can enter as individuals, families or in small groups (the maximum number is seven).

Competitors can choose to sign up for the contest in five areas – Spalding, Donington, Crowland, Holbeach or Long Sutton and Sutton Bridge – but activities can be completed anywhere in the district.

The team/family/individual with the most points in each area at the end of the competition will win a grand prize of £200 worth of vouchers.

There’s still time to sign up at the events at Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field this afternoon.

Having had a long dry spell I was expecting a wet harvest but thankfully it doesn’t seem to be materialising, writes Nicholas Watts.

Here at Deeping St Nicholas I only recorded 200mm or 8in during the first seven months of the year, only 70 per cent of what we normally have and I must say how pleasant it has been farming without getting mud on my boots.

In 1976, the worst drought in living memory, by this time I had only had recorded 115mm or 4.6in of rain and we had 38 consecutive days without any rain during July and August. The summer was also warmer than this summer but when the weather broke it didn’t stop raining for the next six months.

At the time of writing, harvest is progressing well but there is a long way to go before everything is harvested and we will need rain soon, firstly to make the oil seed rape grow and secondly to soften the clods so we can harvest the potatoes without bruising them.

Two years ago the experts were saying that the future looked bright for farmers as prices of nearly all our crops were good but here we are only two years later with most crop prices at rock bottom and that is partly due to there being a surplus of grain worldwide and partly due to competition between supermarkets. The first problem will sort itself out but I can’t see the second problem going away in the foreseeable future, as at every opportunity they are looking for cheaper produce. The one crop that could be reasonable this year is potatoes but we will just have to wait and see. It is a crop that the supermarkets do not have control over.

HAYES IN THE HOUSE: By MP John Hayes

‘God is dead’ declared the German thinker Fredrick Nietzsche at the end of the 19th century. In the place of the Judeo-Christian tradition, Nietzsche argued, we should create our own value system without regard to the moral absolutes of good and evil. Though Nietzsche’s rejection of God heralded the turmoil of the early 20th century, probably the most terrible epoch in all human history, the awful idea that characterised his thinking – that morality is relative – remains fashionable to this day.

For the most part moral relativism is the result of lazy thinking – an easy excuse to turn a blind eye to behaviour that, deep down, we all know to be unacceptable. At its worst, relativism is a subversive notion used by those who wish to undermine the values on which our freedom depends. In this malevolent endeavour such extremists are aided and abetted by those who have lost faith in the nation – complete with its abiding values – which nurtures them.

A misguided writer in the Guardian newspaper recently argued that the problem with the Government’s ‘Prevent’ strategy, which aims to stop the spread of radicalism in schools, universities and elsewhere, is that it relies “upon a very clear idea of what is considered extremism and what is not, when it comes to Muslims, many educators find it difficult to make that distinction”. I am confident that, in fact, the majority of British Muslims would be insulted by this idea that Islamic extremism is difficult to spot. The acceptability of extremism does not vary in relation to a religious or ethnic group: what is wrong is just plain wrong.

Recently I travelled to Spain to represent the UK at a United Nations conference on such matters. As I said there, “all that stands between us and chaos is order which all we do is designed and made to preserve”.

‘Prevent’ is focused on challenging all forms of terrorist ideology, supporting people who are vulnerable and working with institutions where there are risks of radicalisation. We must challenge the extremist ideas that lie at the heart of the terrorist’s dogma. As the Prime Minister said in his recent ground-breaking speech on extremism: “You don’t have to support violence to subscribe to certain intolerant ideas which create a climate in which extremists can flourish.”

The ‘Prevent’ strategy, for which I am now responsible in Government, is about stopping the poisonous influence of extremist ideas used to legitimise terrorism.

As one of my heroes, the great philosopher and politician Edmund Burke, wrote: “When bad men combine, the good must associate.” Protecting those who are at risk of radicalisation is a job for all of us. We must work together to challenge all those who despise all we are.

A Crowland business is among the companies to have taken advantage of a new countywide service for enterprises looking to expand.

Floppy Chicken, of Queens Bank Farm, has been accessing the support of the Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub.

