A popular figure at The Meres Leisure Centre in Grantham is hanging up her swimming costume and lycra shorts.

Sue Harris, swimschool principal and keep-fit instructor, is resigning after more than 20 years with the leisure centre.

She was there as the centre moved from Union Street to Trent Road and has taken on many roles. Most recently, she helped to launch a facility for vulnerable adults after day centres in the county closed.

Her commitment even saw her being crowned Local Hero 2012 in the Journal’s Grantham is Great Awards. In a letter this week, a reader wrote: “Sue is AMAZING!”

Sue said she is ready to leave the leisure centre behind but that she would miss the people she has met along the way.

She said: “I feel really sad because I’ve made a lot of friends. But I’ve had enough now.”

Several schools in the Grantham area have done well in primary school league table published on Thursday.

In Lincolnshire, St Mary’s in Grantham, Marston Thorold, Ancaster, Billingborough, Brant Broughton and Leadenham scored highly, with 100 per cent of pupils reaching the the Level 4 Sats standard expected of them, including reading, writing and maths.

In Leicestershire, primary schools in Stathern and Harby also fared well, reaching 100 per cent, while Lon Clawson followed closely behind at 93 per cent.

And in Nottinghamshire, Orston Primary School entered in the top chart with 100 per cent.

The Department for Education publishes primary school league tables each December, with secondary school league tables to follow in January.

They aim to identify those schools which are not performing as well as they should and provide a source of information for parents where they can compare schools in their area.

lTo find out how well your child’s school did, go to www.education.gov.uk

BELTON WOODS

Belton Woods members have contributed more than £1,100 to purchase a defibrillator for the club.

Last year’s captain Paul Potts, whose charity raised the funds, is pictured taking possession of the defibrillator from LIVES responder Sue Francombe with, from left, club treasurer Bruce Foster, secretary Paul Perrin, former seniors’ captain Alan Lowen and lady captain Becky Foster.

LIVES will provide the necessary training for club members to use the defibrillator.

l Belton Woods’ festive season began last Sunday with the annual Turkey Trot competition.

More than 100 members contested the event in teams of four, with prizes including fresh turkeys, beef joints, venison joints and gammon.

With the best two scores counting on each hole, the winners with a score of 92 were Jon Todd, Neville Hibbitt, Andrew Clark and Paul Foulkes.

Seniors

Norman Tidy emerged victorious by three points in the Belton Woods senior section’s December Monthly Stableford.

Results: 1 Norman Tidy 42, 2 Tony Slipper 39, 3 Pete Stephenson 38, 4 Del House 37, 5 Dave Inglis 36 ocb, 6 Roger Hanratty, 7 John Bratt 34 ocb, 8 David Toule 34, 9 Pat Stanford 34, 10 Alan Lowen 33.

The Marshall’s December Monthly Medal saw Roger Hanratty triumph by two clear strokes.

Results: 1 Roger Hanratty net 71, 2 Pat Stanford 73, 3 Tony Turner 77 ocb, 4 Colin Thornton 77, 5 Bob Clarke 77, 6 Phil Turrell 77, 7 Pete Stephenson 78 ocb, 8 David Inglis 78, 9 John Williams 78, 10 Colin Grant 81.

STOKE ROCHFORD

Seniors

Fifty-two players took part in last week’s Stoke Rochford seniors’ Winter Warmer which was a pairs stokesome.

Winners by two points were Mike Dickinson and Ron Kent with 41, from John Booth and Dave Hamston on 39. Mike Graves and Jim Price finished third with 38 on countback from Trevor Harvey and Roy Rowe, and John Martindale and Wilf Stephenson.

The overall positions at the top remained unchanged with Greg Ewart on 27, and Brian Ayto and Phil White on 24 apiece.

SUDBROOK MOOR

Sudbrook Moor seniors’ final Texas Scramble of the year was won with a record net score.

The team of Dave Guy, John Morley and Eric Dickens produced a card of gross one over SSS, netting 6.4 under with their standard 10 per cent of total handicap reduction.

