A Grantham woman who lost her mum to cancer will have her head shaved for charity.

Michelle Roberts is undergoing Brave the Shave for Macmillan Cancer Support. She will have her head shaved on Sunday (November 5) at 6pm in the Black Dog.

Michelle, 42, is braving the shave in memory of her mum who died of cancer at the age of 43.

She said: “Both my husband and I have lost a parent to cancer. We have people in our lives who are currently fighting this disease.”

If you would like to support Michelle go along to the Black Dog on Sunday or visit her donations page at bravetheshave.macmillan.org.uk

Michelle will donate her hair to the Little Princess Trust which provides real hair wigs for children who lose thier own hair through cancer treatment.

Bosses at Downtown are 
forging ahead with their £125 million plan for a designer 
outlet village after submitting the plans yesterday (Thursday).

The plans for the outlet village, which include 107 retail outlets, a new garden centre, a hi-tech hub, a training academy and a tourist information centre, were presented to South Kesteven District Council yesterday.

The Downtown project comes in direct competition to another designer outlet village proposed by Buckminster for the King31 industrial site next to the A1.

But Downtown managing director Richard Broadhead says their focus is purely on delivering their own retail village.

Mr Broadhead told the Journal: “The response from the public has been very positive, incredible really. Ninety eight per cent of respondents to our consultation were in favour of the plans. It’s great for Grantham, it’s great for Lincolnshire and it’s full steam ahead.

“Clearly the council has a decision to make because there are two schemes which have been submitted but we are confident that what our scheme will do in terms of jobs, the economy, Grantham town centre and bringing investment to the town is very compelling.

“There is absolutely nothing that will stop us continuing with this plan. It is the right thing to do for Grantham.It ticks all the boxes. All the infrastructure is in place so in terms of delivery we are ready to go.”

Downtown says that its plan for the outlet village on its Gonerby Moor site will create 1,700 jobs and secure the future of the existing 700 jobs.

The company hopes its plans will be realised as early as the end of 2019.

The existing Downtown and Boundary Mill store will remain while the garden centre will be replaced by a modern ‘garden centre of the future’ and there will be a purpose-built Downtown@Home.

There will be an indoor lesire complex, although this will not include a cinema as a new multiplex is due to be built in the town centre.

The company’s distribution centre will be moved off site but will remain local.

The hi-tech hub will be purpose-built offices and provide space for new start-up businesses.

The plan also features a tourist information centre and a new position of visitor and events manager will be created.

Mr Broadhead added: “This is a key part of the project. We are expeciting three and a half million visitors every year to the outlet village and with our strong links to the town centre we believe up to 20 per cent of these customer will visit the town, which is half a million.”

There is already an existing bus route between the site and the town centre and there is even the possiblity of a new train station being built nearby on the Grantham to Skegness line which would take people from the site 
into Grantham in seven minutes.

Downtown is working with architects Brookerflynn on the project and Freeport Retail, a leading developer and operator of outlets Europe-wide.

Richard Neasham, Director of Brookerflynn Architects, said: “Bringing our retail experience to a major development in Grantham, to deliver refined design principles and inspiring architecture, will benefit and enhance the town and wider region.”

Iestyn Roberts, Chief Executive, Freeport Retailm, said: “The Downtown location is perfect for an outlet centre and redeveloping the existing retail site makes complete sense. This project will deliver major benefits to Grantham and the whole region.

There were some good rides by local riders in the latest round of the Lincs Cyclo-Cross League at Hubbards Hills, Louth.

Joshua Lane was up to 15th in the under-12s and Paul Conneely 23rd in the veterans.

Reece Egner scored his best result of the season with eighth in the seniors, whilst Julie Clarke was 26th overall and leading veteran lady in only her second cyclo-cross race.

Results: U12 – 15 Joshua Lane, 37 Noah Lane; veterans – 23 Paul Conneely (5th vet 50); seniors – 8th Reece Egner, 26 Julie Clarke (4th lady & 1st vet lady).

