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South Holland District Council has announced that market fees across South Holland will be waived for another three months, stretching the support for traders to six months.

The decision, which ensures no fees for traders until the end of November, helps support the Council’s commitment towards the District’s town centres and its businesses, as it looks to continue to build for the future and aid the economic and social recovery of the District from COVID-19.

The extension to the support will save valuable money for traders impacted by a change in trade levels during lockdown and beyond, whilst also presenting a low-risk opportunity for other businesses or individuals to consider taking part for the first time.

Several new traders at Spalding market have already used the free period to take part in the market, with a seller of handbags, purses and wallets and also a cake company appearing in recent weeks.

It follows further support through a £5,000 grant for existing traders earlier in August, who the Council identified directly through their discretionary grant funding from the Government’s COVID-19 support package. The Council are also reaffirming the importance of the market through the ongoing work of the Spalding town centre improvement group, which includes representatives from the Spalding Market Traders group.

Councillor Roger Gambba-Jones, portfolio holder for place, said: “I am very pleased that we are extending the rent free period for traders. I believe it shows our commitment to supporting our District’s markets and its traders whilst also seeking to encourage others to give market trading a try, as our District continues to recover from these challenging times.

“The markets are an integral part of our plans for the District, and I would encourage anyone who’s always considered giving it a go to make the most of this opportunity and be part of a growing and diverse retail offer to our shoppers.”

More information on our South Holland District’s markets, as well as details on how you can apply to take part, can be found at https://www.

Stamford Shakespeare Company (SSC), with its open-air theatre at Tolethorpe Hall, has launched a fundraising campaign. Its aim is to raise crucial funds to keep the theatre company afloat and to ensure the summer season of plays can continue next year. The impact of Covid-19 on SSC has been enormous. The Theatre and Hall were closed in March this year and the Company has lost a forecasted £240,000 worth of ticket sales. As a charity who receive no funding from any arts organisations or formal sponsorship, SSC relies on income from tickets sales to fund the productions, maintain the beautiful grounds and upkeep the Grade 2* listed Elizabethan Hall. The future of SSC is now at great risk. Although the government lifted some of the restrictions on theatres, allowing outdoor venues to re-open with social distancing in place, we have not been able to rehearse, we have not finished the construction of our sets, or the costumes for our actors and therefore our productions could not proceed. Caroline Stephenson, Chair of SSC Board of Directors, said: “We are all so lucky to have this theatre on our doorstep. To date, we have welcomed over a million audience members, to share experiences with friends and family through theatre, giving volunteers a place to be valued, and inspiring young people to dream big. Losing this wonderful, unique and special place would leave a void in our community. We have been putting on Shakespeare plays for over 50

years and we are determined that Covid-19 will not put an end to this, but without the help from the community, we will not survive. We are enormously grateful to our patrons and overwhelmed by their continued generosity and kindness. We now need you more than ever.”

Just Giving – https:// www.justgiving. com/campaign/ SSCsaveyourtheatre

Cheque - made payable to Stamford Shakespeare Company

Cash - sent in a secure envelope to us at:

For more information, please take a look at our fundraising website:

Fenchurch House Care Home in Spalding will host a series of Open Days to celebrate the grand opening of the brand-new luxury care home. To comply with current Covid-19 guidelines the open days will be by appointment only from 10am – 4pm on Friday 9th, Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th October. Located in Spalding Common, Fenchurch House will specialise in residential care, short-term respite care and specialist dementia care for up to sixty people. It will provide an affordable luxury care offering in Spalding, with a warm family feel.

Managing Director, Alykhan Kachra explains “We are delighted to be welcoming families to Fenchurch House Care Home. As a family-run company, we aim to create a ‘home from home’ feel in our homes and our care is the kind we’d want all of our loved ones to receive.”

Visitors to the Open Day will be

able to meet the staff team, take a tour of the home and sample food from the mouth-watering menus. Each tour will be socially distanced and carefully managed to comply with Covid-19 requirements. This approach will continue as the home opens, with Fenchurch House following rigorous infection control procedures to ensure all new residents are safe in the home.

Staff will be on hand to show visitors around the care home which boasts its’ very own pub, ‘The Mallard Tavern’ where residents can visit for a drink with friends and relatives or enjoy activities such as pub games and quizzes. The home will have its own café called the Gatsby Bistro, an ideal meeting place for residents and their families to enjoy refreshments and freshly made cakes and bakes whilst visiting.

The facilities in the home have been designed to make life comfortable and enjoyable, allowing

people to live safely and as they choose; The entertainment suite which features a cinema, games room and library, and The Pantry craft room with an OMI interactive table will provide plenty of choice for residents to participate in their hobbies and pastimes. For residents wishing to relax The Pamper Suite will have a hair salon, nail bar and treatment area.

Fenchurch House will be managed by Suria Webb, one of Country Court’s longest serving employees, having joined at Ashwood Nursing Home in Spalding in 1998 as a night nurse. After working as a Home Manager for ten years, Suria was promoted to Area Manager in 2008, when Country Court began to expand and open new care homes. The company’s policy was to take on homes that were in difficulties and turn them around, for which Suria’s wealth of experience and clinical knowledge proved to be a great asset. She was promoted to Operations Manager and in this role shared best practices and mentored Home Managers and care teams in Country Court Care Homes across Lincolnshire.

Country Court has won numerous Great British Care Awards. In 2015 the company was awarded Health Investor Residential Care Provider of the Year and is in the carehome. co.uk Top 25 Large Care Home Groups 2019.

For more information about Fenchurch House or to make an appointment on the open days please contact Annemarie Taylor on 01775 292 730 or email annemarie. taylor@countrycourtcare.com.

Fenchurch House Care Home, Spalding Common, Spalding PE11 3AU.

*subject to terms & conditions

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as strong as any’.’ Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, April 5 2020. Sat in sitting rooms packed with family, friends and food on Christmas Day 2019, with the Queen’s Speech on in the background, no one could have predicted that, just a few months later, Her Majesty would address us once again – this time with much needed words of gratitude, support, inspiration and hope.

As the New Year got under way we watched in horror as a highly infectious illness swept through China. In a bid to stop the rapid spread of coronavirus, which causes respiratory infection COVID-19, countries across the world closed schools, shops, non-vital services, and their borders.

Then, in March, it was our turn. Prime