A regular column from the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust’s Rachel Shaw.

Now the weather has turned cold and frosty you may see a greater variety of small birds in your garden.

Look out for flocks of long-tailed tits with their distinctive tails and soft pinky-white plumage, and coal tits with a black cap and patch of white on the back of the neck.

Winter can be tough for these small birds. The days are short, so there isn’t much time to look for food, and the nights are cold and long.

As natural sources of food in the countryside begin to run out, many birds move into town and city gardens searching for food.

What you can do

Putting out food for birds in your garden can make a big difference to their survival.

• In the coldest weather fat balls are a great source of food and providing foods such as sunflower seeds will ensure your garden is popular with greenfinches, chaffinches and goldfinches as well as blue tits and great tits.

• Robins like to feed on the ground or on bird tables rather than from the hanging feeders.

• Try putting out fruit cake crumbs and the broken biscuits from the bottom of the tin, grated cheese, pastry, roast potatoes cold and cut up, dried fruits and over ripe fruit.

A few things that you need to remember

• Never feed birds any food that is salty (such as bacon, peanuts and chips), mouldy, spicy or alcoholic;

• Soak dry bread or cake in water before putting it out;

• Regularly clean bird feeders and bird tables to prevent the build-up of old food which may spread disease;

• And only put out enough food for one day or you could attract mice or rats.

Natural bird foods

There is also great satisfaction to be had from providing birds in your garden with natural food you have grown yourself.

Simple things like leaving seeds on lavender, marjoram and other flowers will mean the birds can feed naturally during the autumn and winter months.

Thick garden hedges and shrubs, preferably native varieties such as hawthorn, blackthorn and holly, will provide food as well as safe shelter for nesting and hiding from predators.

Sutton Bridge United’s trek to the north of the county was fully rewarded to book a place in the Lincolnshire FA Junior Cup semi-finals.

They won 6-0 away to Westwoodside Rangers who play in Division Two of the Scunthorpe & District League.

Sutton Bridge were on the attack from the start but they did not break the deadlock until the 33rd minute as Joseph Sutton’s free-kick went into the top corner.

They continued to control the game with further goals before half-time through Matt Eaton and Kurt Scott.

In the opening 10 minutes of the second period Sutton Bridge added goals from Ben Partridge and Eaton.

Eaton completed his hat-trick to seal a good all-round team performance.

Sutton Bridge are away again in the semi-final against Limestone Rangers who play in Division One of the Scunthorpe & District League.

The tie will be played on Saturday, February 13.

The “original” social networking site is to close down after only retaining a “handful” of members.

An email from Steve Pankhurst, one of the original founders of Friends Reunited, confirmed that the website is closing and that a completely new service, Liife, will open in its place.

The site launched in 2000, as a method for people to find their old school day friends. But now, with only “a handful members” left, the service will cease.

Mr Pankhurst’s email said: “The internet was in its infancy and the world was a very different place. Social networking was not even a term anyone used, but FriendsReunited grew very quickly to become one of the largest sites in the UK.

“A lot has happened since.”

The email continued to say that the site “needs a complete re write” to continue and that is something which is “not viable”.

It added: “Therefore, it is with a heavy heart, that we have decided to close the service down. This will commence in the next month.”

Members are being told that a link will be provided enabling them to log in and download old photographs, with confirmation due in the next few months.

The new service being opened, Liife, is about capturing “key moments” in your life and sharing them with the important people who helped to shape them.

More information will be released on Liife’s development soon.

Teams from ten schools from across the area battled it out in various races and different throwing and jumping events at the Lincolnshire South East Sportshall Athletics.

The competition forms part of the Sainsbury’s School Games, which seeks to increase competition, participation and leadership in sport. Sainsbury’s School Games competitions take place weekly in the region.

The games also focus on six Spirit of the Games Values: honesty, teamwork, respect, self-belief, passion and determination.

School Games organiser Rupert Gibson, from Agilitas Sports, said: “I was delighted these values were seen in abundance, especially passion and determination.”

Rupert thanked Spalding High School which not only hosted the event but provided 14 Sports Leadership students to act as officials.

Rupert added: “They did an outstanding job.”

Results were: Holbeach St Marks (11th), Gedney Drove End (10th), Spalding Primary (9th), St Johns (8th), Weston Hills (7th), Bourne Abbey B (6th), Moulton John Harrox (5th), Linchfield (4th), Langtoft (3rd), Bourne Abbey A (2nd), Bourne Westfield (1st).