Five shots under SSS, Tony Sealey, Harry Cruickshank and John Came were disapppointed to only finish second. Third went to John Costall, Ron Selby and Barry Kay and the mixed team of Ken Jameson, Alex Methven and Joan Alton were a creditable fifth.

l Hnin Shein heads the field in the Ladies’ Eclectic, five shots ahead of Diane Leslie in the Tuesday section. In the equivalent seniors’ event, Dave Guy has crept into top spot by one point ahead of David Leslie, Frank Brumpton and Andy Milner.

The three handicap divisions in the gents’ main club event are current holder Phil Hall, Andy Newman and Barry Pogson.

Does this photo look familiar? It may be because Councillor Ray Wootten featured on the website just this morning having visited the Royal Mail sorting office and now Councillor David Nalson is at it too!

Coun Nalson, chairman of South Kesteven District Council, was invited along to the Grantham sorting office to meet staff who are working hard on the run-up to Christmas.
He said: “It was great to meet the dedicated, hard-working Royal Mail postmen and women at Grantham delivery office and to see first-hand just how much effort they put into delivering for people at this time of year.
“Postmen and women do such an important job at this time of year. I like to thank them for their efforts and wish them all the best over the busy festive period.”
Delivery office manager Sam Langley showed him around. Mr Langley said: “Christmas is the busiest time of year for Royal Mail. Our people pull out all the stops throughout the year to ensure mail is delivered quickly, but even more so over the busy festive period. We are grateful that Coun Nalson came along to see the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.”

A single A&E department which serves the whole of Lincolnshire could become a reality as major health and social care providers conjure up a new ‘model of care’.

A blueprint presented to county councillors on Friday by the executive director of Public Health Tony Hill brings the closure of Grantham’s A&E department a step closer.

At the full Lincolnshire County Council meeting, councillors heard about the “urgent need” to reduce high mortality rates and improve a poor quality of service in the county’s hospitals. This “radical” review is across the entire spectrum of health and social care services.

Dr Hill told councillors: “It’s probably the most fundamental review of health and social services that we shall undertake in Lincolnshire in our lifetimes, and it will also be a really radical change in the way we do things.

“The reasons for that largely focus on the quality of services that are delivered to the people who live in Lincolnshire.”

Dr Hill referred to the investigation by Sir Bruce Keogh, England’s NHS medical director, into 14 trusts with higher than expected death rates in its hospitals. This placed the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT), which runs Grantham Hospital, into ‘special measures’.

Dr Hill said mortality rates are now decreasing, taking the county from an “extremely high level” of a few years ago to what is still above what is acceptable.

But he added: “Figures show we have a big issue there and we know that there are really significant numbers of people who are dying unnecessarily in hospitals because of the quality of care they receive.”

The aims of the new ‘model of care’ is to bring together all healthcare organisations and those involved include ULHT, East Midlands Ambulance Service, HealthWatch Lincolnshire, the various clinical commissioning groups and local authorities.

By sharing the load, it is hoped that they will avoid the current £20.6 million healthcare deficit spiralling to an estimated £105 million in just five years’ time. It is also hoped that a higher calibre of doctors and other health professionals can be persuaded to come to Lincolnshire, which has historically stuggled to recruit a high quality workforce.

The new model would see one major A&E department, community hospitals run by GPs and nurses, and neighbourhood teams of GPs, nurses, therapists, social and care workers, mental health specialists and people from the voluntary sector.

In place of A&E departments would be urgent care centres fronted by GPs. Dr Hill said this is sensible as 90 per cent of cases that come through A&E doors could have been dealt with by GPs.

Meanwhile, neighbourhood teams, which would be “at the very centre” of healthcare, would be responsible for populations of 20,000-40,000 people and would be tasked with keeping patients out of hospitals by delivering care in the home.

Present at Friday’s meeting was Councillor Charmaine Morgan, who chairs campaigning group SOS Grantham Hospital.

Although she welcomed the integration of health and social care to improve services, she voiced concerns about the cost of a new model and the downgrading of A&E departments.