Four Witham Wheelers took part in the previous week’s round at Scunthorpe.

Results: U12 – 32 Noah Lane; veterans – 30 Paul Conneely (5th vet 50), 35 Llewey Byrne (27th vet 40), 72 Sean East (47th vet 40).

Nineteen members of Grantham Running Club took part in the 36th edition of the Worksop Halloween Half Marathon on Sunday.

The race, the majority of which takes place in Clumber Park, manages to combine a highly competitive race atmosphere, partly thanks to a generous and extensive prize structure, with an infectious party vibe.

First home for GRC was Matthew Kingston-Lee. A week on after winning the Thoresby 10, Matthew put in another strong performance to finish fifth overall and second V40, clocking a season’s best 1hr 16min 24sec. “I was really pleased with how the race unfolded,” commented Matthew. “I was in around twelfth position after the first mile then suffered a side stitch which had me struggling until it thankfully disappeared at around five miles.

“Feeling much better, I was able to start picking off runners one by one. Given that there is barely a flat section along the course, I was really happy with the finishing time.”

Also very pleased with his performance was Chris Limmer who finished 38th in 1.22.15. This was despite his right trainer falling apart before the start of the race and having prepared for the event by running from Grantham to Nottingham along the canal six days earlier.

Rob Howbrook was third home for GRC in 1.30.08. Happy to be two minutes quicker than his last half marathon at Peterborough, he appears to be returning the form which sees him lead the club’s inaugural Grand Prix Series with four rounds remaining.

New club member Dan Towey was prised off his sick bed to finish in 1.33.23, just ahead of Peter Bonner, who ran another strong race to finish just half a minute off his recent personal best in 1.33.47.

Catherine Payne was the first GRC female to finish, clocking 1.36.44, and taking second in the V50-54 category. Catherine has shown remarkable consistency thus far in 2017. This was her slowest of three half marathons, but only 14 seconds slower than her fastest and arguably the strongest performance given the undulating nature of the course.

Behind Catherine, Paul Davis was next to finish in 1.40.51. Both he and wife Caroline looked distinctly weary at the finish having raced the day before and extensively over the past month.

Mark Hillson finished ahead of Kevin Kettle, who bettered his HM PB by two minutes, running 1.46.06. A frustrated Tony Johnson was next to finish, hobbled by injury and recent illness. He finished ahead of an elated Russell Maksymiw, who broke two hours on his half marathon debut, finishing in a fine 1.56.22.

Another half marathon debutant, Chris Gearren, also broke two hours, finishing in 1.57.24.

Of the club’s other finishers – Nicola Cottam, Nicola Fahy, Margaretta Murray, Julie Gilbert and Ros Sadler – special praise was lauded to Shelly Dalhaug who completed the race despite suffering a nasty chest infection. She in turn thanked Julie and Ros who all ran together and collectively crossed the line as one in 2.25.50.

Executives on the trust which runs Grantham hospital are recommending that the town’s A&E unit is fully reopened over the winter.

If United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) board decides to fully re-open the unit, the decision will then be subject to NHS Improvement approval as part of its A&E staffing review which will be carried out over the next month.

ULHT says it has always been committed to fully reopening the A&E as soon as it is safe to do so, and says over the past year we have been working hard to recruit and retain doctors.

Grantham A&E was closed overnight in August last year after staff were transferred to the other A&E units wherre there was a staffing crisis.

A spokesman said the trust has been successful in securing the employment of more permanent, locum and agency middle grade doctors, which increases the number to 22 - slightly above the minimum of 21 middle grade doctors needed to safely staff the three A&Es at Grantham, Lincoln and Boston. But the trust says staffing rotas in the long-term still remain very challenging.

Neill Hepburn, ULHT medical director, said: “The staffing situation is volatile and constantly changing as we are still very reliant on short-term agency doctors, many of whom only work occasional shifts. There is also a shortage of A&E nurses, which is placing pressures on an already creaking service.

