NOVEMBER 2011 No. 340

the Birstall postY O U R C O M M U N I T Y N E W S P A P E R

www.birstallpost.co.uk

Press is juice the job

CHURCHES IN Birstall brought an apple press tothe village to celebrate harvest this year.

Over three days of pressing, they gave away 160 litres (35 gallons)of fresh apple juice made with local apples.

Partners in the project were the new-ly formed Birstall Transition groupwhose aim is to promote environmental-ly sustainable lifestyles.

The press was taken into both River-side and Highcliffe Primary Schoolswhere children in Year 5 operated thepress themselves. Surplus juice wastaken into the dining halls for all theschool to enjoy. Rachel Parkinson, Minis-

ter from Birstall Methodist Church, ledthe team going into the schools. Shesaid: “This is the most satisfying harvestproject I’ve ever been involved in. Thechildren have loved turning apples thatwould usually have gone to waste intofruit juice which is far tastier than youwould normally buy in the shops. Onlyone of the 120 children we’ve worked

with said they didn’t like the taste!”The apple press was also the main

attraction at the Community Harvest

Pic: Emily Hodgkinson, John Towson &Louise Hall beside the apple press & (in-set) Stuart Preston

Continued on page 2

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event, where it was set up in the Method-ist Church car-park on one of the hottestdays of the year. Birstall Messy Churchoffered craft activities for families attend-ing the harvest, which included the op-portunity to make bread with localbaker, Harry Allen. The event was alsothe first outing for St James’ GospelChoir who led harvest praise. Thanks togenerous donations from the WhiteHorse and the local Co-op food store thebarbeque, which was run by a teamfrom Birstall Boys’ Brigade, helpedchurches to make a donation of over£100 to Skillshare International, aLeicester based overseas developmentcharity.

The churches now have shares in theapple press which is owned by a co-operative, so we can expect to see moreBirstall apple juice production in yearsto come.

Pics: (top left) Harry Allen with grandson Owen & other young bakers; (top right) Imo-gen Barker and her grandmother helping with the breadmaking; making the apple crum-ble

A WOMAN ruptured her Achilles heel after being chased bya horse.

Clare Stafford of Holt Road was walking along the footpath that runs from BirstallRoad to Netherall Lane. Seeing three horses in the field she turned back the way shehad come.

One of the horses began to follow her bucking andrearing. Ms Stafford fell and felt a severe pain in hercalf. She managed to return to the gate on BirstallRoad safely, as all three horses galloped into the nextfield.

Doctors at Leicester Royal Infirmary discovered MsStafford had ruptured her Achilles heel and she willhave to wear an orthopaedic boot for 12 weeks fol-lowed by physiotherapy.

Ms Stafford said: “I do not want this to happen toanyone else. A bucking aggressive horse could kill asmall child or cause damage or injury. If the horseshad got through the insecure gate it would have hadcatastrophic results with either cars or pedestrians.”

Members of Birstall Running Club are also avoid-ing the path. Race Secretary Bob Budge said: “Thiswould be a normal route our runners would take toget to Watermead Park. But the horses there are veryfrisky and have chased us and the majority of ourleaders won’t take runners that way any longer, al-though some do risk it.”

The field is owned by Leicester City Council whorent it out for grazing.

A Leicester City Council spokesperson said: “Wewere very sorry to hear about Mrs Stafford's accident,and have contacted the farmer who rents the landfrom us, in order to pass on Mrs Stafford's concerns.

“We have also contacted Mrs Stafford in order toconfirm this, and to advise her how she can correctlyrequest the contact information for the farmer whichshe requires, in order to correspond direct with him.”

INCIDENTS OF dog fouling were reduced by47 per cent following a blitz on environ-mental crime.

Charnwood Borough Council conducted a trial inthree hotspot areas: Derby Road playing fields, Lough-borough; Memorial Park, Sileby and Silverdale Park,Thurmaston between August and September.

Enforcement activity included increased surveil-lance, high profile patrols and issuing fixed penaltynotices. Charnwood’s Don’t Muck Around campaignalso targeted litter and fly tipping.

A total of 53 fixed penalty notices were issued.The campaign also involved raising awareness

through a series of public events.

Continued from page 1

The December issue ofTHE BIRSTALL POST

will be published on Dec 3.The copy deadline is Nov 18.

Horse safety fears

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NOV 2011THE BIRSTALL POST 3

A FULL meeting of Birstall ParishCouncil was held on October 10.

Borough Councillor David Gaskellreported that the provision of a schoolwithin Hallam Fields will be discussedat a meeting at County Hall, at a dateyet to be arranged.

Cllr Gaskell said he had been madeaware of the problem of reportingnoise problems outside office hours,particularly in respect of wedding par-ties at Stonehill school.

Cllr Gaskell reported that after visit-ing Riversdale Court sheltered housingon Riversdale Close, he was investigat-ing sources of funding for a garage tohouse mobility scooters.

Borough Councillor Serinda Shergillreported that she was appointed YoungPersons champion for Charnwood andrequested that issues relating to youngpeople be brought to her attention.

It was reported that Birstall’s CountyCouncillor Roger Wilson had started apetition urging the County Council todo whatever it could to restore a busservice to the route previously servedby the 99 bus operated by Paul Winson.

