Primary school pupils had a prehistoric adventure last week when they took part in their own dinosaur dig.

Children in Year 1 at Deeping St James Primary School spent a day in the school field looking for dinosaur bones. They had a successful dig, finding several excellent specimens, which they then took back to the classroom to examine.

The class then wrote a report on their adventure. They said: “The dinosaur was sneaky. Mr Wilkinson heard him roar, he was thumping around our school.

“We found a dinosaur bone; it was scary. We found footprints. The footprint were big.

“We think they were dinosaur prints. We think it came from a Triceratops.

“We have discovered Triceratops bones and a horn, and we also found teeth.

“Please come to Deeping St James Primary School to see the bones we have found. We found them on the field, in the woods.”

The children thoroughly enjoyed their prehistoric week.

Crews from Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue have been sent to assist with the flood response in Cumbria today, with a third on the way - while the police chief found himself in the middle of events last night.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue this morning tweeted they had sent two water rescue teams to Cumbria to assist with the flooding - with Gainsborough tweeting that they were one of the crews.

They have also sent Flood Tac Adviser Dave Gilbert.

Meanwhile, what looks like a weekend away for Neil Rhodes has landed him right in the middle of events.

He Tweeted out: “Weekend in Cumbria. Just got in at 0130 spent night bailing out a neighbour. Thinking of those in Appleby, Keswick and Cockermouth.”

A major incident has been declared in Cumbria due to the flooding and more than 150 flood warnings have gone out due to Storm Desmond.

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes and more than 60,000 houses have been left without power.

One man has already died due to the weather.

More details as we recieve them.

Have you been caught up in the Cumbria floods? Send your stories to daniel.jaines@jpress.co.uk, comment on our Facebook page or Tweet us.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue have put out a warning regarding discarded smoking materials after they were called to a house fire in Holbeach this morning (Sunday).

The service tweeted that three crews - from Holbeach, Long Sutton and Spalding - were sent to the fire on Arthurs Avenue, however, the fire was out on arrival.

They said the fire had been caused by ‘discarded smoking materials’ and had resulted in ‘light fire damage to a wicker bin and contents’.

A tweet from the service read: “Always double-check cigarettes are stubbed out and are disposed of properly.”

Click here for more smoking safety advice.

A two-week spell will test Deeping Rangers’ credentials as a top-four team, according to boss Michael Goode.

Their unbeaten league run at the Haydon Whitham Stadium moved into double figures thanks to a 1-0 win over Newport Pagnell Town on Saturday.

On Tuesday evening Rangers face Holbeach United, managed by Darren Jarvis who worked with Goode at Peterborough Northern Star.

Goode said: “We keep in touch on a regular basis as we are friends inside and outside of football.

“We are all trying to win the league but I think he has got a different agenda.

“I believe we can close the gap and we are certainly right in the mix outside that top three.

“Now we have got to show our credentials by competing with those teams in the next few games.

“I made a bit of a mistake by looking too far ahead when we need to take one at a time.

“This is a big win for us and now with three points under our belts we can approach the Holbeach game in a very 
positive way.

“We will set out to beat them with attacking intent.

“When we lost away to Holbeach, we probably made it too easy for their goals.

“For long periods of the second half we were the better team but over 90 minutes they deserved to win.”

Reflecting on Saturday’s game, Goode said: “I was really pleased with the way we defended, especially in the first half under pressure.

“I’m delighted to keep a clean sheet and we proved to ourselves that we can beat top teams in these conditions.”

Meanwhile, Goode was happy to hand a debut to Henry Dunn who has joined from Bourne Town.

He added: “Henry has always been on the radar and now is the right time to bring him in as a really good option.”

The run up to Christmas is well and truly on, the lists for Santa are written, the shops are bursting with gifts and the weather is turning ever colder.

With so much going on in the run up to the big day itself, sometimes less exciting tasks, like repeat prescription, can get forgotten, but this can make it more difficult for patients to get the medication they need nearer Christmas.

If you are going away, make sure you have enough medication to cover the entire time that you will be away from home.

Christmas is a time to enjoy special moments, so the last thing you want is to have that time spoilt by not being able to take your regular medication.

If you take repeat medication, you should request it in good time to ensure you have adequate supplies for the Christmas and new year period.

Your GP surgery will be closed on bank holidays and not all pharmacies will be fully open, so it’s important you pick up repeat prescriptions in advance.

