Extra Features

February is our birthday month, and this year we’re celebrating a very special milestone as the magazine turns 21!

From those humble beginnings back in 2005, when our company director (still at the helm today!) personally delivered the magazine while looking after her newborn daughter, to where we are now, a trusted fixture in the community. It’s been quite a journey!

Twenty-one years later, as we proudly “get the key to the door,” we’re still the magazine that comes through your door each month. And, just like all those years ago, it continues to be run by people of this community. We live here, we grew up here, and we work right here in Sleaford. We know this place pretty well. But more importantly, we genuinely care about it. Connecting you with local events, businesses, charities, and everything in between remains at the heart of what we do.

One feature our readers always get excited about is our monthly competitions. You may have seen us mention this on Facebook recently. We’re currently building our slate of competitions for the year and still have room for a few more. If you’re a local business with a suitable prize and fancy a bit of extra exposure, we’d love to hear from you. You don’t need to be an advertiser to take part. It’s simply a great chance to collaborate.

So what’s this month’s prize? We’re teaming up with the Sleaford Playhouse to give away tickets for their brilliant new cinema. Have you been yet? Set up by the Sleaford Little Theatre charity, they’ve installed cinema-grade equipment and brought the magic of the silver screen back to the town for the first time in 25 years. They’ve got a great line-up and audiences are growing fast.
February is also the month of love; fittingly, on the 21st we see the next community event at the Market Place, all about giving your heart the love it deserves. Expect pop-up activities such as rock climbing and a football shoot-out, all focusing on healthier lifestyles and wellbeing. Running up to that, the Market Place will also see the return of the heart seat as part of the Love Sleaford campaign. Write on a tag what you love about our town and attach it to this heart.

Don’t forget, Valentine’s Day falls on the 14th, and Pancake Day is just a few days later on the 17th. That same day is also the start of the Chinese New Year. Check out February’s YLL to find out what animal is celebrated this year!

For 21 years we’ve been proud to champion local businesses, big and small, and to help shine a light on the incredible things happening across our community. If you’d like to find out what an advert with us could do for you, just get in touch. Whether you’ve just launched a business or you’ve been around as long as we have, we’d love to help you get in front of our readers.

Heartfelt wishes for a great month, and we’ll see you next time!

YOUR LOCAL LINCS TEAM

Happy New Year from all of us at YLL, your essential community magazine for Sleaford and the surrounding villages! We’re sending our very best wishes for a healthy, happy and prosperous 2026.

As ever, we’re hitting the ground running. The first magazine of the year is already on its way to you, if it hasn’t landed through your letterbox already, and there’s another full year of monthly magazines to look forward to. Expect plenty of great reads, competitions, local events, recipes and puzzles, alongside our much-loved directory of local tradespeople and businesses.

Have you had a go at our Quiz of the Year yet? Think you can match each of our 12 magazine covers from 2025 to the correct month? Give it a tap and put your memory to the test. Some are obvious… others have even made the people who work here think!

Last year was a busy one inside the magazine too. Throughout 2025 we spoke to wildlife groups and street artists, highlighted community organisations such as Rainbow Stars and Heckington Swimming Pool, explored the history of Cogglesford Mill, donated books to a local school, joined in with the Sleaford 1940s Day, and even tried our hand at bowls at Sleaford Indoor Bowls Club.

Our competitions were just as exciting, with prizes including concert tickets for acts such as Scouting for Girls and Peter Hook. There were food hampers given out, along with pizza, waffles, tickets to local shows, and even a cuddly toy! This month you have the chance to win tickets to Heckington Players' upcoming panto by the way!

Beyond the pages of the magazine, we also had plenty going on. We redeveloped our website to include a growing directory of local businesses, alongside an exciting What’s On calendar packed with events from across the area. September also saw the launch of the Strong Lincs Podcast, hosted by our own Rich and Dan. Keep an ear out for their January episode as they continue releasing monthly episodes throughout 2026.