It was reported that the building ofthe School Lane playing field pavilionextension had been finished on Septem-ber 29, three weeks ahead of schedule.Shutters have been fitted to the externaldoors. Two stage payments totalling£42,000 have been made to the maincontractor. The final account will besubject to a five per cent retention.Building of an office partition and inter-nal decoration is imminent fundedfrom Youth Café grant income. Once allthe final bills have been received anapplication will be made for £11,146of section 106 monies. A grant of£9250 has been obtained from theCounty Council’s Big Society Fund.

It was agreed to purchase a hearingloop and a sound system for the VillageHall. The sound system consists of amicrophone and loudspeakers to ampli-fy speech and the hearing loop willbenefit users of hearing aids. The totalcost is £2300. A grant of £575 hasbeen obtained from the Rural Commu-nity Council.

Some councillors expressed theirregret at the withdrawal of the Win-son’s 99 bus. Comment was made thatit is a lifeline for some elderly peopleand that it was a shame subsidies couldbe found for big projects like the Bir-stall park and ride but not for smallerservices.

It was agreed to request that theCounty Council review the location ofbus stops in the village.

Lead has been stolen from the door-way to the Age Concern Day Centre.The estimated cost of repairing thedamage is £2000.

The poor condition of the surfacebeneath the round stainless steel seaton Sibson Road near Hannah Paradewill be reported to Charnwood’s streetcleaning contractors, Serco. Commentwas made that it was a shame thatsome shopkeepers did not keep theblock paving surface immediately out-side their shops in a tidy condition.

The council has agreed a scheduleof allotment fees. Rents are agreed atleast one year in advance so that ten-

ants have one full year’s notice. Witheffect from October 1, 2010 all newtenants have been offered a half plot at£30 per annum. This rate remainsunchanged for all those who becametenants after October 1, 2010. Existingtenants with a full size plot will pay£24 in 2012 and £25 in 2013 (conces-sions £12 in 2012 and £14 in 2013).Existing half plot tenants will pay £14in 2012 and £16 in 2013 (concessions£7 in 2012 and £9 in 2013).

The rates have been arrived at afterconsideration of other Councils’ charg-es and the need to take account of thecurrent economic climate. It is expect-ed that the income will fall short ofadministration and maintenance costs.

The Council agreed that no changesbe made to premises hire charges,cemetery charges or pitch hire fees.

It was agreed that the use of carpetsand vehicle tyres on allotments beprohibited, as these products areknown to leach chemicals into the soiland contaminate the ground.

The council agreed not to erectbadger proof fencing at the GreengateLane allotments.

Parish Council notes

OUR PICTURE shows the Air Ambulance in Birstall following a colli-sion between a van and a motorcycle.

Derbyshire, Leicestershire & RutlandAir Ambulance (DLRAA) landed in thecar park of the Birstall Sports & SocialClub on Birstall Road. They were on thescene in just nine minutes at 9.23am onTuesday October 4, 2011.

The 19-year-old biker had slid under-neath the van, suffering from abrasionsto his body and suspected pelvic and leg

injuries. DLRAA paramedics assessed theman and treated him at the scene foraround 30 minutes. The teenager wasgiven pain relief and immobilised on along board, fitted with a neck collar andhis pelvis was splinted before beingairlifted to the trauma unit UniversityHospital Coventry & Warwickshire forspecialist care.

Biker flown to hospital

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NOV 2011THE BIRSTALL POST4

THE REDHILL Revolvers held the annual Riley Classic Cup at the Leicester Out-door Pursuits Centre in October.

The £42,000 extension to the caféwas completed three weeks early. Locat-ed at the School Lane playing fieldspavilion, the café is provided by BirstallParish Council.

Chairman Stuart Jones handed overthe keys to senior youth worker HelenMcNulty who said that the young peopleare keen to get in and do the paintingand decorating themselves.

Sue Coulson, Deputy Clerk to theCouncil, said: “This was all just a dreamnot so long ago and I cannot believethat it is almost complete. It will meanthat the Youth Café will be able to ac-commodate double the number of youngpeople during the cold and wet monthsof this winter to come, up to 70 will be

able to use the facility when it is openon Wednesday and Friday evenings,giving them a safe and warm place tohang out with their friends, and bringingthem in off the streets.”

Growers of the largest pumpkins and the tallestsunflowers at each of Birstall’s three allotment siteswere presented with a prize by Mr Trevor Surgey, whohas had an allotment in the village for 54 years.Pics: (right) Peter Davies with his prize winning pumpkin; (above)TrevorSurgey shakes hands with Janet Amey and other prize winners: Greg Puczylo, Peter Davies, Mary Far-rell, John Kitchen and Richard Gibbon (for Aidie Clarke).

MEMBERS OF Birstall Allotment Societyenjoyed a social get-together at theiropen morning last month.

KEYS TO the new extension at Birstall’s Youth Café were handedover to youth workers last month.

A BIRSTALL couple celebrated their 60th wedding anniversa-ry on September 20.

They were married at St James TheGreat, Birstall and have lived at theirLoughborough Road home since 1963where they brought up their three chil-dren, Hilary, Matthew and David. Thecouple have six grandchildren.

To celebrate their anniversary theyinvited their church friends to an Even-song service at Wanlip Church followedby a buffet in the church hall.

Norman (83) said: “Young couplesdon’t seem to stay together these days –you have to pull together and sharethings. We niggle each other but don’treally argue.”

