The future of the Dreams bedroom furniture store on London Road, Grantham, is under threat after the company went into administration.

Another company has bought 171 of the Dreams stores, but this does not include the Grantham store which adminstrators Ernst & Young LLP are still trying to sell.

Dreams is the UK’s leading specialist retailer of beds and associated products with 266 stores across the UK, employing approximately 2,000 employees. The Joint Administrators upon appointment subsequently sold the Company’s business and assets to a new company controlled by Sun Capital Partners, for an undisclosed sum. As a result the business has secured new investment and will continue to operate as a going concern outside of insolvency. The new owner will honour customer orders where part payment deposits have been made for goods and customer warranties.

Alan Hudson, Joint Administrator, said: “High street retailers have faced unprecedented conditions over recent years, and the market for higher value discretionary purchases has been particularly tough. Dreams is a well known market leader, but in common with many others has suffered as a result of this depressed retail environment, a rapid expansion of its store portfolio and onerous lease liabilities. Whilst recent performance has improved, it has seen a decline in like for like sales across its store portfolio as well as its operating margins being squeezed. This has resulted in the business being unable to continue to operate outside of Administration.”

“However, we are pleased to announce that a sale has been completed that sees the majority of the Dreams business including 171 of its stores, its head office and its two UK manufacturing facilities being sold to a new company controlled by Sun Capital Partners. The business will continue to trade without interruption, over 1,600 jobs have been transferred and the future of Dreams on the UK high street has been safeguarded.

“The remaining stores that are not included in the sale will remain open for business whilst the administrators seek to find buyers for these stores.”

A spokesman said that the Grantham store employed two people.

A group of young volunteers have been busy clearing an area by Grantham Canal this week as part of a 12-week community project.

By then end of next week, Harlaxton Wharf should look good as new, thanks to the hard work of 11 volunteers from the Prince’s Trust’s team programme, run by Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue.

They will be cleaning benches, clearing rubbish, building a barbecue and creating animal shelters for wildlife.

Funded entirely from scratch, the team raised over £1,000 from bag packing in Morrisons in Grantham.

Youth engagement manager at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Andy Payne said: “We run a number of these programmes throughout the year for the Prince’s Trust. They are aimed at inspiring our young people, rebuilding their self-esteem and equipping them with the skills they need to increase their chances of getting into work, education or training.

“The work the team is doing at Harlaxton Wharf is just one way for young people to try new things and learn new skills, whilst making a positive difference to the local community and to themselves at the same time.

“As well as creating and managing their own projects, participants also get the opportunity to gain a nationally-recognised qualification and will work with the team leader to create a personal development plan helping them to decide what they want out of their future and to map out how they will get there.”

Further community programmes are set to run in the area in May. Information: www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/princestrust

The Thomas Cook travel agency in the Isaac Newton Centre has been spared by the company which is closing almost 200 of its agencies around the country as part of a cost-cutting exercise.

A company spokesman confirmed this afternoon the Grantham agency would stay open. The company lost £590 million in the year up to September 2012.

Mid Lincs League

Mid Lincs League

Under-12 County Cuup

Semi-final

Birchwood 1

Grantham Town 1

(Birchwood won 4-2

on penalties)

Grantham keeper Campbell Williams was tested on a number of occasions but the first half ended goalless.

It was the visitors who took the lead against the run of play. Nathan Lane put a ball through to Lewis Brady who shot cleanly.

The goal only galvanised Birchwood and they soon equalised.

Neither side could break the deadlock in extra time and Birchwood won it on penalties.

Under-13B

Gonerby 6

Sleaford Town Boys 1

A rampant Gonerby outclassed a plucky Sleaford team to further consolidate their top of the table position.

An excellent first half hat trick from Sam Brown and a clinical finish from Robert McNulty meant Gonerby deservedly went into the break 4-0 in front.

Sleaford came more into it in the second half, but further goals from George Corden and Brown put the result beyond doubt.

Sleaford notched a late consolation goal when Lewis Gullick was unluckily beaten by a close range shot.

Gonerby: Gullick (c), Smith, Corden, Burton, Sellars, Davidson, Gorman, Taggart, Atkinson, Brown, McNulty, Bautista, Boyle, Lewin.

Under-15A

Barrowby 6

Ponton 0

Barrowby went in front through two goals from Kyle Scott.

