starting young to save the planet

Issue twenty six - February/March 2010
New trees
take root
Children grab
wellies and spades!
today
Sustainable
housing
Apple Tree Close
bears fruit
Spot the ball
Competition Inside
Recycling:
starting young to
save the planet
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In
Behind the scenes
in election year
On the cover
Children from Belmont
Primary School in Grantham
grabbed their spades to help
SKDC plant 40 new trees
around the town this winter
See page 11
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Taking over the
council
07
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SKDC supports 11 Million
Takeover Day
See page 5
12
We answer a resident's
questions
See page 6
Fourth town and
parish conference
'Working better together'
theme is a success
See page 10
Fairplay to the lads
rewarded for good
behaviour
Spot the ball competition
See page 12
Mid-Lent fairs are back in town
We hope you enjoy the fairs, please cut out and use these coupons
outh Kesteven’s acclaimed mid-Lent
fairs are back again; they are amongst
the biggest street fairs in the country.
Stamford’s fair is open from 7pm on
Monday, 15 March and thereafter daily
from 4pm until 10 pm on Saturday, 20
March. Then it moves to Grantham
where it opens from 3pm on Sunday, 21
March and thereafter daily from 4pm to
10pm until Wednesday, 24 March.
SKDC’s estates officer Nick Vass said:
“Every year we try to ensure that there
are different rides to keep the interest of
the public as well as some traditional
favourites. The event is attracting more
families every year and our focus is
always on ensuring a safe event. We
apologise in advance for any
inconvenience caused by road closures.
We will be advertising and putting up
notices in good time to alert drivers.
SKDC staff and emergency support
services will be on duty to help
everything run smoothly and keep any
inconvenience to a minimum.”
In keeping with tradition, both fairs
will be opened by the respective town
mayors.
At Stamford, this year’s official opening
ceremony will be Monday 15 March at
7pm in Broad Street, and at Grantham it
will be on Monday 22 March at noon in
the Market Cross area.
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sktoday - issue twenty six - February/March 2010
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Everyone had a cleaner,
greener, safer Christmas
with festive fun for everyone
SKDC's street scene services team hand out recycling advice
Everyone who visited the SKDC
community marquee got the chance to
enter a competition to win a Green Cone
food waste digester. Cllr John Smith and
Gwen Came from street scene services
(pictured above) put all the correct
entries into an (empty!) food digester
and picked out the winner: Mrs J Berry
of Portmarnock Way, Grantham. The
correct answer to the competition
question was: 3 hours.
housands of visitors flocked to find out
how they could do their bit for the
environment and have a cleaner, greener and
safer Christmas at a community event
organised by SKDC.
Cllr Mike Taylor said “We had a fantastic
response from the public who, as well as
enjoying all the festive fun of the preChristmas celebrations in Grantham, got top
tips on how to recycle, reduce their carbon
footprint and keep safe over the festive
period.”
Visitors also took part in competitions,
quizzes, face painting and collected hundreds
of recycling, community safety and energy
efficiency giveaways including reusable
hessian bags, temperature monitors, energy
saving lightbulbs and TV powerdown units.
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SKDC's Sandy Kavanagh and Mark Jones spend time with some young
visitors
Left: SKDC's Pat Swinton and Fiona Truman at the end of a successful day
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So wha
Why the
future's green
for Lynne
For the latest in our series about some
of the more unusual jobs within SKDC,
we have turned to Lynne Le Conte, our
amenities grounds maintenance
coordinator. You may already have seen
Lynne’s column ‘Greenzone’ on the
Grantham Journal website.
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What got you started?
I’ve always been interested in
horticulture and in the 1980’s I was a
commercial grower in the Channel
Islands.
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What does your job involve and
what is a typical day?
There really is no typical day – it’s
about doing what is necessary to
provide a quality service.
However, answering queries from our
customers are high on my list; this can
be anything from identifying a shrub
they have seen in a park and would like
in their own garden, to a large scale
enquiry about an open space.
The SKDC customer services team is
important to the service we offer as
they are the first point of contact for
enquiries - that’s why they may ask lots
too. English native trees are our
preferred choice and we plant new
ones every year across the district.
of questions to help us get the answer
right first time. They have taken more
than 1500 calls that were then directed
to me last year.
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Why is your role important for
SKDC?
It is well documented that the areas
where we live play an important part
in our wellbeing. I am proud to be
part of a team that works towards
providing attractive, well maintained
outdoor spaces that are accessible to
everyone as I believe this helps
promote a healthy lifestyle and a feel
good factor.