Bourne Westfield and Weston Hills will hopefully go on to represent the area as the winning large and small schools at the County Competition in March.

The red carpet premiere of the first ever feature length movie largely made in South Holland and using only local cast and crew takes place on Tuesday.

Dishonoured (18) was written by professional Holbeach actor Steph Genovese, who stars in the action thriller.

Steph is expecting leading figures from the satellite TV industry to be watching the film, and he hopes they might buy the film.

The premiere is at South Holland Centre in Spalding (7.30pm) and is followed by a party. Tickets are £30.

Read more... Red carpet glitz comes to Spalding for Dishonoured

A new food takeaway could open in the former Welec shop on the corner of Spalding’s New Road and Red Lion Street.

But Spalding and District Civic Society objects to a planning application submitted to the council because it believes there are too many places to eat in that area.

The society says: “We feel that the area is already saturated with takeaways and other late-night eating opportunities.”

The planning application for a change of use was made on behalf of The Trustees of the Frances Blane Settlement via the Pegasus Planning Group.

Pegasus told the council the application was made “simply to establish whether the proposed change of use” was acceptable and any alterations to the shop front or signs would be the subject of separate planning applications where necessary.

• According to the council’s Food Hygiene Ratings web page, a new restaurant or cafe or canteen is planned for 25 Station Street.

Previously ...

Meat shop in Spalding could become new takeaway

Firefighters from two towns have rescued a horse trapped between a fence and tree in Sutton St James earlier today.

Crews from Holbeach and Spalding went to an area of land off the B1390 Sutton Road, Sutton St James, where reports that a horse was trapped were made just before 11.30am.

Specialist animal rescue equipment was used to release the horse which was unharmed.

Police are reminding people to secure their homes after a burglary in Long Sutton.

Crime scene investigators were seen at a house in Lime Walk on Wednesday after burglars targeted it a day earlier.

Details of the time it was burgled and whether any items were taken are not yet known but a Lincolnshire Police spokesman confirmed that they had received other reports of burglaries in Long Sutton and Gedney Hill.

The spokesman said: “We are reminding all residents to keep an eye out for any suspicious behaviour and report this to police.

“They should also make sure that their properties are locked and secured, with alarms set where possible, even if it is just a visit to the shop for five minutes.”

Anyone with information about the latest burglary should call 101, quoting incident 390 of January 19.

Meanwhile, anyone looking for advice on crime prevention can email thesuttons.npt@lincs.pnn.police.uk or holbeachtownrural.npt@lincs.pnn.police.uk

A 20 per cent fall in the number of jobless people claiming benefits in Spalding over the past year is “another good story to tell”, according to Government officials.

Figures from Spalding Jobcentre Plus showed that 119 fewer people were unemployed and signing on for Jobseekers Allowance in December 2015 than 12 months earlier, the total number going down from 682 to 563.

Nationally, unemployment is at a ten-year low after Office for National Statistics figures showed that almost 23 million people are now in a full-time job.

This represents a rise of 436,000 from a year earlier, while 8.4 million people are working part-time, up by 152,000.

A Spalding Jobcentre Plus spokesman said: “The labour market for Spalding and South Holland has another good story to tell at a time when, nationally, the employment rate is now at a record high of 74 per cent.

“This month, we are running a national campaign called Hospitality Works in partnership with the British Hospitality Association, promoting opportunites for vacancies and bringing employers together around the hospitality industry.”

Fewer people out of work in South Holland and Spalding

Planning councillors will meet on Wednesday evening to consider granting permission for the proposed new pavilion at Ayscoughfee Hall gardens in Spalding.

Officers are recommending the existing pavilion be demolished to make way for a new one, which is described as a “modern interpretation of an oak framed structure”.

South Holland District councillors will also decide whether to grant listed building consent to the new structure. Officers also recommend this is granted.

A report before councillors says the existing brick and timber construction was built in the grounds of the historic hall in the 1970s and is of “no architectural merit”.

The proposed new pavilion is designed as a contemporary functional performance space and would have a zinc panelled roof. The rear of the building can remain open or the frames can be infilled with removable panels.

The proposal, by South Holland District Council itself, has the full support of historic England. Spalding Civic Society “welcomes the unassuming contemporary design”.