So, where will 2026 take us? You’ll just have to keep picking us up each month to find out!

If you have a business or event of your own to promote, and you’ve wondered whether YLL could work some magic for you, perhaps 2026 is the year to give us a try. At Your Local Lincs, we’re genuinely passionate about helping local businesses grow, just as we’ve done for countless companies over the past two decades. Our current January magazine actually completes 21 years of YLL dropping through letterboxes across the Sleaford area.

If you’d like to explore advertising with us, don’t hesitate to get in touch via your preferred channel. Many of our advertisers tell us just what a difference their adverts make.

Here’s to a great start to the year, and we’ll see you next time!

Here we are at the final chapter of 2025. Another twelve editions have made their way to you this year, each one packed with local stories, brilliant businesses, handy listings, competitions, and so much more. Thank you for picking us up each month and being part of our journey. Think you can remember all our front covers from the past year? Make sure to play our Quiz of the Year cover quiz and test your memory, just for fun!

To celebrate the festive season, we’ve put together a delicious Christmas hamper for one lucky reader to win in our December edition. You’ll also find another fantastic giveaway inside, tickets to see Miller Magic perform their dazzling Christmas Magic concert.

It’s certainly a busy time of year, but don’t forget to check out the brand-new What’s On section on our website, where we’re gathering all the festive fun in one place. Sleaford Little Theatre head into pantoland with Mother Goose, and later in the month WinterLight returns to the Market Place on Saturday 20th with lantern processions, illuminated woodland creatures, live music and plenty more to enjoy.

If festive markets are your thing, the celebrations continue after the Sleaford Christmas Market. Heckington Windmill hosts its own on the 6th, and Fulbeck Craft Centre follows with theirs on the 13^th, perfect for last-minute gifts and seasonal treats.

With the December magazine now landing on doormats and coffee tables, our team is already hard at work on the January 2026 edition. Yes, we’ll be right here with you for another year! Whether you’re a business wanting to start 2026 with a splash, or a community group with news to share, we’d love to hear from you. We’ve met so many amazing people this year, from community swimming pools and community farms to local wildlife groups to street artists, and we’re excited to see what next year brings.

You can reach us by phone, email, Facebook, or by popping into our Sleaford office. Just note we’ll be closed from 23rd December to 5th January while we undertake our annual mince-pie marathon and recharge for another year of great magazines.

Enjoy the festive magic this month (make sure to check out our trip to the Belton Christmas lights below), have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and we’ll see you again in 2026!

You might notice things are looking a little different around here… Welcome to the brand-new Your Local Lincs website!

We’re thrilled to unveil our refreshed online home. The new site is designed to be easier to navigate and packed with even more useful local information at your fingertips. While our A5 magazine can only hold so much, our website allows us to expand and complement what you see in print. Our Local Business Links directory is growing all the time, featuring local businesses and organisations arranged into simple, easy-to-browse categories. We’re currently adding our magazine advertisers, and soon we’ll be opening the directory for more businesses to join.

In the What’s On section, you’ll find upcoming events grouped by area: Sleaford, Villages, and Further Afield. You’ll also spot our Groups listings here (just like in the magazine) covering WI groups, hobby clubs, social meet-ups, and support groups. If you run one of these groups and would like to expand your listing on the website, just drop us an email at info@yourlocallincs.co.uk. We’d love to help you share more information with the community.

So, what’s featured in this month’s magazine? November brings Remembrance, so we’re sharing the Royal British Legion’s details for this year’s events. Be sure to take a moment to visit the beautiful poppy displays at Cogglesford Mill and in Monument Gardens by the Wyvern Barrier. We also have three fantastic competitions, including the chance to win tickets to the Christmas Lights Trail at Belton Estate. Head to our Competitions page to enter, though you may still want to grab a magazine to find the answers! And yes… Christmas is getting closer. Inside you’ll find plenty of festive mentions, including details of the Christmas Tree Festival and the Sleaford Christmas Market taking place at the end of November.