“Flexibility is the key; the
district covers 365 square
miles.”
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What is the best part of your job?
That’s hard: no two days are the same
so it’s difficult to pinpoint one
specific thing. I am very hands on and
enjoy meeting our customers,
listening to their ideas and wherever
possible making them happen, using
my horticultural background to plant
sympathetically to encourage wildlife
How do you stay motivated and
enthusiastic?
I love all the seasons and am
passionate about plants and wildlife,
so it’s not difficult! In Wyndham Park,
the 2000 bulbs the probation service
- in partnership with SKDC - planted
for us back in October are breaking
through; that got me thinking about
summer bedding designs for the
parks and open spaces. Summer
bedding is chosen to be vibrant and
attract insects, especially bees. The WI
is campaigning for support for the
honey bee and the plants chosen by
SKDC will support this initiative.
“Please get out into our
parks and open spaces, they
are free, they are there for
everyone to enjoy and
there’s always something
new to see, smell or hear.”
Please see p 11 for more on how local school
children helped Lynne plant 40 trees this winter.
sktoday - issue twenty six - February/March 2010
Electoral team
prepares for
election
ith a general election not far
away, SKDC's electoral services
team is gearing up for a very busy few
months. It may surprise you to know
that there are a limited number of
opportunities for local people to get
involved in a variety of important roles.
Said SKDC's David Godfrey: "We
have a large database of skilled
individuals to work as presiding officers
or poll clerks at polling stations or as a
counter at the count; we are always
looking for new people to be trained
and offer opportunities as vacancies
arise. The roles are paid and training is
provided before the election." If you
think you might be interested and are
not involved in elections either as a
candidate or assisting anyone by
canvassing, give the team a call on
01476 406 118 or 406 125.
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Getting the message across
ou may have noticed some bold new panels on the sides of some of our bin
lorries recently - and if you haven't, look out next time it's bin day.
Said SKDC's chief executive Beverly Agass: "Being able to tell residents more
about the services we provide by using the space on the sides of our bin lorries
makes sense in a rural area such as SK where billboards are few and far
between. These vehicles are an ideal communication tool as they are highly
visible, travelling thousands of miles every year across the district. All we have
done is utilise the large areas of usable space which is a very cost effective way
of sharing our important messages with our residents."
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Taking over the council
oung people from Grantham
Church High School, St Hugh’s
Church of England Mathematics and
Computing College and Grantham
College took over the council chamber
as part of 11 Million Takeover Day in
November. They all came to see just
what working life is like in their local
council and got stuck into areas such
as community safety and Grantham
Growth. 11 Million Takeover Day is a
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national initiative which gives young
people the chance to experience the
challenges of management and
decision making first hand.
Kathleen Smith from Grantham
Church High School said, “The day was
really interesting and has shown me
that the council does much more than
just emptying the bins. The session
with the Grantham Growth team gave
us the chance to have a say about how
we might want the town to look in the
future and what facilities and shops
we’d want to see here.”
Cllr Frances Cartwright, economic
development portfolio holder added,
“this was the first time that we’ve
taken part in this initiative and it is a
great opportunity to get the views of
our young people and to show them
what we do and how it might affect
them .”
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Behind the scenes
in election year
For the latest in our series
where we answer residents’
questions, we thank Steve
Cattell for his interest in our
election process.
Steve emailed us asking why we
appeared to have so many elections in
SK, and so many electoral services
personnel.
We turned to Lena Shuttlewood,
democracy services manager, for some
clarification.
“The election process is a complex
one. We have a statutory obligation to
administer all forms of elections, both
local and national, in the South
Kesteven district. This is a legal
requirement under various Acts of
Parliament. In addition, there are nearly
80 parish and town councils within SK
that we have to administer any byelections for, and provide guidance to.
“In June 2009, we had both the
European Parliamentary and
Lincolnshire County Council elections
and had to manage the whole process
for both elections on the same day.
Around 200,000 ballot papers were
printed, over 100 polling stations had to
be staffed and then we had the huge
job of counting all the votes.
“Elections don’t
simply happen on
their own, they are
a major logistical
challenge.”
Gemma sorts through some of the
many new applications for the
electoral register.
Gemma Roberts, electoral services
assistant, is pictured with some of
the thousands of applications in
preparation for the general election
“We have the equivalent of 2.4 full
time staff: one lead professional who is
a specialist practitioner, one full time
officer and one part time officer.