“Before Grantham A&E can reopen, we need to be confident that we can staff rotas for at least 12 weeks. This is to avoid the scenario of reopening A&E one day, to then close the next day due to a lack of staff.

“However, as we have 22 middle grade doctors, the Trust’s executive team and clinical management board are both recommending that the Trust Board agrees to reopen Grantham’s A&E to help Lincolnshire’s NHS services cope this winter. The Board will formally consider whether it is safe to fully reopen on Tuesday.

“If the Board agrees to the reopening, the decision will then be subject to NHS Improvement approval before any changes happen. NHS Improvement has advised that they expect their review of A&E staffing to be completed within a month, so opening hours will remain 8am to 6.30pm until further notice.”

A couple from Grantham have beat 4,000 other hopefuls to make it through to the judges’ stage of Britain’s Got Talent.

Dale Weatherstone, 25, and Hayley Goodwin 24, travelled to Birmingham last Sunday where they faced three rounds of auditions and producers.

Dale decided to sing ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran while Hayley opted for ‘Rise Up’ by Andra Day.

Dale, who has just started gigging around town, said: “We were put into groups and given ID numbers. Each time we passed an audition, we moved on to the next room to face another round of producers.”

Despite auditioning separately as singers, the engaged couple both made it to the judges’ rounds, which will be televised in February.

It is the second time that Dale, who works at Mark Bates on Londonthorpe Lane, has auditioned for the talent show.

He said: “I never made it past the first round when I auditioned for the first time last year, so it is an incredible feeling to have made it through this time, especially with Hayley.”

The couple, who live on Almond Grove with their two children Harry, 5, and Oliver 2, joined 72 other successful acts to make it through the Birmingham auditions out of 4,000 auditionees.

Dale added: “We were in shock in the car afterwards. We just sat there trying to process what had happened.”

The couple will go up in front of a live audience in February to try and impress judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, David Walliams and Alesha Dixon.

A retired couple who met each other online are hoping to share their amorous experiences in a tell-all book, to dispel myths that life has to slow down once you hit retirement age.

Elizabeth Brownlow, 62, and John Hesselworth, 64, first met on an online dating website, OKCupid, last August.

Elizabeth, who has had two previous long-term relationships, was spurred on by her daughter, who helped set up her online profile.

The mum-of-three said: “After my last relationship broke down, I was adamant that I didn’t want to live with anyone else and definitely didn’t want to get married again, but online dating looked fun, so I just thought, ‘why not?’.”

After a failed marriage, Elizabeth was keen to reinvent herself, including dying her hair in a varity of different colours and using an alias name on her profile.

The grandmother-of-two, said: “I opted for the name Beth as it was different, but similar to my name too.”

After a few “interesting” local dates, Elizabeth decided to look further afield and came across John’s profile, as Jonny Libertine.

Describing himself on his profile as an eccentric character, John, who used to live in London before moving into Elizabeth’s home in Worcester Drive, Grantham, two weeks ago, also shared how he enjoys practicing knife and tomahawk throwing, fire eating/breathing and performance whip cracking. He also has a passion for burlesque and circus acts and said he was looking for someone to “have an unconventional adventure” with.

Elizabeth, who retired from being a primary school teacher two years ago, said: “I saw his profile and just thought ‘wow, I’ve got to know more’.”

After exchanging a few messages, the couple met at London King’s Cross station last September.

At 5ft 2ins, Elizabeth was worried that she would look “mismatched” next to John’s 6ft-plus frame, but any concerns soon disappeared as soon as they met.

She said: “We clicked straight away. We went to a pub and he started stroking my arm and I just knew.”

Within weeks, the couple, who describe themselves as ‘not your average couple,’ were already planning their around-the-world trip.