Cynthia (79) added: “You have togive and take and not expect too muchof one another. Keeping busy is a goodidea and baking cakes – Norman reallylikes his cake!”

Norman and Cynthia Coltman ofLoughborough Road met at the PloughInn on Front Street where Cynthia’sparents were landlords.

In glorious sunshine and soaringtemperatures competitors using a classicpistol shot three disciplines on paperand knock down targets.

Steve Hancock was crowned the newchampion with Bernard Harris secondand Steve Prime third. For further infoon the club call Steve Prime on2676114 or 2676252.Pic: (l-r) Bernard Harris, Steve Hancock and Steve Prime

Pumpkin prizes

Pistol shooting competition

Pavilion extensionbuild complete

Pic: Stuart Jones & Helen McNulty

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10 students made a video about theschool’s farm and entered npower’sClimate Cops SOS competition. It aimedto find students across the country whohad introduced a new environmentalinitiative into the area.

Stonehill’s entry impressed Ben Fogleand the judging panel with their teamwork and enthusiasm creating a schoolfarm.

Ben Fogle, npower’s Climate COPSambassador said: “I have been really

impressed with the entrants but Stonehill Highschool’s film really stood out.”

The Stonehill Farm was started in 2010 andnow has two goats, two pigs, a dozen chickensas well as beds for crops.

Pupil Joe Lewin (12) said: “It has taughtus the importance of hard work and how tolook after animals all around us.” Henry Mills(12) said: “The thing I enjoy most is handlingand feeding the animals.”

The whole school gets involved with thefarm, which is located behind the school’s

mals. The farm also brings some partsof the curriculum to life – evolution,selective breeding, pollination, the nitro-gen cycle, recycling etc.”

Eggs laid by the farm’s chickens arebought by the staff with the proceedsgoing towards the running costs.

The winning pupils will join BenFogle on an activity packed adventure atthe Outward Bound Centre in the LakeDistrict later this month.

A TEAM of twelve year old pupils from Stonehill school will join TVexplorer Ben Fogle on an adventure after winning a national competi-tion.

Stonehill farm winnersdesign and technology block,with some parents coming in atweekends and during the holi-days.

Paul Walker, Head of Design,Technology and Art, said: “Thepupils learn where food comesfrom, how to grow your ownfood and how to care for ani-

POLICE ARE appealing for public help after a woman dis-turbed two burglars in her home in Birstall.

The incident happened in WanlipLane at approximately 8.30pm on Thurs-day October 6, when the occupant of thehouse, a woman in her sixties, found aman in her home.

When she challenged the man he toldher that her house appeared to havebeen burgled when he arrived.

The man left just before the womanspotted a second man climbing downthe front of her house from a top win-dow. The second man then got into asilver, saloon style car and drove off.

A room in the upstairs of the househad been searched and a quantity ofcash had been taken.

One of the men has been describedas being white, approximately 5’10” tall,about 40-years-old, of medium buildwith dark hair. He was wearing a blueor grey checked shirt and blue jeans.

The second man was also describedas wearing a blue checked shirt and hadlight coloured hair.

Detective Constable Maria Pancholi,the investigating officer, said: “If you livein the Wanlip Lane and surroundingarea you may have information thatcould help us with our investigation andwe would urge you to think back to thatnight.

“Can you remember seeing two menmatching the descriptions provided? Doyou know them or have they approachedyou before? Maybe you witnessed themleaving the house or perhaps you havedetails of the car one of them left in? Ifso please call us and help us locatethose responsible.”

Anyone with any information is askedto contact DC 4319 Maria Pancholi onLeicester (0116) 222 2222, follow theinstructions to leave a message for apolice officer and when prompted key inthe officer's identification number 4319.Alternatively contact Crimestoppers,which is free and anonymous on 0800555

Woman findsburglar in home

NOV 2011THE BIRSTALL POST6

MEMBERS OF Birstall Flower Clubenjoyed a workshop led by SylviaSimes on producing pedestal flow-er arrangements.

In a response to an enquiry made byBirstall Parish Council about the site, locat-ed near the junction with Thurcaston Road,Leicester City Council apologised for notkeeping the Parish Council better informed

Leicester 2209318.Main Pic: Prize winners shows back row(l-r) Jean Yates (Founder Captain) ZoeHodgson (winner Jean Yates trophy SeniorSection) Olivia Dewing (winner Jean YatesTrophy Junior Section) Susan Wheeler(present Captain) Middle row (l-r) KatieDuddle (runner-up Senior Section) AnnaBrown (runner-up Junior Section) Frontrow (l-r) Ellie May Burdett (runner-upExplorer Section) Grace Moore (winnerJean Yates trophy Explorer Section)Pic (left): 2011 presentation eveningshows company on awards night

AFTER ANOTHER successful year, the 1st BirstallGirls' Brigade celebrated the girls' achievementsat an awards evening.

Forty girls aged five to 17 received badges they had earnedduring the year. Lucinda Beardsley received her AdvancedYoung Leaders award and is now leading a section within thecompany. Megan Sherriff, Louise Simpson and Elina Gartonreceived their Foundation Young Leaders award after undertak-ing a training course and working within the company.