“For an electorate of over 100,000
people, this is below average compared
to similar sized authorities.
“We know there will be a general
election before the end of June 2010
and the team started to prepare for this
back in October. This is a major
undertaking following a similar process
to last June. However, we are well
equipped to deal with it with our small
but dedicated team who all have
fantastic experience of running
elections.
“We also have a statutory duty to
maintain and update the rolling register
all year round and this is just as
important as the annual canvass which
we have just completed.
“The Electoral Commission has
recently introduced national
performance standards for all electoral
registration officers (EROs) against
which we are compared with other
authorities. An important aspect of this
is ensuring procedures are in place to
prevent fraud and maintain the
integrity of the democratic process.
Meeting these standards again requires
adequate resourcing.”
sktoday - issue twenty six - February/March 2010
07
Sustainable housing
development bears fruit
Bourne marks
town twin bin
roll-out!
SKDC residents to move into 15 new homes
KDC's housing portfolio holder, Cllr
Paul Carpenter, has officially
opened a brand new development
which will be home to people on our
housing waiting list.
Apple Tree Close in Colsterworth
was constructed by Larkfleet Homes
and will be owned and managed by
Nottingham Community Housing
Association (NCHA). It has six 2-bed
houses, six 3-bed houses and three 2bedroomed bungalows.
All the properties meet national
standards for sustainable homes and
all have air source heat pumps. The
pumps work by transferring energy
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from moisture in the air outside into
heat, leading to lower costs and
reduced CO2 emissions.
Cllr Carpenter said: “I’m delighted to
be working with Larkfleet Homes and
NCHA to provide much needed
affordable homes for people living in
our local communities.
“It is even more pleasing to see
these homes making use of innovative
technology that will save our residents
money and have a lower
environmental impact.”
Cllr Carpenter is pictured with: Karl
Hick, MD, Larkfleet Homes and Paul
Moat, technical services director, NCHA.
A prize winning
Italian job!
rantham’s Piccola Venezia restaurant
won the New Business of the Year
Award, which is sponsored by SKDC, in
the Grantham Journal’s annual business
awards. The restaurant, in Wharf Road,
has been open 10 months, and prides
itself on providing an authentic Italian
experience. Pictured from left with Cllr
Frances Cartwright are: Danilo Messineo,
Valentina Federico, Andrea Kovacova and
Alessandro Naso.
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SKDC’s new scheme for
both recycling and litter
ourne’s North Street has taken
delivery of the first of a new type
of twin compartment litter and
recycling bin, designed to make
waste disposal even easier.
Shoppers can bin their litter
through one of the large front slots,
and use the other slot for recycling
paper, plastic bottles and cans. This is
the first bin in the district but a
further 3 will be installed in Bourne; a
total of 16 bins are being installed in
Grantham, Stamford and The
Deepings as well as Bourne in the
early part of this year.
Said Cllr John Smith, portfolio
holder, healthy environment: “These
bins will complement our current
street litter bins; this scheme aims to
bring recycling into everyday
shopping habits. People are used to
thinking before they throw away their
rubbish and will find these bins a
great help as we try to gather more
recyclable waste from South
Kesteven’s shopping streets.”
Cllr John Smith is pictured with
children from Bourne Abbey Church
of England Primary School who were
queuing up to use the new bin. Finley
Waffia is front of the queue with his
plastic drink bottle.
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B2B is the place to be:
book your place now
KDC’s busy economic development
team are inviting local firms
throughout SK to sign up for the
business event of the year: B2B 2010,
which will take place on Wednesday, 9
June at Grantham Meres.
It’s your chance to network with
other local traders and hook up with
some of the support agencies such as
Business Link, the Welland Enterprise
Agency and Trading Standards.
Explained economic development
officer Barbara Copley: ” We believe that
only about 10% of local companies
actually trade together and we think
they are missing a trick. There is a
wealth of opportunity here in SK and
we want to bring people together to
benefit from being part of what is a
vibrant business community.”
And anyone who signs up for a stand
is eligible to apply for a slice of SKDC’s
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Business Support Fund, which could
pay for valuable training or software to
upskill staff.
“We are responding to our recent
business survey results which identified
staff training - or ‘upskilling’ - as the
number one business priority, and we
are delighted to be able to offer
support. However, you can only apply
on the day so we hope people will take
up this great opportunity.”
There will be five different
workshops running on the day, and
each one will cover the needs of local
business as identified in the survey.