No objections have been received in regard to the demolition and building of a new pavilion or to the granting of listed building consent.

It is felt that the structure would not impact on the character of the gardens, as it would be set in the quadrant already occupied by an aviary, cafe, children’s play area, bowling green and tennis courts.

This part of the gardens is separate from the rest and was altered when the hall and grounds were given to the people of Spalding as a public park in the early 20th Century.

It is felt it will sustain this historic use by being used as a performance space likely to increase public use of the grounds.

Previously...

Plans for new pavilion in gardens

Proposed ‘bandstand’ unveiled for Spalding’s Ayscoughfee Gardens

More than a quarter of a million children are not getting a decent education.

And among the 329 state schools falling below the Government’s floor standards for secondaries, using the Department for Education’s (DfE) methodology for calculating under-performing schools, are The Peele Community College in Long Sutton, Sir John Gleed School in Spalding and Haven High Academy, Boston.

New figures released today, Thursday January 21, show that hundreds of state secondary schools fell below the Government’s floor targets after failing to ensure that enough pupils gained five good GCSE grades and made sufficient progress in English and maths.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said that the results, based on last summer’s GCSE grades, show how far the nation has come in raising standards, but added that the Government will tackle the “pockets of persistent under-performance”.

Overall, 329 state secondary schools in England did not meet the minimum benchmarks this year. Of these, 312 failed to ensure that at least 40% of their pupils gained at least five C grades at GCSE, including English and maths, and that students make good enough progress in these two core subjects.

The other 17 schools were among 327 schools that opted in to a new “Progress 8” performance measure, which looks at the progress of pupils across eight subjects and fell below a certain threshold for this target. From next year, all schools will be measured against “Progress 8”.

A total of 188 under-performing schools are academies, the analysis shows, while 50 are council-run schools, 45 are foundation schools, 14 are voluntary-aided and the others include university technical colleges, studio schools and further education colleges catering to 14 to 16-year-olds.

In total, 250,955 youngsters are being taught in under-performing state secondary schools, the data reveals. This is down from last year, when around 274,351 were in schools considered failing.

The figures also show a rise in the numbers of youngsters taking the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subjects of English, maths, science, a language and either history or geography, the DfE said, with nearly 88,000 more teenagers taking these academic subjects compared to 2010.

At A-level, more than half of exam entries are in traditional “facilitating subjects” - the subjects which universities and employers say help to keep teenagers’ options open for the future, the DfE said.

It added that more girls are choosing science and maths A-levels, while more teenagers are continuing their studies past the age of 16.

Mr Gibb said: “Today’s results show how far we have come in raising standards, but they also highlight where some pupils are still at risk of falling behind.

“We refuse to accept second best for any young person and we must now focus on extending opportunity for all. This government is giving all young people, irrespective of their background, a fair shot in life and we must not let up the pace of reform now.

“Through our focus on delivering educational excellence everywhere and the dedication of our schools, we will tackle those pockets of persistent underperformance so every child fulfils their potential.”

Police are probing a series of break-ins that happened overnight in Frognall last night or in the early hours of today (Thursday).

Sheds, garages and vehicles were targeted.

PCSO Raechell Last appealed to members of the public who saw anything suspicious to call Lincolnshire Police on 101, quoting incident 48 of January 21.

William H Brown is selling the house in Black Hole Drove, West Pinchbeck, for £480,000.

This Edwardian farmhouse has been sympathetically renovated and extended.

It is situated on a one-acre plot in a rural location on a no-through-drove with no near neighbours and 360 degree views of open countryside.

Downstairs there is a study, winter and summer lounges, a dining room/sun room, kitchen/diner, utility/laundry room and downstairs shower room.

The winter lounge contains a multi-fuel log burner with classic surround and tiled hearth and solid wood flooring.

The summer lounge has a cast iron inset with carved fireplace and tiled hearth. From this room French doors lead to the dining room/sun room.

The kitchen is bespoke and handmade and contains a Belfast sink and quarry tiled floor with under-floor heating.

The utility/laundry room has Shaker style units, a Belfast sink and a quarry tiled floor.

Upstairs, there is a master suite with steps down to an en suite, three further bedrooms and a family bathroom with a free-standing roll-top cast iron bath as well as a shower cubicle.

A mother-of-two from Bourne is taking her fight for safety measures outside a town primary school to people with power to act.