This year the company is celebrating its 50th Anniversarywith a special Church Service at Birstall Methodist Church onSunday November 27. Anyone who has had any connectionwith the company over the past 50 years is warmly invited toattend. For further information about the company or the 50thAnniversary celebration please contact Susan Wheeler on

The photograph is of Carole Cottamwith her flower arrangement destinedfor her church. The Flower Club willbe helping with Christmas arrange-ments for the Birstall Parish CouncilChristmas Market on December 2.

THERE HAVE been 11 complaints of ‘anti-social activities’ made aboutthe traveller family living on Greengate Lane since 2009.

about the situation.The City Council say:• officers are considering how best to

address both the current conditions thetraveller family are living in at the Green-gate Lane site and their need for a longterm site.

• officers are also seeking to identifysites within the city which could be suitablefor traveller families and which will assistthe city in meeting its need to provide suchsites in order to comply with our CoreStrategy.

• Leicester city has only one permanentgypsy & traveller site which cannot, atpresent, meet the identified level of need.There are usually only one or two vacanciesarising at this site each year and there arecurrently about 30 families on the waitinglist for a pitch in Leicester city. Havingpermanent traveller site(s) developed with-in the city will be better for all the city’sresidents, both settled and travelling.

• the site at Greengate Lane is regularly

Greengate lane travellersmonitored by the City Council (PropertyServices) for antisocial activities. Any report-ed antisocial activity is dealt with by Envi-ronmental Health Services at the CityCouncil and appropriate action taken.

Reports of antisocial activities should bemade to the Council’s Environmental HelpLine on 0116 2527000 or to the MultiAgency Traveller Unit on 0116 3058156

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NOV 2011THE BIRSTALL POST 7

HATS’ NEXT show is TheWizard of Oz, a musical playrather than the normal pan-tomime, but full of thesame comedy, music anddance.

Everyone knows the story because it’sbased closely on the 1939 MGM movie,starring Judy Garland.

A LOCAL band’s debut album will belaunched at the Musician pub in Leicesteron November 19.

Skam, a hard rock band who have played more than 300gigs across the country, were formed five years ago and con-sists of Steve Hill(guitar), Matt Gilmore (bass) and Ray Pe-verill (drums).

Founder of the band Steve Hill was born in Birstall andeducated at Stonehill and Longslade, where he is now a teach-er. He said: “The album is a showcase of 10 of our very bestown songs. It’s the best thing we have everdone and will blow people away!

“I would really love the people of Birstallto get behind us and really make somethingout of this release. We have played BirstallGala for the last five years and have hostedthe Battle of the Bands at Stonehill school.

We like to do our bit to help the kids wholove playing rock music as much as wedo.”

Skam’s album will be released byCasket Records on December 5 and willbe available on iTunes and in recordstores. It will also be available to buy atthe album’s launch party on November 19at the Musician Pub, Leicester.

Pic (above): Skam are (l-r) Matt Gilmore, RayPeverill and Steve Hill

Wizardof Oz

So come and see the twister,Munchkinland, the Emerald City, theYellow Brick Road and enjoy a couple ofhours of fun filled entertainment.

Alternatively, you could come and joinour happy band and be involved in theproduction itself, either on stage orbehind the scenes. We are desperate formore male actors, but will welcomeanyone, male or female, with open arms.

Performances of The Wizard of Ozare at Highcliffe School, Greengate Lane,Birstall on Thursday, Friday & SaturdayNov 24, 25 & 26 at 7.15pm and a mati-nee performance on Sat Nov 26 at2.30pm. Doors are open 30 mins beforecurtain up.

Tickets are £6 (£5 concessions) andcan be obtained in advance by phoningthe box office on 2671181 or writing to14 Fielding Road, Birstall, Leicester orby email at hatsbirstall1@hotmail.co.uk

From HATS

A FORMER Longslade stu-dent has successfully com-pleted a degree course withthe Royal Navy.

Javon Hockley (40) joined the navyaged 18 and has served in the Falklandsand Iraq.

A Petty Officer and physical traininginstructor, Javon is now qualified topractise sports rehabilitation to assistinjured troops to make a recovery.Pic: Javon Hockley pictured at his graduationceremony at Westminster Cathedral

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NOV 2011THE BIRSTALL POST8

Nicola Williams and family have asked usto pass on their thanks to the residents ofWent Road for their support , kindness andgenerosity on the sad and sudden death ofJohn.

The collection finally totalled £125 whichhas been donated in John’s memory to Savethe Children. Thank you all.

Angela Allsopp and Jane Glover

meetings and the number of outside appoint-ments were are obliged to attend, mean thattime management is vital. The new Council-lors have had to get used to it, the seniorcouncillors were already well aware. But now,we have all had time to take stock and wewant to make some changes.

We want to be more accessible and moreresponsive to the needs of the people of Bir-stall. To this end we intend to hold surgeriesin the Old Council Offices on Sibson Road onthe last Saturday in the month from 10am to12 noon, starting on the October 29 2011.One or other of us will be present to listen toyour concerns, requests and observations andto advise you as to what we believe to be theright course of action to take, or to takeaction on your behalf.

We also intend to keep the Parish Councilinformed, on a monthly basis, of anything thatis going on at Charnwood which affects Bir-stall. We would hope that the Editor of theBirstall Post (who is an ever present at ParishCouncil meetings), will publish those detailsso that everyone in the village is kept aware.