An Oliver Hayward corner was powerfully headed home by Oliver Reid before Scott completed his hat trick.

In the second half, David Croke latched on to a poor clearance and fired home from 22 yards.

Barrowby completed the rout when a goal kick was allowed to bounce twice and Reid forced his way between two defenders and fired home.

Joint man of the match went to Curtis Page and keeper Liam Asplen.

Barrowby: Asplen, Evans, Cardoso, Wingad, White, Page, Hayward, S. Evans, Scott, Croke, Reid, Hollingworth, R. Evans.

Under-16

Gonerby 0

Horncastle 3

It was a poor performance by Gonerby’s standards and a disappointing result.

Horncastle were unlucky not be in front at half time. Gonerby were wasteful in front of goal after the break and the visitors capitalised with three deserved goals.

Gonerby: Hibbert, Crane, C.McIntosh, Smith, A.McIntosh, Baker, Bond, Geeson, Ladds, Hutton, Eyre. Subs: Pickering, Clater, Hotchin.

Grantham Youth League

Under-9 Cup semi-final

Aslockton 1

Barrowby 2

Barrowby finally broke the deadlock with some exquisite football, finished off by Ronny Heard.

Aslockton battled hard and equalised from close range.

Barrowby keeper George Patrinos kept the home side at bay and Jake Gibbons scored the winner after more good work by Heard.

Man of the match was shared by the whole Barrowby team.

Barrowby: Patrinos, Hanratty, Alves, Railton, Gibbons, Atkin (c), Heard, Booton, Watkins.

Under-11 Cup semi-final

Barrowby Lions 4

Gonerby 3 (aet)

Barrowby were 2-0 after 15 minutes after goals from Samuel Wright and Dom Foister. Gonerby replied through Chapman but it was cancelled out after the break when Wright coolly finished from a lovely Corey Evans through-ball.

The visitors pulled a goal back immediately from a well taken corner, when Coates was left unmarked for a simple header at the back post.

With their tails up, Gonerby duly levelled when Dodwell spilled a cross-cum-shot and Jefferson pounced for an easy tap-in.

Barrowby sneaked the win with a Tom Mayfield goal in extra time.

Barrowby: Dodwell, Tonge, French, Johnson, Cooper, Federson, Down, Evans, Mayfield, Hands, Wright, Read, Foister.

A special dedication ceremony was held at St Wulfram’s on Sunday to welcome the new Diamond Jubilee bell.

The bell, cast at John Taylor’s Bell Foundry in Loughborough, is engraved with the names of the St Wulfram’s bell ringers and has been paid for to a large extent thanks to a £7,000 donation from The Rotary Club of Grantham’s Jubilee Fund.

The rest of the funding came from the bell ringers themselves, who put their hands in their own pockets to help bring the bell to Grantham.

Special guests at the service included the Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire, Anthony Worth, along with members of The Rotary Club of Grantham.

President of the Rotary Club of Grantham, Irvin Metcalf, hopes to ring the new bell once it is installed. In preparation, he has been learning the art of bell-ringing.

The bell can still be seen in the church and will be the focal point of this Sunday’s Mothering Sunday service at 9.30am at St Wulfram’s church.

Work to install the bell will begin on Monday.

A plant and crafts fair is on today and all weekend at the Grantham Indoor Market, in Station Road East.

With a focus on Mothering Sunday, the fair is open to all and entry is free. A key feature will be a display of orchids, especially for Mother’s Day, which is this Sunday.

Donations will be taken for forces charity Help for Heroes.

The fair is on today (Friday) and tomorrow from 10am to 4pm, and Sunday from 10am to 3pm.

Grantham Town’s ambitions to create a Football Academy have come to fruition.

Town this week announced the decision to launch the Academy which will commence in July this year.

The club is inviting expressions of interest from any potential students.

Students attending the Academy will work towards a BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Sport, studying in purpose-built classrooms at The Meres stadium. This will be combined with professional football coaching on a daily basis.

The two-year course is full-time, 30 hours a week, for nine months of the year. Entry requirements are four GCSEs, including English Language, or a BTEC Level 1 at distinction grade.

The Academy will be run in conjunction with SR Education Training and Chesterfield College. SR is a high quality, private training provider, and Football Academies come under the umbrella of their Community Sports initiatives.