Jenny Pace was sparked into action after a near-miss while taking her sons to school at Bourne Westfield Primary Academy where a car mounted a pavement and headed towards them before they managed to move out of its way.

Since the near-miss last October, Jenny has raised a petition signed by more than 200 people calling for a one-way system to be introduced around the school in Westbourne Park, Leofric Avenue, Saxon Way and Kingsley Way.

Jenny said: “The majority of people are supportive of something happening and all the responses I’ve had to the petition have been positive.

“We want a safer school run for the children, with a one-way system outside Bourne Westfield and ‘School: Keep Clear’ zig-zag lines to start at the corner of Godiva Crescent, continuing past the school gate for three metres to allow space for families to cross safely.

“I am hoping that the petition will inform people about the problems of dangerous driving on the pavements so they understand the need for a one-way system, compared to other ‘solutions’ like asking parents to walk and park safely, haven’t worked to improve the safety of the children.”

The petition was handed in to Bourne town councillors during a meeting on Tuesday when Jenny spoke of her fears that a serious accident or fatality could happen if things were left as they are.

Coun David Mapp, chairman of highways and planning for Bourne Town Council, said: “A resolution of the residents’ concerns rests primarily with Lincolnshire County Council which controls highways.

“But as a council, we should consider carefully the views expressed by residents and, where possible, assist in garnering support from Lincolnshire County Council to alleviate those concerns.

“At our next meeting, we will be having a general discussion ascertaining the routes open to us.

“But whatever is decided, it will have to be put to Lincolnshire County Council.”

Kevin Brumfield, area highways manager for Lincolnshire County Council, said, “We are aware that the streets around Bourne Westfield Primary Academy are getting congested, especially at the end of the school day.

“The school already has a clearly marked school safety zone and we would urge parents to park safely further away from school and walk just a short distance to collect their children.

“By parking in the school safety zone, they are posing a risk to children and other road users, as well as causing inconvenience to nearby residents.

“The police have advised us that they will patrol the area when possible to warn drivers who are parking irresponsibly.”

To support the petition, visit https:e.org/p/safety-1st-put-school-keep-clear-zigzag-lines-outside-bourne-westfield-pedestrian-gate-and-a-one-way-system

Bourne mother calls for road safety improvements

How unconcerned drivers are putting south Lincolnshire’s schoolkids at risk daily

Geoffrey Collings & Co is selling the bungalow in Cowpers Gate, Long Sutton, for £249,950.

This neat, three-bedroom detached bungalow is situated in a highly desirable location, close to amenities within the busy market town of Long Sutton.

The bungalow is tastefully decorated throughout and has a spacious and flowing internal layout.

It comprises an entrance porch, a large modern kitchen/diner and separate utility room, a well-presented living room and a pleasing conservatory.

The master bedroom is of a good size and has an en suite, and there is an additional family bathroom.

Outside, there is a double integral garage and ample off-road parking.

Munton & Russell is selling the house in Bell Lane, Moulton, for £325,000.

This executive detached four/five bedroom property is in the popular village of Moulton with its many amenities.

It comprises an entrance hall, lounge, family room, kitchen/diner, utility, a WC, and a downstairs fourth bedroom or study.

Upstairs, there are four bedrooms and the master room has an en suite. There is also a family bathroom.

Outside, there is ample off-road parking. The house is on a generous corner plot and has a single garage and a burglar alarm system fitted.

Munton & Russell is letting the bungalow in Dozens Bank, West Pinchbeck, for £695 per calendar month.

This detached three-bedroom bungalow is for rent in Dozens Bank, West Pinchbeck.

The bungalow comprises an entrance hall, lounge, kitchen-diner, cloakroom, utility room, three bedrooms, and a bathroom.

The property is heated by oil central heating and has a garage in the garden as well as off-road parking. The bungalow also has a garden area.

The property is to let unfurnished – no pets, smokers or sharers.

A deposit of £1,040 is required.

Lincolnshire Police forked out more than £4,000 after clumsy cops filled up with the wrong fuel.

Officers repeatedly re-fuelled their diesel vehicles with unleaded petrol, driving up costly repairs.

In four years between 2011 and October 2014, the mistake led to bills of £4,219.18.

In January 2012 one incident alone cost £2,432.33 – the most expensive incident in the four year period.

Fleet manager for Lincolnshire Police Nigel Coupe said: “Over the last five years Lincolnshire Police have accidently wrongly fuelled seven vehicles.