John, who worked in social care until his retirement in September, proposed outside Grantham’s The Range two days after Christmas last year and they were married at Barrowby church on Saturday, in front of 130 of their friends and family in a daring red wedding dress that Elizabeth bought for £10 in a charity shop.

Although Elizabeth has been married before, it is John’s first marriage. He said: “I wasn’t entirely anti-marriage but I just never saw the point of it, but all of a sudden I did.”

Keen to inpsire others their age, the devoted couple are working on a book about what sex and marriage is like once you hit your sixties.

John said: “A lot of people reach their sixties and thinks that’s it, it’s pipe and slippers time. But there is a life out there if you want to reach out and take it. The book has a double meaning. We are old enough to remember what it was like growing up in the sixties when it was all free love and we are now in our sixties, so we can recall both experiences.”

Elizabeth added: “We want to inspire people and let them know that you don’t have to settle for comfortable sex, and not a lot of it, just because you are a certain age. We have the most active sex life than we have ever had.”

Elizabeth smiled: “John bought me a plaque, which read, ‘You are only young once but you can be immature forever.’ Thats exactly what we intend to do as we embark on the next chapter of our lives.”

Notts Senior League

Division Two

Barrowby 3

Southwell City Development Squad 0

Barrowby faced a stern test on Saturday as they faced a very young side who were sitting second in the league and had been showing good form

Captain Wilkes won the toss and decided to play against a very strong wind. The game started well for the home side with their free flowing passing and movement creating early opportunities, but ultimately the first half ended goalless.

Barrowby came out for the second half full of confidence after controlling the first half when faced against difficult conditions.

Abel started where he left off and after only two minutes controlled and hit a half volley which cleared the bar.

On 52 minutes, the deadlock was broken. Abel ran over to take a corner and hit a low drive which found its way into the six yard area for the fox in the box, Lund, to poke home.

In the 60th minute, Watson rode two tackles to drive into the box but fired over when under pressure from a last ditch challenge from the centre half. Watson was the provider on 66 minutes when his cross found Abel, but his header was directed straight at the keeper.

It took until the 68th minute for Barrowby to increase their lead. Following their quality interplay and creation of chances, which had not resulted in just reward, it was rather fortunate how the second goal was chalked up as a Yenibertiz corner floated over the packed area to nestle into the top corner.

With the bit between their teeth, the home side drove forward at every opportunity. Watson again was unlucky not to add to his season’s goal tally when he smashed an effort against the bar in the 75th minute.

The visitors showed their quality in the 76th minute when a good passage of play created an opening, but Clarke pounced to smother as the shot was about to be unleashed.

Abel was at it again on 81 minutes when he hit a well-executed half volley, but the keeper sprang to his left to tip wide when a goal looked certain.

Controversy struck in the 82nd minute when Southwell claimed the ball had bounced on the line and nestled into the roof of the net, only to be cleared before the officials could be certain of a goal. Still pumped up from the goal claim, Southwell pressed again and is was the quick reactions of Clarke which prevented a goal on 82 minutes when he tipped over from a close range strike.

Cairns entered the field in the 85th minute and almost made an instant impact when his first time shot drew a great save form the Southwell keeper.

Finally in the 86th minute, Abel got his deserved opener for the club. Watson delivered a pinpoint cross from the left hand side and Abel killed it dead with one touch, followed up with a fine finish to give the keeper no chance.

The final whistle saw The Swans move up to ninth and their unbeaten home record moves on to next week intact.

Barrowby man of the match was Kemal Yenibertiz.

Grantham College student Joe Wroughton kick-starts his football career, representing Harrowby United and Lincolnshire county’s first team.

Joe came to Grantham College from Toot Hill School, Bingham, after his GCSEs to be part of the Football Centre of Excellence.

“I am really enjoying my first year at Grantham College. The reason I left school was because I wanted to do what I love: football. And also get a recognised qualification which I can do with the Football Centre of Excellence,” said Joe.