“There’s a lot on offer so whether
you would like to book a stand, or want
to come along as a guest on the day,
please let us know” said Barbara.
www.askecodev.co.uk has more
information, and booking forms.
Establish,
Develop,
Succeed
Three more of SKDC’s popular
Establish, Develop, Succeed
workshops are running from early
February:
Wednesday, 3 February,
Guildhall, Grantham from 6pm –
8pm
I Saturday, 6 March, Bourne Corn
Exchange, from 10am – 12noon
I Saturday, 13 March, Stamford
Arts Centre, from 10am –
12noon
For more information or to book
your place, please call:
0845 050 1050 or email
[email protected]
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Meet the apprentices!
SKDC’s credit crunch
boost for students
tudents at Grantham College,
and New College Stamford, are
amongst the first to receive a legup into apprenticeships as part of
SKDC’s drive to support local
businesses through the recession.
Together with the Local
Strategic Partnership, SKDC has
also put aside £5,000 to help
provide students in the district
with work clothing and equipment
they will need as part of their
apprenticeship. More than 120
students have already benefited
from the initiative.
SKDC’s chief executive, Beverly
Agass, paid a visit to Grantham
College to see first hand some of
the hairdressing students who
have received funding towards
equipment.
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And the winner is...
Graytone Printers are the winners
of SKDC’s annual business survey.
Based at Langtoft, the company
celebrates 21 years in business this
year. Pictured from left are:
proprietor Tony Gray, Cllr Frances
Cartwright, portfolio holder,
economic development; Simon
Plane, Chris Loveridge and Justin
Gray. SKDC’s annual survey covers
all businesses in the district and
the responses help the economic
development team focus its
resources to meet the needs of all
businesses.
sktoday - issue twenty six - February/March 2010
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Comp
etitio
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Recycling - Starting
young to save the planet
hildren in year three at St
Mary’s RC Primary School in
Grantham have helped SKDC
launch a new recycling
education programme and
poster competition to other
primary schools across the
district. The programme
includes an exciting new
interactive DVD, which provides
teachers with an extra
dimension to their citizenship
curriculum. More importantly
for the children, they will get
the chance to produce a
recycling poster and the
winning poster will then be
used by SKDC to promote the
benefits of recycling across the
district.
Gwen Came, SKDC’s
education team leader said:
“With our residents’ help, we are
one of the best districts in the
country for recycling. But, we
want to increase our current
rate and one of the best ways of
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Grace McGorty and year three look for
inspiration for their recycling posters
Ogheneuomero Kokoricha starts on her design
doing this is to get children
involved from an early age.
“I’ve already had a fantastic
response from primary schools
across the district, who are keen
to show their pupils the
benefits of recycling. Children
are very aware of the effects of
global warming and if we can
get kids recycling we really can
make a big difference.
“We’ll be visiting schools
from January but there is still
time for primary schools who
want to take part to get in
touch. Although we are starting
with primary schools, later in
the year we want to develop
the programme and take it to
secondary schools.”
To find out more about how
you can get your primary
school involved, contact
Gwen by email at
[email protected]
or call her on 01476 406032.
Year three hard at work on their posters
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Fourth successful town and parish conference
orking better together'
was the theme for the
fourth town and parish councils
conference back in November. And
the verdict? "A resounding
success!" said principal democracy
officer Paul Morrison. “Particularly
successful was the ‘speed dating’
style session between delegates
and officers. Delegates were able
to grill officers for five minutes
before they moved on to the next
table. Also popular was a
DVD on a fictitious parish
council meeting – an
example of how not to do it
- which caused waves of
laughter through the
audience!” Next year’s
conference is likely to be
held in Stamford.
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A healthy
alternative
Dan’s helping hand for Help for Heroes
orporal Dan Gordon stopped off
in Grantham during his mammoth
cycle tour around Lincolnshire’s war
memorials, laying a poppy cross at
each one to help raise money for the
Help for Heroes charity.
Cpl Gordon, who is stationed at
RAF Coningsby, spent a week cycling
over 250 miles and is on target to
raise £2,000 for the charity which
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supports servicemen and women
wounded in the line of duty in the
current conflicts in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
He is pictured with George Reeve
of the Malay and Borneo Veterans’
Association; Grantham mayor, Cllr
Ray Wootten and mayoress Linda
Wootten. SKDC chairman, Cllr Bob
Adams, also attended.
Students finishing the second healthy
eating course at Grantham College have
received their certificates from college
principal Linda Houtby and SKDC’s Karen
Booth. Funded by SKDC, the course taught
practical cookery skills to help the students
cook healthy, affordable meals at home.