Most practices need at least 48 hours to process a repeat prescription request.

Young people and the elderly are particularly susceptible to winter illnesses so make sure your medicine cabinets are well stocked with cold remedies, painkillers and plasters.

If you think you need to see a doctor but your surgery is closed, just phone your usual surgery number to be redirected to the out-of-hours service. You can also call NHS 111 for advice 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Wherever you celebrate the festivities this year, have a very happy Christmas and a healthy new year.

Andrew Morgan is the chief executive of Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust.

Whaplode Church of England Primary School is celebrating after being graded as an outstanding Church of England school following its recent inspection.

The school received its one day inspection on November 12 and the inspector Reverend Ian Robinson was highly impressed with everything he saw during his time there.

The inspection judged the school in three categories: meeting the needs of all learners through its distinctive Christian nature; the impact of collective worship on the school community; and the effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a church school.

All three elements were judged as outstanding. The glowing report identified that Christian values are embedded and celebrated throughout the school and witnessed the exemplary behaviour of all learners.

Teaching in the school was described as being ‘inspirational’ and agreed with the school’s opinion that there were no ceilings for learners’ achievement with children encouraged to achieve highly.

Feedback and discussions with parents showed that they appreciate the extra mile the school goes to for their children.

The inspector agreed with the school’s ideas to move itself forward which include the development of outdoor reflection spaces.

Head teacher, Alison Flack, said: “I am so proud. This achievement is a result of the incredible hard work and dedication of all members of the school community including children, parents, staff and governors.

“The school has never been graded as an outstanding church school before and it so rewarding that all our efforts have been recognised.”

Two tattoo studios in South Kesteven are the latest to join the district council’s hygiene rating scheme.

Cara Sturdy from Essential Body Art in Stamford and Heidi Blades from Deeping Ink join Adi Earl from Earl’s Studio in Stamford on South Kesteven District Council’s programme.

The scheme, the first by an authority in Lincolnshire and only the second within the East Midlands, was introduced following a trade workshop for the 13 registered studios in the district.

While all studios and individuals must register in order to operate, joining the rating scheme is voluntary. To see which studios are registered and rated visit {http://www.southkesteven.gov.uk/body|www.southkesteven.gov.uk/body}.

A Holbeach pensioner has become the first Lincolnshire 
patient to be treated within the county using a new technique for a potentially life-threatening condition.

Terence Weston (71) suffered with an AAA (abdominal aortic aneurysm which forms when the main artery weakens and expands) and underwent surgery to strengthen the artery wall, preventing it from rupturing.

He is the first patient to be treated within the county using a technique that involves small incisions being made and a stent put in through the artery to strengthen the wall. AAAs are most common in men aged 65 and over and they can rupture suddenly, leading to death.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) screens patients as part of a national screening programme to ensure AAAs are picked up and treated to prevent rupture.

Previously, when an AAA was detected, patients then had to travel to hospitals outside of the county to have the AAA repaired using keyhole surgery.

This operation was carried out by vascular surgeons Nityanand Arya and Peter Lee Chong and interventional radiologist, Dr Guerino Centini, alongside two consultants from Leicester University Hospitals NHS Trust who are working in partnership with ULHT to develop the service.

It’s one of the first partnerships between two NHS trusts and is being upheld as an example to other trusts.

Dr Centini said: “We’re very excited to be bringing this new technique to Lincolnshire. It uses the latest in modern technology and provides Lincolnshire patients with a life-saving procedure closer to home.

“The very first procedure was carried out in November and went extremely smoothly, with an excellent immediate result for Mr Weston.”

Mr Arya said: “Mr Weston was reluctant to travel outside the county to have this keyhole treatment. We’re pleased that we now have facilities for the operation as well as follow-up of these patients within the county.”

Mr Weston said: “I am so grateful to the surgeons who carried out my operation. To be able to have this done in my local hospital was fantastic as it meant I didn’t have to travel as far, my family and friends were able to come to visit and I felt a lot more comfortable being somewhere that was more familiar to me.

“I have to say a heartfelt thank you to all the staff involved in the operation and to all those who looked after me.

“Mr Arya is one-in-a-million, he is the best with the best team ever.

“This has been a wonderful experience and there are wonderful nurses on the ward also.”

Dr Guy Fishwick, consultant interventional radiologist at University Hospitals Leicester said: “It is fantastic that we are embracing new technology for vascular services in Lincolnshire that will save patients long trips whilst reducing the post-operative length of stay.”