Since his time at the Football Centre of Excellence, Joe has managed to score 11 goals out of five matches so far. He is also playing for Harrowby United and has represented Lincolnshire county’s first team.

Joe is aspiring to gain a contract with Harrowby United and progress on to Higher Education at Grantham College.

For more information on the Football Centre of Excellence, visit www.grantham.ac.uk/student-life/sport-enrichment/football-centre-of-excellence/ Alternatively, email Alex Cross at across@grantham.ac.uk

Simply labelled ‘EMEB darts’, the old 1980s Journal photo, above, we presume is of players from the East Midlands Electricity Board, who we also assume played at the Electric Club in Commercial Road, Grantham.

The picture shows Sue Joyce and Maud May who scored over 100, 29 times, in 12 hours, and John Dodwell who scored over 100, 118 times, in 12 hours.

Even less is know about the second darts team photot, except that it is labelled ‘Butchers’, which we once again assume could refer to the Butcher’s Arms, Ancaster.

Again from the 1980s, long hair and moustaches were still clearly de rigeur.

Trustees’ Week starts on November 13 and what better time to celebrate the vital contribution of these fantastic volunteers.

Across the UK, there are over one million trustees and in Grantham and the surrounding area there are over 100 trustees working on behalf of scouting. Each one has a special responsibility to provide the stability and good governance every charity needs in order to flourish.

As chair of The Scout Association’s board of trustees, I ask myself, what difference do I make as a trustee? For me, it comes down to five things: stewardship, scrutiny, strategy, support, and skills.

It’s about ensuring the right procedures and policies and are in place to create a safe and secure environment. It’s our role to ensure there is a clear plan for the future and that there is the right level of challenge and accountability.

So this Trustees’ Week, I would like to say a huge thank you to all those who have already stepped up to the plate and are putting something back into their communities.

I would also like to encourage more young people to come forward and serve as trustees – your energy and ideas are invaluable if we want to continue to help the next generation develop the skills to succeed in life. Charity boards benefit most when there is a range of ages and backgrounds and they are at their strongest when there is a healthy mix of experiences and perspectives. I urge you to join us.

Ann Limb

Chairman, The Scout

There was a real buzz in St Wulfram’s Church tonight (Friday), as the business community gathered for the 18th Grantham Journal Business Awards.

After months of anticipation, the 2017 finalists, main partners, category and associate sponsors, judges and guests gathered to celebrate all that is great about business in the Grantham area.

The evening began with a Champagne reception, giving guests the chance to take in their surroundings as the church was transformed for the awards, while music was provided by the Moonstone String Trio.

Guests were then called to their tables, where a delicious four-course meal was served. Entertainment was provided during dinner by magician Max Francis before the presentation of the Grantham Journal Business Awards 2017.

The host was Melvyn Prior, of BBC Radio Lincolnshire, who was joined on stage for the big reveal of each award winner by a representative of the sponsor company.

Three finalists in 11 categories waited with bated breath to learn whether they were winners. And although there could only be one winner in each category, each and every finalist was congratulated on their fantastic achievements.

As an added surprise, each winner returned to their table to find a congratulatory bottle of Champagne awaiting them.

Videos produced by England’s Finest Photography, and sponsored by South Kesteven District Council, were shown throughout the presentation, giving guests a flavour of each business or individual and why they deserved to be finalists.

Once each and every trophy and certificate was handed out, the party continued with a disco, courtesy of Carousel Roadshow.

Many thanks go to our main partners, category sponsors, associate sponsors, judging panel, chair of judges Nigel Rivers, rector of St Wulfram’s Church Father Stuart Cradduck, host Melvyn Prior, toastmaster Matt Biggins and, most importantly, all our finalists.