We are conscious that, for what ever rea-son, Birstall would appear to have become abit of an out-post as far as Charnwood isconcerned. For example, in Loughboroughand all the neighbouring villages, Charnwoodseem to be investing in wonderful leisurecenters, sports facilities such as skate parksand other amenities. We know that money istight but we intend to ensure that Birstall getsits fair share of what is available. To that endthe four Councillors will be meeting the Lead-er of Charnwood Council on the October 312011, to ensure that he is made aware of ourhopes and aspirations.

Finally, your councillors are only as goodas the information they receive. Our namesand details or on the Charnwood web siteand if you don’t have access to the web, theycan be obtained from the library or the Par-ish Council Offices. Keep us in formed and wepromise we will keep you informed.

Serinda Shergill, Iain Bentley, Stu-art Jones, David Gaskell

YOUR SAY...

The Birstall Post welcomes your viewsand opinions on any subject. Letters,which must include your name andaddress, (though not necessarily forpublication) can be posted to: The Bir-stall Post, Longslade College, WanlipLane, Birstall, Leicester LE4 4GH, orhanded in at Birstall library or email:editor@birstallpost.co.uk

A belated ‘thank you’ from all of the fourCouncillors elected to Charnwood BoroughCouncil by the people of Birstall in May. Forthe first time for ages we are all singing fromthe same song sheet. This should work outbetter for Birstall because our demands, re-quests, observations and criticisms will havefour times the clout, we hope!

Our thanks are belated because, sincetaking office, we have hardly had time to takea breath. We have all been attached to vari-ous sub committees and have all undergonerigorous training in procedural and computerwork and this, coupled with the number of

Cllr Pendleton, Leicestershire County Coun-cil Cabinet Member for Environment andTransport, tries very hard to justify the ex-penditure on Birstall’s Park and Ride facility,but only succeeds in exposing the invalidarguments and political stupidity that continueto be used.

The Friends of Belgrave Cemetery groupwould like to thank The Edith Murphy Foun-dation for their donation in September 2011.Due to the generosity of a gracious lady thegroup are assured that their work in thepreservation of the cemetery will continue foranother year.

Dorothy Marshall, Chairperson

I would like to thank the kind couple whoassisted my mother on Saturday October 1.She fell outside the café on The Meadwaycutting the side of her face, hand and knees.She also damaged her glasses and was takento the opticians on Sibson Road. The lady’shusband then walked back home, fetched hiscar and took my mother home. My motherwho is 90 yrs was very shaken and didn’t asktheir names.

I do appreciate their kindness.My sincere thanks.J Proud (Mountsorrel)

We would like to congratulate Ruby Tues-days on reaching their second anniversary onNovember 10. If they continue to provide

Many thanks to everyone who supportedCLASH annual events this summer. BirstallScouts helped out at the Gala, Birstall Guidessupported the Coffee Morning and the Spon-sored Swim was a great success. Kylie,Michael, Donna & Aimee all swam a mile.Thank you to our other swimmers includingUsha who swam for St John Ambulance.

Do you have arthritis and want to learnbasic computer skills and how to access theInternet? Come along to Palmer TomkinsonCentre on Thursday November 10 and join inthe free e-learning4arthritis session from3.30-4.30pm. Sixth Form ‘Digital Champions’will help to support your learning. Thesesessions will be held fortnightly on Thursdayat the same time.

Do you have arthritis and want to comealong and exercise using Wii activities andgames at The Peepul Centre? All ages wel-come, especially children and young peoplewith arthritis. Come along to the Peepul Cen-tre Sports Hall on Thursday November 3 andjoin in the free e-sports4arthritis session from4-5pm. These sessions will be held fortnightlyon Thursday at the same time.

Christine Thomas, CLASHwww.clashgroup.org.uk

“Passenger numbers are so far goodnews...in its first month.....taking 2500 carsoff the road”. Is that really good news giventhat it will take 36,550 cars per month tobreak even? Currently that’s 625 cars perweek, 104 cars each day. The same calcula-tion gives 166 people in a day using the bus(4000 in the month).

What Cllr Pendleton fails to note is that totake 104 cars off the road, the council pro-vides 40 very heavily subsidised bus journeysin and out of town. I must be missing some-thing, but 40 bus journeys averaging 4 passen-gers on board is not an economicalcarbon-reducing alternative to 104 cars!

I can accept that most passengers proba-bly come from Loughborough direction, but

“...followed by Birstall....” must be stretchingthings a little. Surely not many Birstall peopleare driving out of town just to catch the Parkand Ride bus when we already have threebuses down the A6 every 10 minutes or so?

You need a better argument than this, CllrPendleton.

Bruce Hughes

such wonderful food then we are sure thatthey will enjoy many more. Our only associa-tion with them is as paying customers.John and Pat Scott

A DEDICATED Birstall Youth workerwas prsented with a box of choco-lates by Milk Tray man Tim Slack.

Tim was taking part in a charity eventraising money for LOROS and Prostaid,and was dashing around the county deliv-ering chocolates to five women nominat-ed for their community work.

