< Previous10 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYSOCIAL SCENEBehind the maskAn evening of mystery and magic was assured atBelton Park Golf Club in Grantham as it playedhost to a Valentines Masked Ball. Organised by TezFahy of Emeralds Beauty Spot, the Ball aimed toraise cash for Cancer Research UK and The VascularSociety.Tez organised this event in memory of her Dadwho she lost seven years ago to an abdominalaortic anyeurysm, meaning he two charities areclose to Tez’s heart. Guests enjoyed a three coursemeal, a disco and live music from the bandSouthwell, which kept the excitement going intothe small hours, and over £2000 was raised forthese very worthy causes.PHOTOS BY RICHARD PICKSLEYThe calendar girlsThe Lily partyMr and MrsHarringtonThe Baker partyMr and MrsOwenCraig andMichelleMr andMrs WoodOrganiser TezFahy and partner10:Layout 1 16/3/12 09:14 Page 1Book clubDear Lincolnshire Today,I’m confused! I thought this government was all about closing down libraries. Sowhy then, are we to get a brand spanking new £250,000 library here in Broughton.This is superb news for the local community, and whilst our trusty mobile library hasserved us well for the past twenty years, I for one won’t be sad to see the back of it!J JamesBroughtonIf you have something to say that you wish to share with the rest of Lincolnshire Today readers please dropus a line to the usual address.The best of the mailbag will win a case of wine.Lincolnshire Today Magazine, Armstrong House, Armstrong Street, Grimsby, N E Lincs DN31 2QE Email: lincs-today@blmgroup.co.uk HAVE YOUR SAYTalk is cheapDear Lincolnshire Today,It’s good to see that Lincoln City Council is trying to be as transparent as possible bypublishing its Strategic Plan and Delivery Plan, but you have to question how muchthese programmes cost in putting together. Whilst I applaud the aims of the StrategicPlan, how long did it take to come to the conclusions it draws? Surely any councilworth its salt wants to reduce their city’s carbon footprint, develop a fit for purposecouncil and reduce poverty and disadvantage – this should go without saying. Whatwe need is action, not words.P WarburtonLincolnReaders’LETTERSPickof theMonthLINCOLNSHIRETODAY11AdoptingexcellenceDear Lincolnshire Today,A big well done to those good people atLincolnshire adoption service who havebeen praised so highly by Ofsted. Havingbeen involved with the service myselfover the years, I can only reiterate whatOfsted has found, that Patricia Bradwell’steam offer a fantastic, value for money,caring service that takes into account theneeds of both the child and theprospective parents. It’s good to knowthat in times of austerity that this vitalservice isn’t being neglected.P RobinsSleafordMoods of Lincolnshire Dear Lincolnshire Today,Whatever happened to your Moods of Lincolnshire pages? My husbandand I used to enjoy the photographs captured by readers across the county. Presumably not everyone has had to pawn their cameras to fuel theircars. To get the ball rolling I thought I’d send you some images takenduring the recent cold snap – just one of the many reasons I love living inthe Lincolnshire countrysideN CoddBlyton11:Layout 1 16/3/12 09:14 Page 11st 3 issues only £1Great reasonsto subscribe...Each issue is brimming with a diverse topic range...• Heritage • Fashion • Hair & Beauty • Leisure • Homes & Gardens • County Motoring • Dining Out • What’s On • Free Reader Giveaways and much much more…First 3 issues are only £1FREE delivery to your doorReceive your copy before it hits the shopsLooking for a great gift idea?A gift Subscriptionis the perfect present that lasts all year round!ORDER FORMYes, I would like to subscribe to Lincolnshire Today magazinefor the next 12 months, with the first 3 issues only being £1.Personal Details:First name:Last Name:Address:Town:County: Post Code:Tel: Mobile:Email:Payment by DEBIT/CREDIT cardName as it appears on card:Type of card: Mastercard / Visa / Visa Debit / OtherCard Number:Card Verification number (3 digits on signature strip):Expiry Date:Amount Authorised:Cheque enclosed YES / NO Please post this form back to: Subscriptions,Lincolnshire Today Magazine, Armstrong House, Armstrong Street, Grimsby. N.E. Lincolnshire DN31 2QEMake cheque payable to Business Link Magazine GroupCall