We also visit Fairfield Community Farm in this issue, and you can hear more about that in the November episode of Strong Lincs, arriving early in the month. Check out a few more snaps of our visit below!

We hope you enjoy exploring the new site and discovering everything Your Local Lincs has to offer, both online and in print. This is just the beginning, and we’ll continue adding new features, listings, and content in the months to come. Thank you for supporting your local community, local businesses, and local stories. We’re so glad you’re here. Let’s keep growing together.

Have a great month and we’ll see you next time.

YOUR LOCAL LINCS TEAM

October is a month where the world seems to shift around us. The air turns crisp, mornings grow misty, nights creep in early, and nature begins its grand performance of colour. Trees blaze with reds and golds, scattering leaves like confetti. It’s a time that feels both reflective and festive, the calm before winter sets in.

The month brings us Lincolnshire Day right at the start and Halloween right at the end, and make sure you don’t forget the clock change on Sunday 26^th! On the subject of change, you’ll soon be noticing one or two changes in our world beyond the magazine.

As you’ll see in October’s edition, we’re excited to announce our association with a brand new Lincolnshire podcast which has only just launched, Strong Lincs. This show, hosted by our very own Rich along with his good friend Dan, aims to shine an even bigger light on our county. September’s edition delved into the heart of this summer’s Heckington Show, while October’s edition features a seasonal theme with a chat with a local paranormal investigator. It’s fun, it’s local, and we hope you’ll listen in. You can catch it on the major podcast platforms with episodes appearing monthly… just like the magazine!

Back to the October magazine, and we’ve got a spooky season vibe going on this month, with Halloween decorations, explorations of witches, and a competition to win a copy of the debut album by local band Paradox of Ravens. With a name like that, you know they’re going to be pretty dark and gothic! That’s not the only competition this month, so make sure to pick up the magazine to see what else you could win. As we ever, we’ve got all the regular features this month that you look forward to.

With these shorter days creeping in as we hurtle towards winter, thoughts are now turning to Christmas. We always have one foot in the future in YLL Land, so if you’ve got anything planned for the festive period regarding your advertising campaign, whether it’s an event, your business, or your service, it’s best to get in touch with us NOW! Our pages fill up fast this time of year because our advertisers know that our magazine gets the word out there

Have a spooktacular month and we’ll see you next time.

YOUR LOCAL LINCS TEAM

September might feel like a long month. It certainly looks like a long month given that its name contains the most letters out of all the months, yet, as the traditional ‘back to school’ month, it’ll surely come as a small mercy to some that it’s only 30 days long.

We hope the transitions of this month, as kids go back to school or change school, or even stop going to school entirely and head onto the next chapter of their lives, go as smoothly as they can. Although school days are long behind us here at YLL, it still feels as though every day is a school day. In this month’s edition, we take a look at two local links to history as we visit the lost hall of Aswarby, and also look into local tales connected to the famous vessel Titanic. You’ll have to pick up the magazine to find out what link we have to this ship right here at YLL HQ!

Transitions may be going on in the realm of schools this month, but they are in the realm of recreation too. The Sleaford Oktoberfest event traditionally takes place this month, but have you heard of its name change? It’s now called Sleaford Festival, and you can read all about this in the September magazine where you also have a chance to win tickets and much more to this year’s festival.

By the way, if you saw our article last month about our visit to Sleaford Bowls Club, you’ll be able to have a go yourself this month as they’re holding an Open Day on the 7^th! You can see a little video of our visit on our Facebook page.

In our other competition this month, we’re looking to spread a little happiness for Thinking of You Week. We’ve got greeting cards and other craft items up for grabs that you can use to send a handwritten card to someone special. You’ll be able to escape the digital world for a moment and send someone something physical!