She said: “The financial climate in which the review is taking place risks proposals likely to be focussed more on saving money than delivering the services that people need.

“There is a proposal to reduce A&E provision with centralised A&E services. There will be an increased dependency on GPs replacing most existing A&E facilities as most local hospitals become more like cottage hospitals. More detail is needed about how this will work.

“Given the size of our county, poor public transport and high number of residents on a low income or unable to drive this will result in local people being unable to access A&E services directly and increased pressure on ambulance services. The risk to patients being forced to travel will increase.”

Various medical boards have already approved the blueprint, including the Lincolnshire Health and Wellbeing Board, and phase two, which will put more detail into the plan, will begin after Christmas.

Dr Hill said the final plan would be implemented over a number of years.

He added: “There’s a real urgency about getting this sorted out and the timetable is very speedy indeed.”

Public consultation will not begin until the summer. But Coun Morgan in her role with SOS Grantham Hospital is keen to gauge public opinion now. She can be contacted on 01476 574748 or charmaine725@btinternet.com

** What do you think to the new ‘model of care’? Will the plan work? Are you concerned about losing Grantham’s A&E? E-mail: comment@granthamjournal.co.uk

Everyone loves a good film on the telly at Christmas, but thanks to streamed subscription services and the like we don’t have to wait for TV executives to schedule a cracking Christmas film for us.

Here’s Graham Keal’s personal top 20 of what he reckons are the all-time best films to get us gathered round the goggle box at Christmas.

1. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946, b/w): Frank Capra’s heart-warming masterpiece, with Oscar-nominated James Stewart so winning as a suicidal small-town businessman who thinks he’s a failure. Guardian angel Henry Travers makes him see things differently. Sentimental – and it has its dark side, but still the ultimate Christmas feel-good movie. The film initially failed to break even, but nearly 70 years on it still jingles all the right bells.

2. Toy Story (1995): The first-ever feature-length computer animation, directed and co-written by Pixar’s presiding genius John Lasseter. Cowboy doll Woody (Tom Hanks) feels his favourite toy status threatened by the arrival of bone-headed Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen). Still fresh, funny and filled with suspense. Worldwide box office takings on release were over $350m. For my money, still the best 
of the three Toy Story 
movies.

3. Lincoln (2012): An odd Christmas choice, maybe, but if you’ve consumed too much and don’t feel like moving for two-and-a-half hours, mesmeric Daniel Day-Lewis in the inspirational title role should keep you rooted to the settee. Lincoln is seen battling on two fronts – the bloody Civil War against the Confederate South, and the seemingly hopeless political battle to abolish slavery. Utterly absorbing, brilliantly played and expertly directed by Steven Spielberg. Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field give memorable support.

4. E.T – The Extra-Terrestrial (1982): A very different slice of Spielberg, this time of course following a troubled 10-year-old (Henry Thomas) whose parents have divorced but whose innate courage and kindness save a friendly alien. The special effects are still special, the story is wonderfully warming and John Williams’ Oscar-winning score still soars.

5. The Wizard of Oz (1939): Judy Garland’s Dorothy leads the fabulous fantasy-adventure, one of the most-repeated films on TV at Christmas. Bizarrely, this was another all-time blockbuster that failed to gain big audiences when released, though it made up for it later. Six Oscar nominations helped. Shirley Temple was MGM’s first choice for Dorothy, but 20th Century would not release her. ScarecrowRay Bolger was originally Tin Man. He then swapped roles with Buddy ‘Beverly Hillbillies’ Ebsen, but Buddy dropped out when the metal paint on his costume made him ill, passing the role to Jack Haley.

6. The Thief of Baghdad (1940): Magical, amusing fantasy with special effects that still amaze and delight, all in glorious Oscar-winning Technicolor. Sabu charms as Abu the thief, helping Ahmad (John Justin) depose hissable usurper Conrad Veidt. And if the kids want a genie for Christmas, booming Rex Ingram will do nicely.