Pictured from left are: Emma Edwards,
Juliette Hindmarch, Arthur New, Karen
Booth, tutor Jack Wright, Linda Houtby,
Joshua Footitt and Sara Sharpe.
sktoday - issue twenty six - February/March 2010
New trees take root in Grantham
hildren from Belmont primary school in
Grantham, recently donned their wellies and
grabbed their spades to help Lynne Le Conte, our
grounds maintenance co-ordinator in her quest to
plant 40 new trees around the town this winter.
The children were joined by Peter Armstrong
from Londonthorpe and Harrowby Parish Council
to give six native trees which included cherry and
crab apple, a new home in Third Avenue Grantham.
Lynne said: “I’m delighted that following
suggestions from the public, we have been able to
start planting these trees. I’d like to thank everyone
who took part today including our grounds
maintenance contractor Veolia, who donated the
tree stakes, ties and their time.”
To suggest a piece of public land in and around
Grantham for the remaining trees, email Lynne at
customer [email protected]
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Cleaner and greener:
how SKDC is leading by example
ith energy reduction so much in
the news, here at SKDC we are
trying to enable everyone to take
practical steps towards conserving
precious resources and reducing
waste.
Back in December, SKDC staff got
behind the ‘Switch It Off’ campaign
which resulted in a 10% reduction in
energy consumption on the day itself
across SKDC offices. And measured
over a two week period, there was a
significant reduction in both kilowatt
hours and CO2 emissions during the
switch off week compared to the
previous week.
Said Michael Rickard, SKDC’s
climate control co-ordinator: “If we can
do it, you can do it! Energy reduction
can easily fit in to everyday life both at
home and work and everything we are
doing here at SKDC you can mirror at
home.”
Michael has three straightforward
tips to make energy reduction part of
everyday life:
“Switching off is the easiest thing to
do. But we really do mean switch off,
not stand by: whether it’s a TV or
computer screen or lights turned low
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by a dimmer switch, you need to think
twice and turn them off completely if
you are going to save energy”.
“Here at SKDC we are replacing our
boilers with more energy efficient
boilers, this will have a marked
reduction on the amount of gas we use
for heating. Changing your boiler
might not be an option for everyone,
just make sure your insulation is at the
maximum - that’s 270mm in a loft and try to turn your heating down by
just 1 degree, you will save money and
be doing your bit for the environment .
“We have invested in vehicles with
very low carbon emissions which is a
good option if you are replacing a car;
if you’re not planning on a change at
the moment, you can simply help by
driving five fewer miles each week every mile helps.”
And the numbers speak for
themselves; for example:
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If you turn down your heating by
just 1O you could save up to 10%
on your energy bill.
Using low energy light bulbs will
last up to 10 times longer than
ordinary light bulbs and they use
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75% less energy.
The average video recorder uses
85% of its energy just by being
left on standby.
And there may well be help
available towards insulation costs if
you are receiving certain disability or
means tested benefits. Said SKDC’s
better and warmer homes team
leader Julie Hanson: “Anyone
receiving qualifying benefits can
apply to Warm Front directly or call
anyone in the team here for advice.
And if you are aged over 70,
regardless of your financial situation,
you won’t pay a penny, by applying
for insulation directly through your
energy supplier.
“Last year, insulation and central
heating worth £1.3 million was
installed in the SK district by Warm
Front alone so it’s well worth giving
us – or them - a call.”
Call Julie and the energy team
on 01476 406 377 or contact them
via www.southkesteven.gov.uk
Contact Warm Front on 0800 316
6011 or via www.warmfront.co.uk
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Leisure
The top three highest scoring players received a
trophy; pictured l-r are: Alan Moore, Mark Gray
and Ashley Drake.
The players’ player
award went to Luke
Peberdy (pictured
above).
Fairplay to the lads rewarded
for good behaviour
KDC runs the Fairplay Football tournament
every year and this time more than 70
teenagers signed up to take part. The players,
aged between 13 – 16, competed in six-a-side
matches at Grantham Meres. Each week they
lost or gained points based on their
behaviour and attendance and the group was
whittled down to the 28 players with the
most points for the grand final. The team
captained by Alan Moore won the match 5-3.
The teenagers were encouraged to take
part by Lincs County Council’s positive futures
team, the youth service and SKDC’s anti-social
behaviour team.