The service was launched in June by the Greater Lincolnshire LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership) and Lincolnshire County Council to support business growth.

Described at the time as ‘a countywide one-stop advice shop’, it aims to provide a focal point for businesses seeking support.

Floppy Chicken sell galantines of poultry, prepared using an American style pit smoker, at farmers markets as hot food takeaway or whole for home cooking or via the internet.

Noreen Read, lead growth and skills adviser at the hub said the business had reached ‘saturation point’, explaining: “The birds that they can prepare/cook are selling out within a couple of hours of standing at markets.”

The hub is looking into helping them purchase a second pit smoker, increase turnover, profits and grow their business.

Barbara Vanstone, director of Floppy Chicken, said she would ‘definitely’ recommend the hub to other businesses keen to expand.

For more on the Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub, visit www.businesslincolnshire.com or emailing business
lincolnshireenquiry@
lincolnshire.gov.uk

An agricultural and environmental expert from Gedney has welcomed the prospect of South Holland getting a share of £93.1 million worth of European cash.

Katy Anderson (22), rural adviser for the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) in eastern England, called the cash pot from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) a “great opportunity” for businesses in the area.

The cash will be used to put on training schemes, create business premises, innovation and economic development projects throughout the Greater Lincolnshire area over the next five years.

Katy, a former Spalding High School student, said: “This is a great opportunity for, and will really support, our rural businesses.

“It particularly promotes investment in support of those looking to innovate, as well as the small and medium-sized businesses that are prevalent in our region.

“Finally, it prioritises two of the CLA’s main priorities which are broadband and flood solutions.”

The cash injection was announced by Local Growth Minister James Wharton on Thursday when organisations like the CLA, Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Lincolnshire County Council were invited to bid for funding.

Pat Doody, chairman of Greater Lincolnshire LEP’s European funding partnership, said: “Our area’s plan for growth is driven by the needs of our businesses and community.

“The funds this area is getting from the new ERDF programme will play an important and strategic part in delivering on our ambitions.

“Having agreed the local priorities for using these funds and moving our economy forward, we can now get on with investing it in the best projects that deliver growth and jobs in Greater Lincolnshire.”

South Holland missed out on a share of more than £67.5 million between 2015-17 because projects were unlikely to be completed within the time period.

But Coun Colin Davie, executive member for economic development at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “This funding will have a real impact on the lives of people living in Greater Lincolnshire, its surrounding towns and villages.”

Scott Coupland was happy to share the credit after his hat-trick helped Deeping Rangers to another big win.

The former Sleaford Town skipper struck twice inside a minute and then completed a treble to wrap up the 6-1 home victory over Boston Town in the Emirates FA Cup extra preliminary round on Saturday.

Coupland said: “It’s always nice to do well personally but it’s all about the team.

“We know the main thing is winning and getting through to the next round of the cup.

“Once we got the first goal we played at a high intensity and then killed the game.”

First-team coach Martin Bond added: “We are really pleased with the result and we are definitely moving forward.

“Like on Tuesday night at home to Huntingdon Town, we started with a high level of intensity.

“As soon as we got the first goal on Saturday we played 20 minutes which was probably our best football so far this season in terms of our team understanding.

“We’ve got a good group of young lads who are playing well. As a coach it’s great to see those patterns of play coming off from the training field.

“I think Boston are a good side and Dan Bircham made some important saves but we scored at the right times as well.

“It would have been ideal to have a midweek game again to keep the momentum going but everybody is happy with the way we are playing.”

RE: Why is it that history repeats itself after a quarter of a century.

Many residents of Sutton Bridge will remember the successful public inquiry which established that there WAS a right of way, a byway open to all traffic, along West Bank to both the West Lighthouse and to Petts Lane, passing through Port Sutton Bridge.

Is it not amazing that the owners of the port have closed it again. What arrogance.

One day the port will be looking to the community for support!

I am delighted that the county council have written and REQUIRED the obstruction to be removed, in accordance with the Inspector’s decision at the public inquiry.

Let’s hope we do not have to resort to bolt cutters!