Winners:

Great Taste Award

Winner - The Green Man

Runners-up - Gurkha Square, Everest Inn

Best Social Enterprise

Winner - Community Books

Runners-up - Now Unlimited, Grantham Carnival

Independent Retailer

Winner - Empire Formal Tailor

Runners-up - Flowers from Holland, Leadenham Teahouse

Customer Care

Winner - Farrow Friends

Runners-up - RecruitMe, England’s Finest Photography

Business Innovation

Winner - Harlaxton Engineering

Runners-up - Lemon Tree, Angel Med

Manufacturing and Engineering

Winner - BGB Innovation

Runners-up - Bemis Associates, DLS Plastics

Apprentice of the Year

Winner - Catalyn Bavister

Runners-up - Adam Found, Kirsty Young

Employee of the Year

Winner - Mihai Ficu

Runners-up - Joel Moffat, Sarah Yates

Employer of the Year

Winner - Bemis Associates

Runners-up - Bluebird Care, Bright and Beautiful

Businessperson of the Year

Winner - Noel Reeves

Runners-up - Louise Haylock, Duncan Bateson

Business of the Year

Winner - Harlaxton Engineering

Runners-up - Trickling Tap, Enhance Beauty

Judges’ Prestige Award

Winner - Louise Haylock

The Grantham Association of the National Trust will be given a talk by magistrates next week.

On Wednesday, November 8, the Grantham Association of the National Trust will hear a talk on the subject of “Become a Magistrate for the day” by Mr J. Duncan JP and D. Milner-Scudder JP.

The association meets at the Eden House Hotel at 2.15 pm and welcomes anybody interested in the meeting or knowing more about the association.

For further information, contact membership secretary David Blake on 01476 978968.

I remember getting the call. It was early August last year. I had stopped in the Lake District on my way to a family holiday on the west coast of Scotland.

The chief executive of United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust needed to talk with me urgently.

The trust was suffering from a chronic shortage of A&E doctors across its three sites, he said.

In order to keep the larger A&E departments in Lincoln and Boston open, they had concluded that they needed to shut Grantham at nights. I was appalled.

In all of their communications about the decision to close Grantham A&E at nights, the trust has been very clear about a few things.

First, that the closure is temporary and that the they are committed to reopening A&E 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as soon as it is safe to do so.

Second, that they are doing everything they can to recruit new doctors.

Third, that they need a minimum of 21 doctors across the three sites, before they can safely operate A&E at Grantham 24/7.

At a meeting 10 days ago, the trust’s chief executive told me that the trust now had the required number of doctors.

He explained that some of them are locums and could leave at any time without much notice.

But he also said that they were talking to them to establish their longer-term intentions.

This is a matter of principle – and trust. ULHT is contracted to provide a 24/7 A&E at Grantham Hospital.

Staff shortages made it temporarily unsafe for them to do so. Those staff shortages have now been remedied. So the service should re-open as before.

Healthcare is always changing.

Needs change and so do technologies and safety standards.

If the board of ULHT wants the people of Grantham to listen to arguments about future changes with an open mind, they need to follow through on the commitments they have made and re-open Grantham A&E at nights now.

A Home Office grant of £1.4 million has been awarded to an innovative project to tackle domestic violence.

The pilot programme is being run jointly with Sussex and comes after a bid by the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office and Lincolnshire Police.

The project aims to support communities, friends and families to identify perpetrators so agencies can intervene at an early stage.

It will provide training for professionals, such as police officers, social workers and teachers to recognise and respond safely when they come into contact with offenders.

The funding will also pay for specialist one-to-one services to help change abusers’ behaviour, particularly those who have not yet been convicted of a crime or are a high risk of causing serious harm.

The scheme was awarded funding through the Home Office Police and Transformation Fund and will be delivered over the next three years in partnership with national charities Women’s Aid and Respect.

PCC Marc Jones said the project is crucial working alongside the existing services protecting and supporting victims of domestic abuse.

“This Home Office funding is testament to the commitment and innovative thinking that we are fostering here in Lincolnshire,” he said. “Domestic abuse is a horrible crime that creates deep scars in our communities and we must do everything we can to recognize it early, deal with it quickly and prevent re-offending.