He met up with Birstall Parish Coun-cil’s Senior Youth Worker Helen MacNultyat Abbey Pumping Station. Deputy ClerkSue Coulson said: “Helen has been instru-mental in the success of the Youth Caféwhich hasconsiderablereduced theantisocialbehaviour inBirstall. Helenputs so manyunpaid hoursinto organis-ing activitiesand sessionsfor the young people of Birstall that Ithought it would be nice to give her athank you.”Pic: Helen MacNulty with Tim Slack

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NOV 2011THE BIRSTALL POST 9

Rothley Parish Church

Christmas Marketon Saturday November 26

10-12noon at the Rothley CentreRaffle, Toys, Gifts, Bric-a-BracNearly new women’s clothes

Cakes, preservesCoffee & mince pies, hot dogs

Children’s activities, Rothley School ChoirProceeds to Rothley Scouts, St John Ambu-

lance & Rothley Parish ChurchAll welcome

• • •Friday Nov 25, 10am to 7pm

Saturday Nov 26, 10am to 2pmBirstall Methodist Church

Christmas Festival‘Winter Wonderland’

Adm to church £1 (accomp. children free)

Outdoor Christmas MarketChristmas stalls, crafts, homemade produce

Punch/hot dogs, gamesFriday Nov 25, 2-7pm

Table Top SaleSaturday Nov 26, 10am-2pm

(Tables £10, tel: Margaret, 0116 2671181)Refreshments served throughout the event

(light lunches Fri & Sat 12-1.30pm)• • •

National Childbirth TrustNearly New Toys & Equipment Sale

On Saturday November 19, 1.30-3pm (NCTmembers admitted from 1pm)

Beaumont Leys School Anstey Lane LE4 OFL• • •

The Ibstock Brass BandSt James Church, Church Hill, Birstall

Sunday November 20, 7.30pmCome along and enjoy an evening of live mu-

sic for only £3, pay on the door• • •

Charity FairMountsorrel Memorial Hall

Sat Nov 12, 10am to 12noon30p entry, 20p concessions

All welcome• • •

Rothley Bowling Club

Autumn Fayre & Coffee MorningSat Nov 19, 10am to 12noon

at Rothley Centre, Mountsorrel LaneRothley

Adm. 50p inc tea/coffeeLots of stalls inc bric-a-brac, cakes, home-made produce, crafts, tombola, raffle etc

• • •Sue Faulks

Winter Art CourseFor children age 7-12 years

November 19, December 3, December 10 &December 17

From 10am to 12noonBrownie & Guide HQ, Johnson Rd, Birstall LE4

3ATCourse fee £32

(inc all materials & refreshments)ONLY 12 places available!

Tel: 0116 2205164 Mob: 07984 197114Come & enjoy some creative fun!

suefaulksart.co.uk• • •

Birstall Royal British LegionNov 5 Neil James (M/V)

Nov 12 Ben Fischer (M/V)Nov 19 Amy C (F/V)Nov 26 Bonnie (F/V)

Dancing every Sat night with live entertain-ment

Bingo, free meat raffle and not forgettingOpen the Box

Every Tues night Bingo starting at 9.30pmQuiz nights Sunday Nov 13 & 27 starting at

9pmAcoustic night Sunday Nov 20

Rock & roll nights Wed Nov 2 & 16Food available every Sat 12noon to 2pm

Wakes catered for• • •

Birstall Birdwatching Club

Presents

Spanish SafariBy Mike Webster

Just a very short distance back from thebeaches there is a beautiful land of moun-

tains, meadows, streams and rivers and weexplore some of these habitats on tonight’s

journeyThe Rothley Ctr, Mountsorrel Lane, Rothley

Tuesday November 8 at 7.30pmVisitors welcome £2

Contact Ken Goodrich 0116 2674813• • •

Richard Hill School PTA (Thurcaston)

Annual Christmas FairSaturday November 26, 1.30-4pm

Christmas gifts, Santa’s grotto, yummy cakestall, raffle, BBQ and refreshments, games

and lots more!Why not come along for a bit of early Christ-

mas shopping?Richard Hill School, Anstey Lane, Thurcaston

• • •LOROS

Spectacular Firework EventMallory Park, Kirkby Mallory, LE9 7QE

November 5Gates open 5.30pm, Funfair & Entertainment

6.30pm, Bonfire 7.30pm, Fireworks 8pmFree Parking

Reduced prices for advance bookingsAdults £4, Concessions £2.50, Family tickets(2 adults, 3 children) £12, Children under 5

freeGate admissions Adults £6, Concessions £3

Book your tickets early, call LOROS event line0116 231 8484

or buy them online atwww.loros.co.uk/fundraising

• • •

Soar Valley Trampoline ClubMonday & Wednesday evenings from 5-7pm

at Soar Valley CollegeSessions are for children from age 6 upwardsContact Annette for more details on 01664

840079or email to aandnlewis@gmail.com

• • •Steps School of Theatre Dance

Proudly brings you

‘One Night Only’A night of celebration showcasing the talents

of local youngstersA night of fundraising activity for Birstall

BAGSPalmer Tomkinson Centre at Longslade Com-

munity CollegeFriday November 25 from 7pm

Tickets £6, Concessions £5For more information please contact Michelle

on: 07909861197Doors open at 6.30pm for fundraising activi-

tiesLicensed bar

• • •

Friends of BelgraveCemetery Group

Belgrave CemeterySunday November 6

From 10am until 1pmThe Friends of Belgrave cemetery as part ofCommunity Service Volunteer programme for