Tutors are provided by SR and the football club will provide its own coaches.

Grantham Town’s commercial manager Steve Cardy said: “We are currently interviewing for this, so don’t have a name at present, but they will be ex-pro with full coaching badges.”

Open days and interviews for prospective students will be held during April.

* To express your interest or for more information e-mail stephen.cardy@granthamtownfc.com

A spate of arson attacks on a Grantham estate is causing concern.

Wheelie bins and fencing have been the target of choice on the Earlesfield estate over the past three weeks.

One neighbour, Beverley Jones, has had both the fence to her Larch Close property and wheelie bin set on fire. She feels there are not enough police officers patrolling the estate and fears the culprits will not be found and punished.

Ms Jones, 53, said: “There’s not enough police officers around. I’ve reported it to the police but nothing gets done.

“They reckon police are patrolling the area but I never see any.”

A Lincolnshire Police spokesman admitted patrols have not been stepped up in the area, but said the estate’s community policing team is looking into the incidents.

He added: “There have been a number of criminal damage incidents where bins are reported to have been set on fire.

“Officers are aware of the issue and investigations are ongoing. If anyone has information or knows who is doing it, please call the non-emergency number as soon as possible.”

Other parts of the estate which have been targeted by arsonists are Chestnut Grove and Trent Road.

Information to: 101.

* Are you concerned about crime in your neighbourhood? Call 01476 562291 or e-mail comment@granthamjournal.co.uk

A family accused of animal welfare offences face a retrial after their case was halted yesterday (Thursday).

Peter Holland, together with his wife Karen and son Paul, were accused of keeping dogs and rabbits in filthy conditions at their home in Denton.

But on the second day of their trial at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court, District Judge John Stobart ended the hearing for legal reasons.

The family now faces a new trial to be heard later this year at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court.

Earlier, a police officer told the court he felt “sick” after he discovered the dogs during a raid carried out as part of an inquiry into allegations of badger-baiting.

The six-hour raid carried out at Denton revealed that the pens housing the 17 animals were covered in dog mess. Police Sgt Kevin Pulley, who was involved in the raid, said: “I thought the conditions were very, very poor. It actually made me feel quite sick.

“Going out to the animal pens I saw the excrement on the floor. It was the smell and the condition.”

Sgt Pulley said officers had obtained a warrant to search the premises following allegations made under the Protection of Badgers Act. He said: “My brief was to obtain evidence in relation to badger-baiting. There was alleged or believed injuries to dogs connected with that.”

Sgt Pulley said he was not aware of any animal welfare issues until the discovery of the dogs along with two rabbits during the raid.

Peter Holland, 48, his wife Karen Holland, 48, and son Paul Holland, 23, all of Harston Road, Denton, have each denied two charges under the 2006 Animal Welfare Act of failing to take steps to ensure the needs of animals were met between 1 and 28 July 2011.

Grantham Museum has announced this morning it is launching a bid to raise £200,000 to put a brand new Margaret Thatcher statue in the town together with a permananet exhibition on the former Prime Minister.

The museum has set up a fundraising website at margaretthatcherstatue.org More details on this website soon.

St Barnabas Grantham Hospice is holding a What’s It Worth fundraiser tomorrow, Saturday, March 9.

The Barrowby Road hospice will host the valuation event from 10am to 1pm. Take your items to the Hospice and have them valued by an expert from Golding, Young and Mawyer auctioneers for just £2 per item. There will also be a selection of stands, a raffle and refreshments.

For further information contact the Fundraising Department on 01476 5910101/513542. All proceeds to St Barnabas Grantham Hospice.

A £200,000 fundraising project has been launched to commission a “larger than life” statue of Margaret Thatcher for her home town of Grantham.

The move comes after months of speculation about how Grantham may commemorate its most famous daughter, which has attracted interest worldwide.

As well as the statue, Grantham Museum - which is run by volunteers - wants to commission a permanent exhibition of her life and work within its town centre building and to make other improvements to ensure its future.

The museum intends to raise the money through donations and merchandise sales - a minimum of 50p from every £1 donated will go towards refurbishing the museum to, in the words of PR and marketing director Helen Goral: “make it a sustainable destination of choice for generations to come.”