“This project aims to do just that and I’m delighted that Lincolnshire’s project has received the backing it deserves and needs.”

When the PCC’s Community Safety, Policing and Criminal Justice Plan for Lincolnshire was launched in April, he committed to “work with partners to maintain an integrated approach to preventing and reducing domestic abuse”.

Sarah Norburn, Lincolnshire Police Domestic Abuse Co-ordinator, said: “We are pleased the project has been successful in securing funding and keen to get to work on delivering it.

“Tackling domestic abuse is a high priority for the force and this ground-breaking project will reinforce the work we are already doing and ensure we work together at both local and national level.”

Education has always been and always will be a priority at the start of every person’s life. It drives our economy, it lays the foundations to your future and is the direct path to your career.

Education is the one thing that everyone has in common yet everybody’s journey is completely different.

So, what should the purpose of education be?

The general purpose of education is to transfer knowledge and to prepare young people to participate in society.

Education has always been so focused on preparing people for their future working lives, but perhaps some of the focus should be shifted more towards everyday life; teaching people skills that are valuable outside of work and focussing on social and cultural development.

Education should guide and allow young people to develop critical thinking, their passions, and build their own views and opinions all while learning new skills in life and while preparing them for the workforce.

Without a good education system in place, the economy and future generations would rapidly decline.

Education should prepare people for adult life, work and citizenship.

Everyone has a responsibility to educate the next 
generation and to encourage them to have a keen eye for learning.

Being curious to learn and wanting to know more about the world will in turn teach valuable life lessons and provide you with a wealth of knowledge.

Instilling both academic and characteristic traits throughout a person’s time in education will give them the best possible start in life 
both in the work place and socially.

All in all, the purpose of education is far broader than teaching someone the skills and knowledge they need to secure a place at University or find their first job.

The purpose of education is to empower people to participate in culture, succeed in the economy and to leave school prepared for adult life.

In order to give people the best opportunity to achieve a good level of education, we must ensure the highest standards of education, regardless of a person’s 
background so that every young person has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

A group of cyclists from Allington who have been supporting Children in Need over 25 years have raised up to £4,000 for the charity after a bike ride from Ironbridge near Telford.

The group of 21 riders, known as the Biking Vikings, set off on their 25th ride from the Shropshire bridge on Saturday morning, despite their van breaking down on the way to the bridge from Allington.

Rider Julian Withington said: “Fortunately, we were blessed with great weather and a tail wind, as the first day took in a lot of off-road – cutting through bridle ways, cycle tracks and minor roads from Ironbridge over Cannock Chase and through Rugeley, on our way to Burton upon Trent.

“After an overnight stop and a great group meal out, our second day’s ride was tougher into a head wind. Our route took us along the canal out of Burton and through Repton and East Midlands Airport. It nearly was a bridge too far when we were worried that the bridge over the M1 may have been demolished.

“From there, we rode through some of the lovely villages in south Nottinghamshire before riding the Grantham Canal from Kinoulton and then up over the Belvoir ridge, past the castle to Woolsthorpe and onward to Allington.

“After a final regroup at the Saltwell, the riders all arrived home to a fantastic welcome in the village and the traditional Viking stew at the Welby Arms.

“A big thank you from all the riders to those that supported and sponsored the ride, especially Andy, Janet, Liz and Kevin on back-up, those who helped with rider transport and Matt, Ange and all at the Welby Arms for the support at the start and end of the ride. A special mention to Barbara Carney too for the fantastic cake to celebrate our 25th ride.”

Since they began the annual ride in 1991, the Vikings have raised in the region of £82,000.

You can still make a donation by going to mydonate.bt.com

Caythorpe’s Shaun Balfe and Rob Bell clinched the Pro Am class title in the International GT Open Championship at Catalunya in the best possible way, with podium celebrations after taking third place in the first of the weekend’s two races.