The service is the culmination of months of hard work between the two hospital Trusts in Lincolnshire and Leicestershire.

Three new jobs could be created if plans for a meat shop in Spalding to become a takeaway are given the go-ahead.

A planning application for a change of use at Taurus Butchery in Station Street has been submitted to South Holland District Council.

According to applicant Audrius Stalioraitis, up to two full-time jobs and one part-time job could be created if the premises become a hot food takeaway.

Crews from Donington have attended a car fire this afternoon (Sunday).

A Tweet from Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue confirmed the crew had been called to the incident on the A52 near Donington at 3.11pm.

The crew used two hose reels and two breathing apparatus to extinguish the fire.

Further details unavailable at this time.

Two building sites in Bourne have been targeted by thieves who stole items from one of them.

The sites in Haydock Park Drive, Elsea Park, and South Fen Road were burgled overnight between November 19 and 20.

Anyone with information should call 101, quoting incident(s) 81 and/or 88 respectively of November 20.

You can also call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Meanwhile, scrap metal was stolen from outside a house in Poplar Crescent, Bourne, at about 5.10am on Friday, November 20.

Police are looking for a white, flat bed transit-type van and three men aged in their late 20s to early 30s who were seen in Torfrida Drive, Bourne.

If calling police, call 41 of November 20.

Police are appealing for witnesses after ‘numerous aerials’ were removed from vehicles overnight between yesterdat (Saturday) and today (Sunday).

Spalding Police tweeted to say the damage occured in the town’s Pennygate.

A Lincolnshire Alert sent out shortly after confirmed that damage was also reportedly caused to fencing and brick walls of ‘numerous properties’ down the street.

Anyone with information should call police non-emergency number 101 or e-mail spaldingestates.npt@lincs.pnn.police.uk with incident number 136 of December 6, 2015.

The countdown to the Spalding Guardian Christmas Day lunch for the elderly is well and truly under way.

Volunteers will descend on the Ivo Day Centre on Saturday morning to decorate it so other groups can enjoy the Christmas trimmings as well as our elderly guests.

Robert West, who is chairman of the charitable centre’s management committee, said it’s a lovely time of year when the trimmings go up. He said: “We have many groups who hold meetings here and we like to make the venue look as festive as possible. We are really looking forward to welcoming the Spalding Guardian’s elderly guests again.

“Hosting the event is our way of giving something back to the community who support us.”

The free event is for elderly people and couples in the Spalding area who would otherwise be alone on Christmas Day. Ivo Day Centre in Albion Street has access and facilities for the disabled and free transport can be arranged for guests who require it.

As well as a three-course meal followed by tea or coffee and mince pies, there will be entertainment and a visit from Santa.

George Gragg is best known for playing at tea dances in the area and has offered to lead a singalong.

And those who prefer to sit back and relax to some festive ‘Buble’ magic will also be in for a treat, because local crooner Phil Wigger is also coming along.

Phil – whose repertoire includes songs by Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond, Matt Munro and 60s and 70s favourites, as well as Michael Buble – has appeared at Macmillan charity and other events in the area. More details about Phil can be found on his Facebook page.

Volunteers who would like to help put up trimmings, many of which have been donated by Baytree Garden Centre, are asked to be at the Ivo Day Centre on Saturday for 10.30am.

To book a meal, call 07774326173.

Read also

Don’t be lonely...come to our free Christmas Day dinner in Spalding

Horncastle police have been praised for their work dealing with alleged hare coursing today (Sunday).

Horncastle Police (@HorncastleNPT) confirmed that four men from Durham had been caught ‘harecoursing’ and been reported for summons.

Their car was seized and one was also said to be being dealt with over ‘threatening behaviour.

The response earned praise from Tim Casey (@LincsLeekFarmer), a leek and asparagus grower near Coningsby, who Tweeted: “Fab work today, 4 coursers arrested, car seized plus 1 done for threatening behaviour.”

He told Chief Insp Phil Vickers (@CIPhilVickers) and Chief Insp Jim Tyner (@ChInspSkegness): “Your boys were excellent, keep it up!”

Mr Tyner confirmed what had happened to the four men and said: “Our fight against harecoursing continues #OpGalileo.”

He added: “Spread the word: Lincolnshire is closed to #harecoursers #OpGalileo”.

Operation Galileo is the Lincolnshire Police response to illegal activity by hare coursers over the winter and autumn months.