She continued: “Whatever you think of Mrs Thatcher she was a local grocer’s daughter, was the first female Prime Minister and the longest serving of the 20th century. Her heritage deserves a fitting tribute and exhibition.”

Grantham Community Heritage Association, which runs the museum, claims feedback from local residents and museum supporters further afield “proves the huge support and appetite” for Grantham to recognise Mrs Thatcher.

Local Conservative MP Nick Boles, who has never met Mrs Thatcher, said: “I think she would have applauded this, because it preserves the history of the town and marks what she did for the country and there will be no tax-payer funding involved, This is about the statue and the institution of the museum together. I will run to anyone, I will call anyone, to help raise this money.”

The association could not deliver details about the statue or exhibition but chairman Graham Jeal said the statue would be “larger than life.”

He could not say whether or not the statue would be erected inside the museum or outside on St Peter’s Hill, the site of a large bronze statue to another former Grantham resident, Sir Isaac Newton.

Last week, the Labour group at South Kesteven District Council proposed funding a Thatcher statue, but the motion was defeated 40-7 by the Tory-led council.

The mother of a child who attends Acorn Nursery at Grantham Hospital is urging people to sign her online petition today in a bid to save the nursery which is due to close on May 31.

Rachel Stark, whose two-year-old daughter Isabella, attends the nursery, would like anybody who supports the nursery to go to www.change.org and sign the Acorn Nursery petition on there. Rachel has also collected signatures from supporters and colleagues at her workplace at Totemic.

Parents of nursery children will meet members of the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust this evening to discuss the closure and Rachel would like to be able to present the petition to the Trust.

Rachel said it was “appalling” that the Trust was closing the nursery which has been on site since 1988. She said: “It has been a fantastic response. All the children are very happy at the nursery and the staff are absolutely fantastic which is why we chose it in the first place.”

The running of the nursery was put out to tender, but the company that won the contract later pulled out saying the nursery wasn’t financially viable. The hospitals trust has also said it cannot afford to pay for the repairs that it says are necessary. Parents have said they would be willing to carry out the repairs themselves.

For more details on this story see today’s Grantham Journal.

A team of table tennis players from Walton Girls’ High School and Sixth Form are hoping to bring home a national title at the ESTTA National School Team Championship Finals later this month.

The five-strong under-16s team progressed through the zone and regional finals to make it to the national finals at Hinckley for the third year running.

The annual championship, run by the English Schools Table Tennis Association, is one of the highlights of the table tennis season, attracting schools from all over the country, including sports academies. Every round is fiercely competitive and hard fought by every team, so to get through to the finals is a huge achievement for the Grantham school.

The team gave a strong performance at the regionals at Grantham Table Tennis Centre, beating St Bernard’s RC High School (Cumbria) 7-1 to win the competition, and are confident they can go on to take the national title. 

PE faculty leader Brenda Joint believes that it will be third time lucky for her girls: “Walton has been to the Nationals for the last two years and achieved second place both times. Due to the girls’ hard work and determination, this is their third attempt and I am confident that they will come through as champions this time.”

The team, pictured from left, are Year 10 students Hannah Armson and Beth Cook, and Year 9s Grace Potter, Jessica Easter and Caitlin Lilley.

STOKE ROCHFORD

Ninety-six members turned out in glorious conditions on Sunday to welcome 2013 captains Peter Gill and Marion Carvath.

The new captains hit a tee shot down the first hole, and the annual Captains’ Drive-In competition saw teams of four compete in a stableford format, with the best two scores counting on each hole.

Results: 1 Paul Verner, Simon Mulvy, Brian Talbot and Simon Yelland 95, 2 Andy Croft, Rory Croft, Richard Allan and Matt Allan 89, 3 Paul Evans, Darren Evans, Greg Shelton and Craig Hallam 85.

A total of £500 was raised on the day to be shared between the new captains’ chosen charities – the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society and The Woodland Trust.

Peter Gill said: “Both the lady captain and I were delighted with the support received from fellow members. It was a wonderful beginning to our year.”

Visit www.stokerochfordgolfclub.co.uk

Seniors’ section

Stoke Rochford seniors played the latest round of their Winter Warmers series as a pairs better ball versus par competition.

On the Wednesday preceding his weekend “Drive-in”, club captain Peter Gill was in great form and with his partner Dave Hamston had a winning score of 8 up

Runners-up with 7 up were Brian White and Eddie Plant, and Greg Ewart and Fred Bellingall were third with 6 up.