Phil Jordan from SKDC’s healthy
communities team said: “Fairplay Football is all
about giving young men a chance to be part
of a positive, team based activity which
rewards good behaviour. The chance to play in
the final gave them all something to aim for.”
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Bourne Leisure Centre
01778 421435
Deepings Leisure Centre
01778 344072
Grantham Meres Leisure Centre
01476 581930
Stamford Leisure Pool
01780 765522
Spot the ball Competition!
If you think you know where the ball is, mark the photo with a ‘X’ and
you could win a £50 sports voucher. Just send your entry to: Ball
competition, healthy communities, SKDC, St Peter’s Hill, Grantham,
NG31 6PZ by February 28. The entry with the ‘X’ closest to the
original photo will win the prize.
NAME:
ADDRESS:
TELEPHONE:
sktoday - issue twenty six - February/March 2010
Operation Fusion: working together to combat crime
incolnshire Police, working with
partners from the South
Lincolnshire Community Safety
Partnership (CSP), which includes
SKDC, has recently launched
Operation Fusion, a force-wide
response to tackling burglary, vehicle
crime and robbery.
Explains police liaison officer Jo
Toomey: “Our crime prevention action
days are a key part of this operation.
Action days are all about the
partnership working with our
communities, and involve our partners,
together with neighbourhood policing
teams and members of crime support
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staff, going out into the community,
giving out on-the-spot, practical crime
prevention advice. There are steps you
can take immediately, like not leaving
valuables on show in your car; we travel
around car parks and give advice to
vehicle owners where we spot
problems.
“Having no lights on in your home is
an advert to criminals that there is noone in. We have looked around our
neighbourhoods, identifying houses
that are in darkness, and given out
hundreds of light timers, energy saving
light bulbs and Home Office burglary
packs. We identify things that need
improving and help make those
changes.”
But remember - Lincolnshire is one
of the safest counties in the country
and your chance of becoming a victim
is extremely low.
Operation Fusion is also supported
by victim support, trading standards
and the Lincs home improvement
agency.
To DIY or not? Put safety first!
n the midst of the credit crunch, you
might feel tempted to opt for DIY or
cut-price professionals to carry out
home improvements.
If you’re a home owner you need to
be sure that any work in your home is
done safely. If you’re a tenant you need
to check with your landlord before
carrying out any works.
SKDC health and safety adviser,
Helen Kettle offers this advice:
your landlord before taking on
repairs or improvements.
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GAS: Work on gas appliances or
installations in your property should
only be done by Gas Safe-registered
engineers. If you’re a tenant, you
should consult your landlord before
carrying out any work to your gas
appliances or installations. Your
landlord should, by law, provide you
with records of annual gas safety
checks which must be carried out by
a Gas Safe-registered engineer.
If you’re a home owner, the onus is
on you to check the engineer is
registered.
ASBESTOS: Properties, particularly
those built or altered from the 60s to
mid 1980s, might feature asbestos.
Left intact where it cannot be
damaged easily, it’s perfectly safe. If
you’re a tenant you should consult
Home owners should use only
reputable builders who are aware of
their responsibilities in the event of
finding asbestos containing materials,
and what action would need to be
taken to protect both family and
employees.
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ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION: If
you’re a tenant report any concerns
about the electrical installation at
the property to your landlord. Your
landlord is required to keep in repair
and proper working order the
electrical installation and ensure
periodic inspections of the
installation.
If you own your home, apart from some
minor electrical work, you should notify
our Building Control before work
begins and make sure your electrician
is Part P-registered
OIL: Oil-fired appliances should only
be installed or maintained by Oftecregistered professionals.
Says Helen: “It’s tempting to cut corners
when money is tight but you can’t put
a price on you and your family’s safety.”
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For general enquiries call
SKDC on 01476 406080
SKDC Building Control
01476 406187
www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk
0800 408 5500
Electrical Safety Council
www.esc.org.uk 0870 040 0561
Asbestos www.hse.gov.uk
0845 345 0055
Oil Firing Technical Association
www.oftec.org 0845 658 5080
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14
www.southkesteven.gov.uk
GUILDHALL ARTS CENTRE – GRANTHAM
Jazz at the Meres
The Three Bs
Barron Knights’ 50th
Anniversary Show
Saturday 13 February
7.30pm
Since the early sixties, the Barron
Knights have had 14 comedy hit
records worldwide. They toured with
the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in
the 60s, performed at the London
Palladium and have written material for
Ken Dodd and Andy Williams. Said Ian
Drury: “no group has made it until the
Barron Knights have spoofed them!”