As a producer of magazines, we know all about the power of print, and how having something physical in someone’s hands can really get your message across. Whether you’re a local business looking for customers, or a local group looking for new members, so many people come to us because they recognise how we spread the word to the 20,900 homes and businesses in our area so effectively. If you’ve got a business you’d like to educate Sleaford and its surrounding villages on, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We’re only a phone call / email / Facebook message / office visit away.

Have a great month and we’ll see you next time!

YOUR LOCAL LINCS TEAM

The summer holidays are here and so are the good vibes. We’re still basking in the jubilation of the Lionesses winning the Euros and doing our nation proud at the end of last month. On that same weekend, we were enjoying the 157^th Heckington Show and experiencing all the great things the show is renowned for: animals, fireworks, live music, competitions, and much more. Make sure to check out our video of the things we experienced at this year’s show.

In our August edition you can see the other places we’ve been out and about to in the community. There’s a gallery of photographs we took at the 1940s Day (are you among them??), and we also make a trip to Sleaford & District Bowls Club where we were given an introduction to the sport. We’ve got a video of this one too so you can see how badly our bowling efforts were!

Are you planning to get away this month? If not, then remember that NKDC are bringing the seaside to us. From the 20^th you can experience Sleaford On-Sea in the market place, with free helter-skelter rides, music, and entertainment taking place on the 23rd.

This month also sees VJ Day on the 15^th and there are services taking place to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War. All the information you need is in the magazine.

We’ve got two great competitions for you this month. Savoy Cinemas are giving away 5 sets of tickets, and you can also win a pair of tickets to see a top Queen tribute band at the Embassy Theatre in Skegness. Head over to our Competitions page and make sure to get your entries in!

Each month we welcome new advertisers to our magazine. In August's edition, for example, you’ll find a page for the new restaurant on Northgate, Gurkha Square Express. We were lucky enough to be invited down there for their grand opening. You can take it from us that you need to visit them! We may have eaten a little too much because it was so delicious.

If you have a business you’d like put in front of the people of Sleaford and surrounding villages, then we’d love to hear from you. With September looming and its back-to-work vibe, now is the perfect time to talk to us about what advertising on our pages can do for you.

Enjoy the summer and we’ll see you next time.

YOUR LOCAL LINCS TEAM

What an eventful time it has been in Sleaford and surrounding area recently, with events such as the Lincolnshire Show and the ever brilliant RiverLight Festival taking place last month. We’ve put together a highlight reel of the RiverLight finale day that you can see below. At the end of last month, we also saw Sleaford Town Council's annual 1940s Day take place at the William Alvey School in Sleaford, and guess who were a part of it? Yes, it was Your Local Lincs truly, in our 1940s garb and hairstyles. We had such a fantastic day talking to all the people who swung by our stand, giving out sweets and goodie bags. We’ve decorated the office with the lovely bunting that all the young artists coloured in for us. Look out on Facebook for photos and video from the day. Thanks to everyone who came over to see us, and maybe look out for us at future events?!

But what about this month? The fun doesn’t stop because July, of course, sees the return of the Heckington Show. When you pick up the latest YLL, you’ll see this month’s competition is to win some tickets for the event, so make sure you get on to that! Have you heard that over at The Playhouse they’re having a new cinema system installed? We’re actually going to have a cinema in Sleaford once again, a quarter of a century since Sleaford Cinema closed! Remember that each month our What’s On section lets you know about the great stuff like this going on in our area.

If you’ve got something brilliant going on, an event or you're setting up a new shop or service, and you would like the people of Sleaford and surrounding villages to know you're there, Your Local Lincs can help you do that! Make sure to get in touch with us to see what advertising on our pages can do for you. Team YLL are ready to take your call, email, social media message, or even welcome you in person. So many of our advertisers come back to us to say what a difference their adverts make.

Have a great month and we’ll see you next time.

YOUR LOCAL LINCS TEAM