Overall leader is still Phil White who has 32 points, with his brother Brian White on 30. Brian Ayto has 28 and Philip Varley 27.

BELTON PARK

Seniors’ section

Eleven teams of three contested the Texas Scramble last Tuesday.

Winners were John Clark, Dave Green and Tony Barron with a score of 42, on countback from Alan Addis, John Thompson and Terry Bond. Third with 41 on countback were Dave Langley, Tony Noble and Ian Saunders.

The previous week’s Tuesday stableford was fought out by 31 entrants and won by Garry Head.

Results: 1 Garry Head 43, 2 Colin Farrington 39 ocb, 3 Mike Monaghan 39, 4 Alan Addis 38 ocb; back nine – Manny Barker 20, front nine – Les Elliott 23.

Ladies’ section

The February stableford competition saw Ina Wood score a very creditable 39 points to take first place in silver division. Julie Hamer was second with 38 points and Sheila Garrick was third with 37. Bronze division was won by Lisa White (37) with Sue Addis second (35) and Cynthia Mills (32) third.

A group of framed rare Beatles autographs failed to sell at auction in Grantham this week.

The rare early autograph group from all the “Fab Four” members and inscribed “lots of love from The Beatles” was expected to sell for up to £3,000 at The Grantham Auction Rooms, but did not reach its reserve price of £1,500.

The autographs were obtained early in 1963 when the group had just recorded their first album. They were one of several bands who played a gig in Nottingham at the Elizabethan Rooms on March 7, 1963. The compere for the evening obtained the Fab Four’s signatures in their dressing room.

Auctioneer Colin Young said that although the lot had not sold there had been plenty of interest in the item since the sale and that it could well be sold privately.

As a father of two children, McDonald’s is a fairly frequent destination for a meal, but breakfast is something I have rarely tried at the fast food restaurant.

I am not averse to the odd stop-off at the Grantham restaurant and ordering a McChicken Sandwich, but the breakfast wrap has been heavily advertised recently and so I thought lets put it to the test.

After ordering the Breakfast Wrap meal with a coffee I was asked to take a seat as it wasn’t ready. I sat down with the steaming hot coffee and two minutes later the wrap was delivered to my table . The woman who brought me my breakfast even came back again to bring me some napkins. If there is anything about that morning I cannot fault, it is the service!

The wrap, however, is not something I am in a hurry to try again. The soft tortilla contains a free range egg, pork patty, bacon and potato rosti and comes with tomato ketchup or brown sauce.

There’s plenty there for less than £4, but for all that there is little taste. It’s a pretty bland mixture. Out of all the ingredients the bacon was certainly lacking and what little of it there was, was too crispy. The rosti, patty and egg all make a plentiful morning meal, but again they add little taste. Thank goodness for the ketchup.

So many of us visit McDonald’s, we know what to expect and we go because it’s convenient. I am happy to go there for the odd evening meal, but I don’t think I will be making a beeline for the place before I go to work in future.

Witham Wheelers have joined the select group of East Midlands cycling clubs to have achieved Clubmark status.

The club attained British Cycling’s Go-Ride Clubmark Accreditation in recognition of the progress they have made with youth development.

BC East Midlands regional development manager recently visited the club’s headquarters at Grantham Cricket Club, in Gorse Lane, to present them with the prestigous award.

Clubmark is the only national cross- sports quality accreditation scheme for clubs with junior sections. It is built around a set of core criteria which ensure that accredited clubs operate to a set of consistent, accepted and adopted minimum operating standards.

Pictured are club chairman Janet East (centre) along with Anthony Gill (second right) of British Cycling and young members of the club, with club Go-Ride officials Martin Hedley, Simon Cocker. Karen Crawford and Tracey McAndrew. Head coach Peter Pain was unable to attend but has been instrumental in helping young riders from the club progress to competing at national level.

l Witham Wheelers Go-Ride sessions will start up on Tuesday, April 2, at Kesteven Rugby????? Club, in Gorse Lane, from 6.45pm. Visit www.withamwheelers.co.uk or contact tracymc38@hotmail.com

Ex-farmer Julian Fane has quite a lot of experience when it come’s to police policy in dealing with crowds.