£15.00 / £13.00 concessions
Corlett’s Characters
Cabaret!
Groovy UV
Saturday 6 March
2.00pm
Groovy UV bring their outstanding
ultra violet puppet extravaganza to
the Guildhall. The show takes place in
the dark and uses special lighting so
the puppets glow and the
puppeteers disappear into the
background making the characters
seemingly perform amazing illusions
on their own! If you fancy having a
go, there will be a puppetry
workshop after the show. Suitable for
5 to 10 years.
£4.50 / £4.00 concessions / £16.00
family of four
Friday 5 March
7.30pm
Three legends of British Jazz –
Kenny Ball, Chris Barber and Acker
Bilk – performing in one great
concert. Acker Bilk first gained
worldwide fame with hit single
'Stranger On The Shore' in 1962 - it
stayed in the charts for 55 weeks
and was the first number 1 hit in
the UK and USA simultaneously.
This is a fantastic evening of
entertainment with three legends
of British Jazz– not to be missed!
£22.00 / £20.00
Zippy Superstar DJ
Rainbow Live
Wednesday 17 February
11.30am & 2.30pm
Zippy’s life suddenly changes when he
wins a hit record contract with Yellow
Peril Records. Can George, Geoffrey and
Bungle pull together to help turn Zippy
into a star? And is stardom what Zippy
really wants? Zippy Superstar DJ
features all the fun ingredients
associated with the Rainbow TV show
and includes sing-along songs, games
and plenty of giggles. Suitable for 3
years and over.
£9.00 / £8.00 concessions / £30.00
family of four
Hazel O’Connor and
The Blujar Project
Tuesday 23 March
7.30pm
The iconic and inspiring Hazel O‘Connor
teams up with legendary saxophonist
Claire Hirst and pianist Sarah Fisher in
this evening of jazz classics. The show
features old favourites as well as a new
take on some of Hazel’s own tunes.
£14.00 / £12.00 concessions
For more details of all that’s happening at the Grantham Guildhall Arts Centre or to make
a booking, call the box office on 01476 40 61 58 or go online at www.guildhallartscentre.com
sktoday - issue twenty six - February/March 2010
15
S TA M F O R D A R T S C E N T R E
Gerry and the Pacemakers Gerry Across the Mersey
Friday 19 Feb - 8pm
Join in this musical journey through the life and times of one of our
greatest ‘60s icons - Gerry Marsden. Gerry & the Pacemakers topped both
the UK and US charts – now hear Gerry talk about his early beginnings in
Liverpool from those heady days of the 60s right up to the present. Hear his
greatest hits mixed with stories, jokes and anecdotes from his years at the
top. This is a roller coaster ride of fun, music and nostalgia not to be missed!
£15 (£13)
Je Suis Dead
Fool’s Proof Theatre
Wednesday 3 March
8pm
Je Suis Dead is a show about
inheritance, of everything we carry
with us from our families and cultures.
Three strangers are thrown together in
the aftermath of a near fatal train crash.
In their vulnerable post-crash state,
unknown ancestral figures step
through the veil of their once ordered
lives and each has a story to tell from
the past. Meet three people
desperately clinging on to who they
believe they once were.
£10 (£9, £7.50)
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll
& Mr Hyde
European Arts Company
Wednesday 31 March - 8pm
The European Arts Company returns
bringing you the smoggy, gaslit
alleyways of London in 1888 with the
gruesome story of Dr Jekyll and his
charismatic alter. Come, if you dare and
witness a chilling, thrilling and highly
entertaining reinvention of this classic
tale. £9 (£7.50)
Stamford Children’s
Film Festival
Thursday 18 – Saturday 20 February
For ages 8 to 12
Do you love adventure? Action? Art?
Romance?
…all right, maybe not romance!
Do you ever wonder how you could
sound like a marching army? Turn
yourself into a zombie?
How about fly through the air like
the guy from Heroes? So do we have
your attention?
Well, during the Stamford Children’s
Film Festival, there is absolutely going
to be something to make your half
term special.
Unless of course you don’t like to
watch the latest film releases, or meet
famous and interesting people, or
make your own movie soundtrack?
So join us for three unmissable,
action-packed days of films,
workshops, shorts and talks and have a
very, very, cool half term. Oh yes - and
the best bit of all…. IT’S FREE!
It’s not just movies. It’s imagination.