Anyone who sees anything suspicious is asked report any incidents they witness as soon as possible, either on 999 if the call is urgent or non-emergency number 101.

CABINET CALL: By South Holland District Council Leader Gary Porter

Those of you on Twitter may have seen coverage recently about the Our Day initiative, which gave councils across the country a chance to promote services and give you an idea of what our officers get up to on a daily basis.

I joined in with this and tweeted about a day spent in London which coincided with my first working day in the House of Lords.

I hope this proved an interesting insight into local government and the fact that the Our Day hashtag was soon trending on Twitter as one of the most popular topics being discussed, shows that it had a positive impact.

That brings me on to what we as a council are doing to improve our online services and give residents a greater range of options when it comes to things like making payments and reporting various issues to us.

We’ve recently started our Digital Transformation programme, which is a four-year project and will see some significant beneficial changes.

Our officers will be doing the ‘heavy lifting’ to greatly improve the digital services available.

We’re going to deliver a new website which will be easy to navigate, tells you exactly what you need to know and gives you the option to ‘book and pay’ for services online.

Self-service machines will be installed in the reception area at our Priory Road offices, so that waiting in line for a few minutes becomes a thing of the past.

There will be other changes, too, and the main aim of the programme is to help us deliver better services and save money.

As you are no doubt aware, local authorities are facing some tough decisions over the coming months following the latest spending review.

At South Holland we are working to ensure that any changes have a minimal impact on residents and that we continue to deliver value for money services.

What changes would you want to make? Let me know @garyporterlga

A brave mum is battling cancer with the help of her “fantastic family” who joined forces for a big fundraiser.

Julie Elms (45) was diagnosed with breast cancer in April and has undergone a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

There will be more surgery and treatment ahead but Julie’s cancer journey so far has one feature that might surprise many: she’s been determined to have some fun, and that’s included joking about “bad hair days” after hers was lost.

Julie said: “It’s different to what I always thought it would be.

“I always thought it would be just hell and all doom and gloom and, you know, awful.

“Because I have a good family – and you can’t change what’s happened and this isn’t going to clear up overnight – I decided I am not going to look back at this year and think ‘what a wasted year’.

“I have always had some fun this year. We just try not to take it too seriously. We are very hopeful that I will come through this.”

The whole family has been touched by Julie’s illness and they have been there for her every step of the way. They came together for a big fundraiser for Macmillan Cancer Support and Cancer Research UK, which saw around 300 people attending Holbeach United Services Club.

Some £2,245 has been raised so far from the event.

Julie said: “It was a big family affair started by my mum, Barbara Cave. It was going to be a small coffee morning at her house but it grew and grew and grew.

“My mum’s been hit very hard by this and she felt she just needed to do something and this was her way of helping.

“She’s found it quite hard watching me suffer throughout this year.

“My mum’s been baking for three weeks leading up to it so she did an awful lot of baking.”

Julie finished radiotherapy only the day before the fundraiser but found time to do some baking, as did her sisters, her auntie and friends.

Businesses supported the family’s event with prizes for the raffle and there were also donations.

Julie said: “We would like to thank all who came and helped us raise the money and the local businesses for their support.”

Spalding firefighters attended a two vehicle crash at 6.39am today (Monday) on Bourne Road, Pode Hole.

The fire and rescue crew made one vehicle safe.

It is not known at this stage if anyone was injured in the accident.

It’s that time of year again - no, not Christmas - but time for internet cads to fire up their copy of Photoshop and attempt to dupe Apple fans with images claiming to be leaked photos of the next generation iPhone.

The latest images to do the rounds on social media purport to be the iPhone 7 - due to come out in 2016 - and feature an iPhone 6, stretched comically to accommodate a Blackberry-style QUERTY keyboard.

Many users on social media seemed to buy in to the hoax, although it was quickly recognised as a joke by many others.

But what do we know about the iPhone 7?

Well as usual, no one outside of Apple or their supply chain knows very much for certain. The organisation has kept the project under wraps, with no release date confirmed for the device although there are rumours of an Autumn 2016 release. Here are some of the other rumoured features:

* No home button - According to reports in Forbes the next generation iPhone is likely to have an edge-to-edge display. Instead of using the home button, the fingerprint scanner will be built in to the phone display.

* Thinner handset - In the same report, Forbes’ Gordon Kelly indicates that a number of factors, including Apple’s rumoured choice of a processor manufactured by TSMC, indicate that one of the firm’s goals for the new iPhone is for it to be thinner than its predecessor.

