Encouraging more people to turn out at election time is always a challenge, but that is going to change thanks to East Ferry resident Mrs. Angela Pettit who will be transforming her conservatory into a polling station.

It will be one of one hundred and four polling stations available across West Lindsey for this year's UK Parliamentary, District, Town and Parish elections. Mrs Pettit said: “

We’ve opened up our conservatory for about five years, since the local pub closed. We haven’t got a village hall in East Ferry so when the chance came up to host a polling station we took it on. I am chair of the parish council and my husband Mark is the clerk so it seemed natural to help out.”

Although voting is a serious matter, it is also a chance to catch up with villagers.

“We usually have a good chinwag over a cup of tea, it's a great opportunity for the community to get together with more than 50 people casting their votes here at the last general election."

“I try to remind people when it’s time to vote - we put something on Facebook and put our signs out in the street to make sure people know where we are”

Other polling stations in the district include village halls and pubs – but to be eligible you must be officially registered and under the new ‘Individual Electoral Registration’ system this is now your responsibility. The quickest and easiest way to register is online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote or by contacting your local District Council's elections office by the deadline of Monday, 20 April 2015.