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Wild Dog - Tavaziva Dance
Wednesday 24 Feb
8pm
Tavaziva Dance’s seven high-octane
dancers bring their fierce new show,
Wild Dog, to our stage. Tavaziva invites
the audience to join the dramatic
dancers in a show arranged by awardwinning Zimbabwean-born
choreographer and composer,
Bawren Tavaziva. £10
To book the events on this page and all the other concerts and talks at Stamford Arts Centre, call the box office
on 01780 76 32 03 or go online at www.stamfordartscentre.com
16
sktoday - issue twenty six - February/March 2010
Useful contacts
General enquiries
Offices
Tel: 01476 40 60 80 (all offices)
Email:
customerservices@southkesteven.
gov.uk
Website: www.southkesteven.gov.uk
Main office
Council Offices,
St. Peter’s Hill, Grantham
Lincolnshire, NG31 6PZ
Customer services
opening hours:
Monday, Tuesday
Thursday,
8.45am-5.15pm;
Wednesday
8.45am-4pm;
Friday 8.45am to 4.45pm.
Visit our website
To find out more about
the services we offer please take
a look at our website:
www.southkesteven.gov.uk
sktoday contact details
sktoday is designed by DesignCounsell and printed by Progressive Printers Ltd. Photography by Gerry Wright Photography.
For distribution and editorial issues:
[email protected]
Communications unit:
01476 40 61 27
About sktoday
South Kesteven District Council
produces and distributes sktoday to
every household in the district at a
cost of 22p per copy. People tell us
that they want to know more about
the work of the council and services
we provide. We’re always keen to
hear your views, and we’d love to
know what you think of the
magazine and how we can continue
to improve it. Please e-mail your
comments and questions to
[email protected].
Alternative formats
Please contact us if you or someone
you know would like to receive this
magazine in a different format
including audio tape, cd, large print
or Braille. South Lincolnshire Blind
Society distributes sktoday to all its
members in large print or on tape.
Printed on paper produced from well-managed forests.
Stamford
1 Maiden Lane, Stamford
Lincolnshire, PE9 2AZ
Customer services
opening hours:
Monday to Wednesday
9am-5pm;
Thursday 9am-3.30pm;
Friday 9am-4.30pm.
Bourne
Town Hall,
North Street,
Bourne,
Lincolnshire,
PE10 9EA
Customer services
opening hours:
Monday to Wednesday
9am-5pm;
Thursday 9am-3.30pm;
Friday 9am-4.30pm.
Market Deeping
Deepings Community
Centre,
Douglas Road, Market
Deeping,
Lincolnshire, PE6 8PA
Customer services
opening hours:
Monday to Friday
9.30am-2pm.
SKDC drug swabs help
to make streets safer
KDC has been working in partnership with
a number of organisations to make the
district’s streets safer.
The latest initiative saw us team up with
the police, the fire service, private street
wardens and trading standards in a joint
operation in Grantham over Christmas.
Operation NOVA – which stands for say NO to
Violence and Abuse – aims to reduce antisocial behaviour and violence in the night
time economy.
SKDC operated a high-tech drugs testing
machine, the Itemiser, which is jointly owned
with two other district councils.
SKDC’s community safety officer Sandy
Kavanagh said the machine is useful in more
ways than one: “It can be used to test
individuals going in to clubs by swabbing
their hands for traces of drugs. The tests are
non-intrusive and the analysis can tell us
exactly which drugs are present in seconds.
This can give the police grounds to do a full
search, and acts as a deterrent to anyone
thinking of bringing drugs into our town
centres.”
S
The last word...
First of all please let me wish all of
you a very happy new year, and
reassure you that all of us here
recognise and appreciate the
difficulties that people may still
be facing in these continuing
uncertain economic times.
As we went to print, we were
preparing to attend local forum
meetings throughout the district
to give you the chance to
comment further on our budget
plans for this year. In the midst of
such difficult economic times we
are faced with having to make
some stark choices but one thing
is for sure: we will strive to make
sure that every penny counts and
that we balance local choice
whilst ensuring that we maintain
services.
We have made every effort to
find efficiency savings and are
committed to delivering value for
money and keeping your council
tax as low as possible. If you are a
council tax payer in South
Kesteven, only nine pence from
every pound goes towards
paying for the 100 plus services
we provide. The remainder is paid
to the county council and the
police. We have responsibly
managed our finances during a
very difficult period and with
your help we will continue to
adopt a value for money
approach.
I hope you’ll join me in staying
as positive and optimistic as
possible in 2010 and please make
good use of all the excellent
services we provide for all of you.