Bell was eighth overall in the first qualifying session, but the Balfe Motorsport McLaren 650S GT3 was second quickest in the Pro Am class, behind the Mercedes of fellow Brit Tom Onslow-Cole and Valentin Pierburg.

“With the top 16 covered by less than a second, it was a bit too close for me. It went according to plan for us though,” said Bell.

In Saturday’s opening race, Bell had already made a couple of places on the opening lap, before settling into a duel for sixth with Thomas Biagi’s Lamborghini. They shared a number of exchanges before Bell gained the upperhand.

“It was a good start for me, but a real mess. I could have been greedy and tried for more places. Biagi and I both went off on someone’s oil, which is why we swapped so much,” he explained.

He held on to second in class before pitting, with Balfe settling into eighth overall as he rejoined.

Gradually, Pierburg’s class-leading Mercedes came closer to a challenge from Balfe, but both had the Ferrari 488 of Andrea Caldarelli closing on them too with 28 laps completed.

A lap later, Caldarelli had taken them both, which put Balfe back to third in class, but right on Pierburg’s tail. There was panic, however, when the Mercedes driver almost stopped, leaving Balfe nowhere to go and bringing fellow McLaren driver Com Ledogar into the frame too.

Balfe was suddenly fourth as Ledogar got by, but barely inches separated him from Pierburg and third again, which would clinch the Pro Am title.

“There were so many scary moments in that race, with cars in trouble all around me and I was just hoping for the best. I was right with Pierburg and then he just came across the final chicane and almost hit Com.

“I then got by and was side by side with Com around the final turn. I was thinking I don’t need this, last corner, last lap,” said Balfe.

But third in class and 10th overall was enough to take the Pro Am title, going one better than last year’s finishing position.

Balfe also started the second race and spent virtually all of his stint chasing the Ferrari of Sergei Borisov for 15th overall. “I picked off some early places after the safety car, but was just stuck behind Borisov,” he explained.

When Bell rejoined, he too was stuck behind the same car, with Rinat Salikhov now at the wheel. “They were just too quick in the wrong places for us and not in the right ones. A good finish though,” said Bell after claiming third in class from 11th overall.

Balfe concluded: “The championship title was a real team effort, though, all the crew and the family, not just me and Rob.”

The event, which celebrates business success stories, was held at St Wulfram’s Church last night (Friday).
A Champagne reception, four-course dinner, awards presentation and disco were enjoyed by 350 people in the church, which had been transformed for the evening into a glittering venue fit for such a prestigious event.
Congratulations to all our winners and finalists – find out who won which award here.
** Pick up Friday’s Journal for a 24-page supplement featuring coverage from the event.

A quarrying company will hold a public meeting in Grantham next week to outline its plans for extracting minerals in the Denton, Harlaxton and Great Ponton area.

Mick George Ltd has called the meeting for Tuesday, November 7, at 7pm, at the Urban Hotel, in Swingbridge Road.

The company will outline its plans and this will be followed by a question and answer session.

The company’s plan to quarry a limestone area of 
almost 100 hectares off Gorse Lane was refused in 2016. This has gone to appeal and will be heard in January next year at Stoke Rochford Hall.

The company is now looking to reactivate old planning permission given after the war to extract minerals from a much larger area. It says that these plans would likely see a highway access to the quarry close to the Denton crossroads, which has seen a number of accidents in recent years.

Stuart Hollyer, chairman of Denton Parish Council, which adopted a resolution to object to the Gorse Lane quarry plan in 2014, said: “We would like people to go along to the meeting and ask questions and find out what’s going on. This has been a long, drawn out campaign. I would say that what they are doing is causing people to think that the original application for the Gorse Lane quarry is the lesser of two evils.”

In a letter to Mr Hollyer, John Gough, planning director with Mick George, said aggregate would be exported at rates which are significantly greater than those proposed under the ‘far more modest’ Gorse Lane scheme.