7. The Lion King (1994): 
The cartoon feature that showed Disney could still do it. This story of a displaced lion cub’s ultimate assumption of his birthright has to represent all the classic Disney cartoon features that deserve a listing – Pinocchio, Dumbo, Fantasia, Snow White and The Seven Dwarves… every one of them a tour de force in their day and still delighting all ages.

8. Scrooge (1951, b/w): Movie versions of A Christmas Carol abound, but this is still the best. Alastair Sim glowers as the miserable miser shown the error of his ways. They don’t make faces like that any more, and Hollywood hunks certainly can’t match Sim’s jowly lugubriousness. The contrast when his face lights up with belated benevolence is a sight to see.

9. Holiday Inn (1942, b/w): Bing Crosby crooning White Christmas enhances this light-weight musical made special by brilliant Irving Berlin songs. The movie White Christmas was a partial remake 12 years later and in colour, but this is the one to watch.

10. Bad Santa (2003): If a surfeit of sugary seasonal schlock is overwhelming you then this outrageously funny comedy might amuse, but probably not in front of the children. Billy Bob Thornton is a degenerate Department Store Santa who is actually a safecracker preparing his annual heist. Steer clear if swearing offends you.

11. Mary Poppins (1964): OK, so Cockernee Dick Van Dyke’s is funny for all the wrong reasons, and the second half meanders a bit, but the magical Nanny appointed to sort out two Edwardian children is still an entertaining Christmas confection. Made topical by the release of Saving Mr Banks, with Emma Thompson as Mary’s pernickety creator, P.L. Travers.

12. Nanny McPhee (2005): Emma Thompson again, this time in a warts-and-all portrayal of the Scottish Mary Poppins rival, a fearsome nanny who takes on the wild, motherless, brood of well-meaning widower Colin Firth. Fun for all, and the warts fade as behaviour improves.

13. A Night At The Opera (1935, b/w): The Marx Brothers at their hilarious best. Though Duck Soup runs it close, this vintage comedy has the contract negotiations on the Party of the First Part, complete with Sanity Clause – though as Chico says, “You can’t fool me – there ain’t no Sanity Clause!”

14. Home Alone (1990): Hit comedy thriller with Macaulay Culkin as the eight-year-old boy inadvertently left at home while his parents spend Christmas in Paris. As well as fending for himself, he fends off two bungling burglars. Takes time to get cracking but the climactic scene is worth it.

15. Life of Brian (1979): “On a midnight clear 2,000 years ago, three wise men enter a manger where a babe is wrapped in swaddling clothes. His name is Brian...” Irreverent parody acknowledged as the funniest film they ever made by the recently-reforming Pythons.

16. Miracle on 34th Street (1947, b/w): Charming old comedy-fantasy with Oscar-winning Edmund Gwenn as a department store Santa out to convince a sceptical young Natalie Wood he’s the real deal.

17. Gremlins (1984): Frequently revived for Christmas TV schedules, these pesky munchkins seem the perfect Christmas gift, but it doesn’t take much for them to start causing mayhem.

18. Meet Me In St Louis (1944): “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” sings Judy Garland, along with The Trolley Song and other delights in this entertaining romantic musical set against the 1903 World’s Fair.

19. Men In Black (1997): Great sci-fi/comedy combination as Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones counter threats to the planet posed by aliens already among us, including some very nasty specimens. Great fun, hugely inventive and with an unflagging pace.

20. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005): Amusing adult comedy (certificate 15) with Robert Downey Junior as a petty thief taken for an actor and paired with Val Kilmer’s tough-guy ’tec. 
Mums may enjoy the male leads while dads will appreciate Michelle Monaghan’s take on the standard Santa outfit.

An Islamic centre will be built in Grantham if plans submitted to the planning authority are approved.

The Grantham Muslim Community Association (GMCA) wants to build the centre in Mowbeck Way, off Alexandra Road, with car parking for 13 vehicles. It would be energy efficient, with wind turbines, solar panels and water filtration system installed.

The GMCA has submitted a planning application to South Kesteven District Council. It explains that the building will “serve the needs of the Muslim community in Grantham” which has rented accommodation from SKDC over the past 10 years.