now to subscribe on01472 310301 or visit www.lincolnshiretoday.net/341orScan QR CodeTotal Price: £24.40412:Layout 1 16/3/12 09:16 Page 1good time to get on theproperty ladder. With anaverage property inLincolnshire costing £121,868and a 95% mortgage, a first time buyerwould need a deposit of £6,093. This isnot a small amount and most firsttime buyers still rely on savings tofund a deposit and associated buyingfees – the news that we haveremoved the product fees on all ourFirst Time Buyer mortgages will be awelcome break for would-be buyerswanting to make their firstpurchase.”Two of The Nottingham ‘s newrange of First Time Buyer loans areavailable to customers with only a5% deposit and all of the new low-deposit range are available with nobooking, arrangement or valuationfees.Last year, The Nottinghamhelped over a thousand first timebuyers buy their own propertyand has continued lending tofirst time buyers throughout theLINCOLNSHIRETODAY13PROPERTYAlan Cope, Branch Manager at TheNottingham’s Louth branch, says, “InLincolnshire, buyers spend an averageof 4.46 times their salary to purchase aproperty compared to a nationalaverage of 5.43 times.“The reduction in property pricesover the last few years makes now acredit crunch. Mortgage availability tofirst time buyers has improvedconsiderably in the last few months –Moneyfacts figures show that inAugust last year, there were 189 firsttime buyer fixed rate 90% mortgagescompared to 241 now. Howevercompetitive rates for those customerswith just a small deposit are still hardto come by.Sylvia Waycot of Moneyfacts says,“It’s great to see The Nottinghamsupporting first time buyers with thesemarket leading low depositmortgages.”For further information, customerscan visit their local branch for faceto face advice or call 08001836061. Alternatively, visitwww.thenottingham.com for fulldetails.The figures in this piece are based on an average gross salary of £27,352 for the East Midlands (Source: ONS Labour Force Survey December 2011), average property price inLincolnshire of £121,868 (Source: Land Registry House Price Index released 28th February 2012) compared to the UK average gross salary of £28,288 and the average propertyprice of a UK semi-detached house of £153,729. University of York figures show 60% of first time buyers relied on savings in 2007 compared to 69% in 1995.Alan Cope, Branch Manager at The Nottingham’s Louth branchBuilding Societyurges localwould-be firsttime buyersThe award-winning Nottingham Building Societyhas discovered that the East Midlands is one ofthe most affordable places to buy in the country13:Layout 1 16/3/12 11:30 Page 114:Layout 1 16/3/12 09:16 Page 1HILLSIDELUDBOROUGH, LINCOLNSHIRE £449,950This superb detached residence stands on an elevated site in thecentre of the village of Ludborough which is situated off the A16being six miles from Louth and nine and a half from Grimsby. Thisoutstanding residence offers excellent accommodation with hall,shower room/cloakroom, lounge, family room, dining room, conservatory, kitchen, utility room and boot room with guest bedroom and an en-suite on the ground floor. There are a further four bedrooms on the first floor (two communicating withone another) and family bathroom. The house has a double garage,front garden with superb water feature comprising waterfall andpond and a good rear garden area. The house is UPVC double glazing, oil fired central heating and a security alarm. Only an internal inspection will reveal the full nature and extent of the accommodation on offer and intending purchasers are urged tomake an early appointment to view. Superb Detached House Front and Rear Gardens UPVC Double Glazing Double Garage Lounge Dining Room Kitchen 5 BedroomsESTATE AGENTS SURVEYORS AUCTIONEERS VALUERS5 Cornmarket, Louth LN11 9PYTel: 01507 603366Fax: 01507 600900pmountain@petermountain.co.ukwww.petermountain.co.uk15:Layout 1 16/3/12 09:20 Page 116 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYHOMESWe take a look at awonderful propertylocated in the small butperfectly-formed villageof Ludborough. Hillside, located next to the church onthe sweeping Livesey Road in the village,is a large detached home boasting fivebedrooms, and has more to it than meetsthe eye. From walking up the drive throughgrand gating, you are taken