2011 are organisingSpring into Action Day

And will be planting spring bulbs in the ceme-

teryMembers are most welcome to come along

and help with the plantingAs usual cemetery record information will be

available• • •

Remembrance Service at Belgrave CemeterySunday November 13

10.45am for 11am startled by the Rev Pam HaynesAll are welcome to attend

• • •

Birstall Christmas LightsSwitch On & Craft Fair

Friday December 2The switch on will take place on Sibson Road

Car Park at 6pmCarol Service performed by

Leicestershire Art Birstall Brass EnsembleThe Christmas Craft Fair will be in the Village

Hall on Birstall Road from 6-9pmFree tea, coffee, mulled wine and mince pies

in the village hallIf you are interested in having a Christmasstall in the Village Hall please contact Sue

Coulson on 2676191 or email:admin@birstallpc.org.uk

(Only Christmas related items to be dis-played on stalls, £10 for 1 table, £15 for 2

tables, set up from 3pm)• • •

Birstall & District Art Society

Annual ExhibitionBirstall Village Hall

Sat Nov 5 – Mon Nov 79-5pm (Mon: 9-3pm)

Admission Free

• • •Birstall & District Art Society

Nov 8, 7pmPalmer Tomkinson Centre, Longslade

Artist: Tim FisherDemonstration: A Norfolk Scene in pastel

£3 for non-members• • •

Wanlip Church and Community CentreIntend to run a

Coffee Morning/FairSaturday Nov 26, 10am to 1pm

Usual stalls etc. Light refreshments availableProceeds to further improve our facilities

• • •St James Day Centre

200 Club October Winners1st Mr Roger Cowham £25

2nd Mrs Cynthia Chapman £153rd Mrs Thelma Lane £10

4th Mr Brian Ward £5• • •

Birstall Flower ClubInvite you to their

Open MeetingJonathan Moseley

National DemonstratorDressed in Gold for Christmas

Nov 23 at 7pmBirstall Village Hall, School Lane, Birstall

Admission £8 inc refreshmentsTel: for tickets to secretary 2674206

• • •

Noticeboardall details printed free

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Continued on page 10

NOV 2011THE BIRSTALL POST10

Birstall BAGSwelcome you to their

Ladies Gift NightFriday Nov 11, 8pm

At the Earl of StamfordTickets £3 inc glass of wine or fruit juiceCrafts, gifts & goodies on sale perfect forChristmas presents and of course all pro-

ceeds go toward a local cancer related cause.Ticket only please which are available from

any of the Birstall BAGSwww.birstallbags.co.uk

• • •

Birstall & District Local HistorySociety

The next meeting will be held on ThursdayNov 10 at 7.30pm

Village Hall, Birstall Road, Birstall‘The Story of Grace Dieu Priory

Speaker: Ernest MillerVisitors are very welcome

• • •Birstall Social Club, Wanlip Lane

Come & dance the night awayEvery Tues & Sat night

Ballroom & sequence dancingCash Raffle Thurs

Bingo Thurs, Sat & SunGames room

Secure parkingNew members welcome

Function rooms available• • •

Birstall St James Church Social GroupInvite you to a

Quiz Afternoon and CreamTea

Sunday Nov 27 at 2.30pmBirstall Village Hall, School Lane

Cost £3• • •

1st Birstall Girls’ Brigade

50th Anniversary ServiceSunday November 27 at 10.30am

Birstall Methodist ChurchOfficers & members extend a warm invitationto anyone who has had any connection withthe company over the past 50 years to join

us in this celebration service• • •

Thurcaston Toddler GroupWe are a friendly parent run informal Toddler

Group that opens its doors every Tuesday

from 9-11am (during school term times) forpre-school children from birth to 5 years.

Children get to play with different toys, do acraft activity and have a snack and a drink as

well as socialising with other children.Parents/carers can make themselves a drink

have a chat and get a change of scene for themorning!

Feel free to drop in and give us a try, admis-sion is £2 – even if you have more than one

childWe are based at Thurcaston Memorial Hall,

Anstey Lane, Thurcaston LE7 7JA• • •

Soar Valley Music CentrePresent A Selection of

Christmas Musicwith carols for audience participation

Birstall Methodist churchFriday December 16 at 7.30pm

Bookings can be made through Soar ValleyMusic Centre: 0116 2664153, or pay at the

door• • •

Remember the 33On 11.11.11

An Hour or So of Song, Story & MusicRothley Parish Church

7.30pm Friday November 11Led by the Choir

Under the direction of Simon MurphyFree admission

Collection for the Poppy AppealInfo: 0116 2302931

• • •

Leicester Symphony OrchestraThe Battle of the Somme

On Saturday November 127.30pm De Montfort Hall

Butterworth : Banks of Green WillowRavel : Le Tombeau de Couperin

Rossi : The Battle of the Somme (with silentfilm)