“The cost to equipping each individual fleet vehicle with a device to prevent such errors and the low number of such occurrences is not considered a good return on investment at the moment.

“Practical steps to reduce the risk of wrongly fuelling vehicles include improved signage on vehicles, a virtual 100 per cent diesel fleet and more emphasis to refuel at our own bunkered sites where using the wrong type of fuel is impossible.”

However, Dia Chakravarty, political director at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said paying for the repairs was yet another strain on the taxpayer.

She said: “Mistakes happen, but the authorities must remember that when taxpayers are struggling to pay their bills, every penny counts.

“These costly mistakes mean less money available for essential frontline services. Lincolnshire Police must do better to minimise these incidents.”

Sainsbury’s has taken steps to recall one of its products due to the undeclared presence of milk and wheat in the recipe.

A batch of Just Cook Chicken Breasts with Piri Piri sauce, in 326g packets and a ‘use by’ date of 24 January, 2016 has been incorrectly packaged and the packets actually contain Chicken and Bacon Lattice.

This means the product contains both milk and wheat - something not mentioned on the label.

Due to the possible health risk to customers with gluten and dairy intolerances, the supermarket chain has issued a product recall and has urged customers not to eat the product. Customers are instead advised to return the product to the sainsbury’s store from which it was purchased for a full refund.

A pub manager has been jailed after his car careered off course and injured nine people - including a man from Spalding - in a busy crowd at an illegal race meeting.

Anthony Francis (21) was “showing off” to his girlfriend when he lost control of his Mercedes. He was jailed for 18 months and banned from driving for two years at Peterborough Crown Court on Friday.

The court heard how Francis had done a number of laps of a course set up at the unlicensed event in Orton Southgate near Peterborough on August 8 last year, which was attended by around 400 spectators.

Car photographer Ben Andrews (22), from Spalding, was fortunate to walk away from the scene with minor injuries after being hit by the car while his friend was taken to hospital.

He said: “I was there doing some car photography at 8pm at the first meeting point. Two hours later the meet moved to Orton Southgate. The evening began with a good atmosphere full of people just enjoying talking about their cars.

“When we arrived at Orton Southgate we parked up our car and went to find a spot to watch the cars. Stupidly we chose a spot where a month ago another vehicle had crashed on a previous occasion but luckily no one was standing nearby.”

As the night continued a few cars began racing around the industrial estate while a group of around 300 spectators had gathered including Ben and his friend.

Ben added: “At around 10.30–11pm a few cars began to drift and most were all doing well and were fully in control. However, I was at the kerb side when a few cars lost control which gave me and the people around me a second thought to step back.

“Then a Mercedes entered the circuit and quickly lost control at the other side of the track. However, it regained control as it approached us so everyone moved closer to the kerb thinking it would be okay.”

The horrific moment then arrived when the driver lost control of the car as it mounted the pavement at around 30-40mph, ploughing into a group of around 14 people including Ben and his friend.

“I leant forward on one of my legs and just as I moved forward the car came screeching up the kerb, it hit my left leg and flung me and a number of others to the floor. I remember just thinking that I was lucky to be alive.

“The sound was horrific; it was a combination of people screaming, crunching metal and smashing glass while the car engine slowly ticked over. The atmosphere went from a jovial one to sheer panic and most of the spectators drove off.”

Panic set in as spectators rushed to help while Ben’s friend among others had been seriously hurt and needed urgent medical attention.

Ben said: “When I got up my first thought was to attempt to find my friend who had also been hit by the car. I found my friend in a bad way; he was covered in blood and being tended to by a first aider from a local business. At that point the people that remained really pulled together to do anything they could to help.

“There must have been around 14 ambulances quickly on the scene as well as fire engines and police officers. I stayed with my friend to make sure he was okay before he was taken to hospital. It was like a scene out of a horror movie.”

Francis, of Lambeth Walk, Stamford, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, and five counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Jailing him, Recorder George Pulman QC said: “When nine people are injured because a driver loses control while showing off, an immediate prison sentence cannot be avoided.”

Speaking outside court, PC Paul Nisbet, who investigated the crash, said: “This was an horrific crash for those injured and for the many people watching and it is only luck that no-one was more seriously hurt or killed.

“The case should send out a clear message that those taking part in illegal events of this kind run a significant risk of being seriously injured, or worse, and if you happen to be driving, a prison sentence.”