It states: “The community now needs to have a permanent place to pray and teach the children.”

The building would be a modern costruction and aims to “reinterpret Islamic architecture in the 21st century in modern Britain”. Timber hexagonal modules would be pieced together to construct an oblong-shaped building.

According to the planning application, it would be mainly used on weekdays after 5pm and at weekends.

* Send your comments to comment@granthamjournal.co.uk

The Reel Cinema will be showing live screenings of theatre, ballet and opera events from around the country over the next few months.

The Royal Ballet will be the first to entertain Grantham viewers as it brings one of the most popular ballets of all time, Giselle, to life. It tells the story of a beautiful peasant girl who falls in love with someone she can’t have. It is renowned for its scene of ghostly maidens drifting through the mist towards the end.

The ballet has been reinterpreted many times over the years and the performance on January 27 will be again.

Tickets are £12.50 (£10) and are available from the Reel’s website at www.
reelcinemas.co.uk

Details of further showings at the Reel will be printed in the coming weeks.

Fans of classical music will not want to miss the performance of four harpists trained by the Royal College of Musicians.

4 Girls 4 Harps, including Grantham musician Helen Winter, have been playing together for over 10 years and have gone from strength to strength in their musical careers.

Their most recent CD, Fireworks and Fables, was played on Radio 2 and 3. They have also prepared Christmas music which the critics say will convert people who have never appreciated harps before.

They will be playing at St John the Evangelist Church in Station Road, Grantham, tomorrow (Saturday). Tickets are £14.50 on the door and the performance will begin at 7.30pm.

Locally born Carla Rees and her Rarescale flute ensemble will play in Grantham on January 15.

Carla is an expert on the alto and bass flutes. She has performed at festivals and recitals internationally.

Rarescale has been playing together since 2003 and reguarly collaborates with composers of all styles. They have played around the world, including New York, France and Los Angeles.

Members of the ensemble reguarly give masterclasses and have recently given a tenth anniversary performance.

The performance will start at 7.30pm and last for approximately two hours.

Tickets are £12 (£10 Concessions, free to students) from the Guildhall Box Office 01476 406158.

These pupils at Osbournby Primary School held the attention of pre-school youngsters and classmates who were in the audience for their Christmas show.

The Disgruntled Snowman was performed by Key Stage One children for parents, and children from Osbourn-Bees and Prelude nurseries.

Also watching the play were Key Stage Two pupils at Osbournby Primary, who will have their chance to shine on stage in a summer show.

These are just some of the pupils at Corby Glen Primary School who were invoved in three Christmas shows staged for an audience of parents.

All pupils in the school had the chance to shine in their age group show. The youngest children performed Shine Star Shine, about a search for the brightest star.

Eight and nine-year-olds performed a show called Midwife Crisis, about a dash to find a new born prince.

And ten and 11-year-olds performed a show based on the panto Snow White.

Head Vanessa Atter said: “Packed audiences saw the shows and people said they were our best ever.”

Grantham Town joint manager Gary Sucharewycz says the Gingerbreads are only a couple of results shy of establishing mid-table solidity.

Despite Town not having won a game since the beginning of November, Sucharewycz and co-boss Ian Robinson were buoyed by their side’s performance at Worksop Town on Saturday.

Sucharewycz said that recent results had not lost Grantham that much ground on their rivals: “It is still very tight in the middle and we are pretty much where we were.

“We don’t see any reason why we can’t push on into the group of sides around midpoint in the league, and establish ourselves there.

“We are about two wins away from being solid on the edge of the top 10.”

The Gingerbreads lost 3-1 at Worksop in the end but battled strongly throughout and Sucharewycz said there was “very little” to choose between the two teams: “We went into the Worksop match looking to see things change from the previous performances and I think everyone who was at the game will have seen that we got that.

“We gave it everything for the whole 90 minutes. They were sharper in front of goal at the right times, but we could have been ahead at half time if we had got the rub of the green.”