* No headphone jack - Another rumour to surface is that the 3.5mm headphone jack will be eliminated from the new handset - possibly as a consequence of the thinner device.

* Waterproof handset - In a development that will make anyone who has ever dropped their phone in the sink very happy, some analysts are hinting that the iPhone 7 could feature waterproofed ports and seams. It’s worth pointing out that this was also a rumour about the iPhone 6 prior to its launch.

* Wireless charging - Information Week is reporting that wireless charging could be a feature of the new device.

Are you keeping an eye out for a release date of the iPhone 7? Which of these features would you most like to see?

It has been a busy weekend for Lincolnshire Police, with 17 men being dealt with for alleged hare coursing offences across the county as part of Operation Galileo.

Officers from local policing teams in each area, the force’s wildlife crime officer and officers from the East Midlands Operational Support Service (EMOpSS) have been involved in the crackdown.

Yesterday (Sunday), four men from County Durham were reported for summons following an allegation of hare coursing at New York. One man was also reported for a public order offence. Their vehicle was seized.

{http://www.bostonstandard.co.uk/news/local/horncastle-police-praised-over-hare-coursing-action-1-7102756|This swift action by officers led to praise from a Coningsby farmer, while Chief Inspector Jim Tyner tweeted: “Spread the word: Lincolnshire is closed to #harecoursers”}

Also yesterday:

* four men from West Sussex were reported for summons for hare coursing in the Digby Fen area. Their vehicle was seized.

* two men from Middlesbrough were caught hare coursing in Brothertoft and reported for summons. A Middlesbrough man was given a direction to leave the Stickney area following a report of hare coursing.

* six men from County Durham were reported for summons following an allegation of hare coursing in the Woodhall Spa area.

The weekend’s police action follows a period of successful enforcement last week and in November.

* On Friday, a man from St Albans was arrested for hare coursing in Moulton Eaugate. He has been charged and bailed to appear at court.

* On Thursday, men from Berkshire were checked in Deeping St James. Officers were unable to prove their involvement in hare coursing and escorted them to the Cambridgeshire border. Details were shared with Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

* Last Saturday, two men from Middlesbrough were reported for hare coursing in Sutton St James.

* Last Friday, three men from Middlesbrough were reported for summons following an allegation of hare coursing in Billingborough. Their vehicle was seized.

* On November 22, three men from Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire were caught in Stickney. They were reported for summons and escorted out of the area.

* On November 19, eight men from Middlesbrough and North Yorkshire were caught near Rippingale. They have been reported for summons. No vehicles were seized on this occasion.

* On November 18, five men from Surrey were arrested after a report of hare coursing at Dowsby Fen. They have been bailed until January 3 to allow officer time to gather evidential statements. A vehicle was seized under Section 8 Hunting Act.

Ch Insp Tyner is the force’s lead for rural crime. He said: “My message is clear. Op Galileo is here to stay and by training our neighbourhood officers in the powers and legislation which relate to hunting with dogs, we are better equipped than ever before to tackle this scourge on farming and rural communities.

“Lincolnshire is closed to hare coursers.”

Farmers and members of the public are urged to report all incidents to the force by calling 101, or the 999 system if appropriate.

Police arrested 17 men for alleged hare coursing between Friday and Sunday, including a man from St Albans who was found at Moulton Eaugate.

That man was charged and bailed to appear at court after being arrested on Friday.

Police also escorted men found at Deeping St James to the Cambridgeshire county border after being unable to prove their involvement in hare coursing and their details were passed to Cambridgeshire Police.

Two vehicles were seized over the weekend in the police crackdown on hare coursing, known as Operation Galileo.

Chief Insp Jim Tyner, the Lincolnshire Police lead officer on rural crime, said: “My message is clear. Op Galileo is here to stay and by training our neighbourhood officers in the powers and legislation which relate to hunting with dogs, we are better equipped than ever before to tackle this scourge on farming and rural communities.

“Lincolnshire is closed to hare coursers.”

Arrests were also made in New York, near Boston, Brothertoft, Digby Fen, Stickney and Woodhall Spa.

Police are appealing to county residents to tip them off when they see suspicious incidents in the countryside – and to call 999 at the time they see hare coursers in the fields.

Chief Insp Tyner said: “We encourage farmers and members of the public to report all incidents to us by calling 101, or the 999 system if appropriate.”