In 1986 he was part of a group of 50 demonstrating against plans to dump nuclear waste in his village of Fulbeck. He recalls that despite speaking to police chiefs prior to the protest and informing them that the group would disperse as soon as one police officer requested they do so, some 500 officers arrived in the village at the behest of then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Some 27 years on, he has found he is unable get the police to send enough officers to remove 100 people illegally holding a rave on his land.

“With that as the background in my life,” Mr Fane said. “I find this even more irritating.”

A fortnight ago Mr Fane and his wife went to bed only to hear an almighty racket they initially thought was coming from the village hall. When it hadn’t stopped by midnight he decided to go and investigate and found an illegal rave had been started on his land, just off the A17.

When Mr Fane arrived he found police were in attendance but far from stopping people trespassing on his land, found they were patting them down and sending them in.

Mr Fane said: “Nobody was stopped at all. The police more or less said ‘now you can go to the party’. No effort was made to stop them.

“We were trying to get the police to stop people going on the site including one motor car that drove on the land. Andrew Unsworth (who rents the farm land and wood from Mr Fane) stood in front of it for a time but the police said ‘you have got to let him go’.”

By 3am Mr Fane said he could no longer see any police presence on the site and by 4.30am he had decided to return home.

He returned to the site at 8am following a sleepless night to find the deafening music still playing and the rave still going on.

Mr Fane said: “The police instructed me not to go near but I didn’t see any reason why I should not. I got there and there was a man of about 50 with a black bag picking up rubbish.

“I thought he might be the organiser but he pointed me to a chap about 15 yards away. I walked towards him but he fell over before I got there - obviously drunk or under the influence of drugs - so I did not think he was worth talking to as he was lying on the ground, inebriated.

“So I walked over to a man in his early 20s with a red mohican and said “good morning”, as you do on a Sunday morning in Fulbeck, and he was very polite. I told him I hoped they were going to leave fairly soon but he said they were going on until 10am.

“I was not aware at that stage that the police had apparently negotiated with them that they could go on until 10am. If they’d stopped at 9.45am they could have gone to church in Fulbeck.”

Police officers arrived on the scene at 10.15am after a 10am call from Mr Fane and the rave finally ended.

Finally, after losing control of his land for a night, Mr Fane could walk onto his land and survey the damage. A wooden building in the wood had been broken into and a lawn mower and weighing machine removed and thrown to the ground.

A window was smashed and everywhere he looked was evidence of drug use including white powder on tiles torn off a kitchen wall, small gas canisters, balloons and needles.

Mr Fane and the police officers who joined him were also struck by the stench of human faeces at the site as there is no running water in the building.

Mr Fane said: “I think the average man or lady in the street would think it is reasonable that whoever has organised it should come and clear up the mess and come and put the building back in the order it was before they went there.

“If I were the organiser - and I don’t know anything about the finances of running a rave, I’m just a simple ex-farmer who grew food for people to eat - you would assume money changes hands. An entrance fee and presumably a considerable amount from the sale of drugs and alcohol.”

Mr Fane was shocked at the way Lincolnshire Police appeared happy to work with the “ravers” who were illegally on his land, causing criminal damage and taking drugs.

He is now considering demolishing the building to avoid a repeat but is calling for a change of policy from Lincolnshire Police.

He said: “It’s not for Lincolnshire Police to negotiate with people they know are breaking the law.

“They say that except for the noise no criminal offences were going on but quite obviously the drug use was immense.

“I believe that had the first policeman gone in at the start and said ‘you need to turn that off now’ I think they would have gone.

“I would like to see the few of us who were on the site sit down with senior police officers with suggestions from our point of view and their point of view.

“I don’t think it’s in society’s interest that 100 people breaking the law leave the rave with the clear indication the police don’t mind them doing it.”

The cream of British acting comes to the fore in Song for Marion (PG) at the Reel this week.

The film tells the heart-warming story of a loving marriage between grumpy pensioner Arthur, played by Terence Stamp, and ever-cheerful but terminally-ill Marion, played by Vanessa Redgrave.

The film is directed by Paul Andrew Williams, who made the violent thriller London to Brighton and a few other thrillers before making a complete U-turn with this very British story.

Critics have likened it to a montage of other British films such as Quartet, Brassed Off, Calendar Girls and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

The film also stars Gemma Arterton and Christopher Eccleston.