Saturday saw the addition of two on-loan Notts County players to the current Grantham line-up. Sucharewycz said midfielder Kyle Dixon and striker Malachi Lavelle-Moore had both performed to a good standard: “They showed why Notts County rate them highly. They worked very well with the whole team and gave a good account of themselves.

“Kyle looked very comfortable and Malachi looked good on the ball. Both were unlucky not to have got goals.”

Sucharewycz said the Gingerbreads had built on the Worksop performance in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Alfreton on Tuesday night, when they won 3-1.

Looking to tomorrow’s home game against Nantwich, he said the on-form Cheshire side’s position belied their potential: “Although they have quality that can hurt you as a team, that can only happen if we let it. We’ll cause them a few problems.”

Every pupil had a part to play in Christmas shows at Ingoldsby Primary School.

Youngsters in the Reception , year one and year two classes performed The Sleepy Shepherd.

Older pupils in years Three to six gave a rendition of forming 1001 Arabian Nights.

Pupils and staff worked hard to stage their Christmas shows at Belton lane Primary School.

All their efforts were worthwhile, though, as packed audiences were enthralled by two lovely shows which involved everyone ij the school.

Key Stage Two children performed A Midwife Crisis, accompanied by the school choir, and younger pupils staged a show called It’s A Baby.

A Wriggly Nativity was the intriguing title of a Christmas show performed by these reception year children.

They are pupils of Long Bennington Primary School.

A Christmas play at Huntingtower School had a wild west theme.

Prickly Hay was performed on two days for large audiences of family and friends.

One of the shows was seen by the mayor, Councillor Frank Turner.

The story told of a special mission undertaken by a stable boy and girl.

More than £230 was donated by the audience for Dr Frier’s Children’s Holiday Fund, which has supported school trips and residential holidays.

I would like to thank the Journal and sponsors of the Grantham is Great awards held recently. I was nominated for and won the Best Volunteer category for my work behind the scenes at Barkston and Syston Cricket Club.

Thanks to everyone who voted for me and a big thank you to my partner, Maxine, and my two sons, as without their help I could not put in so much time and effort.

I know there are many people out there who do a great job running clubs, societies and looking after people. Without them these things would not exist and I take my hat off to them. I know how hard a job it can be. These people not only put the great into Grantham, but also into Britain.

So, next time you drop the kids off, spare a few minutes and say thanks to them and see if you can help. I bet you can, there are never enough hands.

Nigel Parker

West Street, Barkston

After reading the many letters in the Journal about MP Nick Boles’ proposed free car parking in Grantham, and in particular Brian Bruce’s letter listing the parking charges for Grantham and other local locations.

It would be interesting to know the number of council employees who get free car parking in Grantham’s car parks.

Probably South Kesteven District Council leader Linda Neal could supply the numbers of spaces taken up in Welham Street and other Grantham car parks by council workers getting free parking, a benefit of up to £40 per week.

I personally think Nick Boles’ proposal for free parking in Grantham is at the least worth a try. I just hope Linda Neal’s opposition is not based on concerns that she and her work colleagues may find it harder to find a parking space.

David Turner

Huntingtower Road

Grantham

It appears that every time Mr Boles opens his mouth, he puts his foot in it. The man lives in another world and is not sensitive to people’s issues, but only for his own political ladder climbing.

Just look at the situation regarding his fight for free parking within the town. Is this just another so-called vote winner? You must be joking!

Why do people travel to places like Nottingham, Lincoln and Leicester? They go to shop where, in some cases, you have to pay to park. Does this discourage them? No. They go because of the variety, and quality of outlets. Couples and families often use it as a day out.

Mr Boles, like John Kirk (Journal, December 13) thinks by reducing parking charges it will encourage people to flock back and revitalise the high street. Another dream Mr Kirk!

In general, I sympathise with Grantham’s independent traders regarding the lack of footfall within the town, but is it not a sign of the times that over the past years we have seen a decline in our once thriving Saturday market and the high street shopper.

Who do we blame? What can be done to reverse the trend? Your guess is as good as mine, but the debate will go on and on, or is it just a change in our retail habits?

Mick Walton

Kingscliffe Road, Grantham