aback by howclose the village’s St Mary’s Church is tothe property. By no means looming overthe house, the church is rather acomplementing aspect of the home, asA peaceful retreat16-19:Layout 1 16/3/12 09:49 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY17HOMESowners Andrew and Moira Stevensonare keen to point out.Having lived at the house foraround seven years, they are bothconvinced of the church’s inclusionin its design. Walk into the generousback garden and you are taken abackat the church tower standing tall, butcasting no imposing shadow,standing proudly where it has sincethe 1300’s. A skylight in the house’sluxurious private lounge frames thetower perfectly, reminding you of theheritage the village is packed with.Three ponds lie behind the gardenwhich were apparently dug out bymonks long ago and the atmosphereof charm extends to the houseperfectly.Talking of water features, the frontgarden is an example of their tastefulinclusion to create a peaceful retreat. Alarge pond, complete with waterfalltakes pride of place in the large,grassed area but the size of the rocksused to create this feature are the realdraw. Apparently lifted into place bythe previous owner with the aid ofcranes, these are nigh-on permanentstructures that give an almost orientallook to the arrangement, completewith a beautiful white pagoda.Andrew says, “You can have yourbreakfast there in the morning withthe sun beating down,” and its easy tosee the appeal. Private, yet withenough of a view of the surroundingarea to not make you feel hemmed in,the front garden is both welcomingand indulgent. The deep colours ofthe copper beech hedging also add tothe neatness and relaxing calm the18 16-19:Layout 1 16/3/12 09:49 Page 218 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYHOMESgarden has, flowers have apparentlyalso been planted which bloom in astriking sequence, something whichMoira is convinced was planned bythe original owners. She says,“Apparently people used to come andvisit the garden to see what washappening before.” Moving inside, a beautiful kitchen,complete with traditional aga, leads toa dining area and the wonderfullylight conservatory which seemed toattract the sunlight on the day wevisit. Spacious and airy, it not onlyfeels like a room in which you could16-19:Layout 1 16/3/12 09:49 Page 3LINCOLNSHIRETODAY19HOMESspend a lot of time, but also gives great views of the reargarden.The back garden is also a revelation. When the couple firstmoved in, it was overgrown and unkempt, it took someclearing to bring it to the clipped, smart appearance obtainedtoday. A beautiful, tall statue of a woman stands in a sideborder, apparently uncovered during lengthy works, whichwas a complete surprise. Andrew also points out a grapevineoutside, as well as figs growing among the more decorativeblooms.Elsewhere in the house is a plush lounge, complete withmarble fireplace, which also leads, via double doors to theconservatory. A guest bedroom on the ground floor offersgenerous room for visitors as well as a newly-installedbathroom suite which is both modern and stylish, completedby local firm Richard Sutton of Grimsby.Upstairs, the effect the house has space, and lots of it! Opena door and it leads to another, each bedroom finished off instyle and all with fantastic views of the surrounding naturalvistas. Anyone who takes this home on is sure to have apeaceful outlook with views as calming as this. The masterbedroom features fitted wardrobes and display shelves, idealfor those who love hoarding, but hate clutter. For those whoenjoy some ‘me time’ in the bathroom, a Jacuzzi bath and 12-jet shower should help matters, a great way to wash away thestress of the day.Over the road is the Livesey Arms, where the couple havespent numerous Christmas and New Years parties, and fromthe ways in which they both lavish praise on the village, it’sclear to see Ludborough is a friendly place to live. “It’s like a little oasis, where life can just pass you by,” saysMoira, soaking up the quiet and the laid-back pace of theplace, we’re inclined to agree.Moira and Andrew are ready to move on, so the home ison the market with Peter Mountain of Louth. To find outmore, call 01507 603366 or visit www.petermountain.co.uk.You’ll be glad you did.16-19:Layout 1 16/3/12 09:49 Page 4Next >