Guest Conductor Levon Parikian6.30pm Free pre-concert talk with composer

Laura Rossi and Dr Toby Haggith from theImperial War Museum

Full price £17/£14/£11 Children age 16 andunder £3

Concessions availableTickets available from De Montfort Hall Box

Office 0116 233 3111• • •

Local ArtistAnne Kingham

Exhibition at Hind Leys Community College,

ShepshedNov 28-Dec 21 during college opening hoursAnne lives in Barrow after living in Rothleyfor 17 years and took up painting and glass

work in her retirement• • •

Free Girls Football AcademyEvery Saturday 10-11.30am at

Memorial Park, Necton Street, Systonwww.systontownjuniorsfc.co.uk

• • •The Latimer Player Present

Puss in Bootsat The Memorial Hall, Thurcaston

on November 24,25,26Matinee Sat 26

7.30pm evenings, 2.30pm matineeAll tickets £6.50

Available from 121 Leicester Road, Thurcas-ton 0116 2362692

• • •

Table Top Saleat the Rothley Centre LE7 7PR

Sat November 12 from 10am to 12.30pmOver 30 stalls: bargains galore. Adm 50p

Tea/coffee/cakes available• • •

Birstall Methodist Thursday GroupInvite you to a

Christmas Concertwith Ann Hughes

at Birstall Methodist ChurchThursday Dec 15 at 7.30pm

No admission charge, but donations wel-comed to support Alzheimer’s Society and

the purchase of a defibrillator for the Church• • •

Highcliffe Amateur Theatrical SocietyPresent

The Wizard of Ozat Highcliffe School, Greengate Lane, Birstallon Nov 24,25,26 starting at 7.15pm with a

matinee on Nov 26 at 2.30pmTickets may be ordered by phoning 2671181or by post to 14 Fielding Road, Birstall LE4

3AJ or by mail tohatsbirstall1@hotmail.co.uk

• • •

Film PresentationsFrom Thurcaston & Cropston Parish Council

‘Oranges and Sunshine’ Friday November 11(105 mins)

Starring Emily Watson and Hugo Weaving,this film is an enlightening and thought-prov-

ing true story, set in Nottingham. In 1986Margaret began a tireless campaign to inves-

tigate the organised deportation by the Brit-ish Government of thousands of Britishschoolchildren ‘in care’. They had been

shipped to Australia. Single-handedly, Marga-ret united many broken families.

‘Nativity’ Friday December 9 (105 mins)This delightful comedy shows an innovativemusical re-enactment of the nativity. A pri-mary school teacher, played by Martin Free-

man, has the biggest challenge of his life, tolure the Hollywood producer to watch his

school’s performance. This moving story be-comes one of the happiest Christmas films

you will ever see.On Friday January 13, 2012, we hope to

present ‘Jane Eyre’Thurcaston & Cropston Parish Council will beshowing these films at Thurcaston MemorialHall. Starting at 7.30pm, tickets cost £4.50and concessions are £4. The price includes

refreshments and a lucky prize draw.Advance tickets can be purchased via the par-

ish office, 0116 2367626 or at the door.• • •

Belgrave Ladies Bowling ClubThurcaston Road, Leicester

Autumn FayreSat Nov 26, 10am to 12noon, 50p

Cakes, tombola, raffle, cards, bric-a-brac andother stalls

Everyone very welcome, come and see ourexcellent bowling facilities

Free membership for all newcomers in 2012Further details from Ladies Secretary on

0116 2674234

AIRPORT CARS Birstall. Airports, Sea-ports, Long Distance, Courier. Tel: 07771984806TELEPHONE EXTENSION Sockets fitted byex-BT engineer. Cable, BT and digitalTV. Over 25 yrs experience. John2675132AMLI DESIGN Architectural Consultancy.Plans drawn and submitted. Extensions,conversions, new build. David IvesB.Sc.(Hons) FBEng MCIOB 01162674395 / 07974807111www.amlidesign.co.ukMATHS & PHYSICS tuition. Experiencedpopular private/college tutor, PGCE &BSc (Hons), offers excellent exam prep-aration GCSE & A-level. Call 07980749992FISHER PRICE 3in1 Baby swing, chairand toddler rocker; hardly used £35.0116 2376372PUSHCHAIR SNUGGLE Bags £22.50stalls: Rothley Centre 12/11/11; BirstallMethodist 26/11/11 also to order 01162376372CHICCO Baby Ergo Gym hardly used £10.0116 237672

Small ads are 25p for the first 16 words. 17-32words: 50p. Enclosing payment, post your ad to us orhand it in (inside an envelope) at Birstall library.

Trade/business rates for small ads are 25p aword. You are liable for the trade/business rateif you are offering a service for which you areasking for payment, or if you are advertisingnew goods for sale. All text will be printed bold.Box outline £1 extra. Max 50 words. Phonenumbers count as one word.

Small Ads

Continued from page 9

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NOV 2011THE BIRSTALL POST 11

Only Two Shopping Days toChristmas

Many people like to give useful, sensi-ble presents for Christmas. If this seemsto make sense to you, remember that youonly have two shopping days to Christmas.This is because the Birstall and WanlipNeighbourhood Advice shop only openson the third Saturday of every month,between 10am and 12noon.

If you are looking for a thoughtfulpresent, accompanied by advice, a cup oftea and possibly a chair, then call in.There should also be a Police representa-tive present.

Between now and Christmas you willfind the shop open on November 19 andDecember 17. It is to be found at 10Sibson Road, opposite the Garden Centre,at the end of the car park - just look forthe sign board.

The shop has a variety of products,many of which would make practical giftsthis December 25.

Any young person who is lucky enoughto receive a new bicycle should makesure that they take it to the Advice Shop,where it will be post coded and the own-er will receive a free lock. (Santa couldtake the bike to the shop and get it en-graved before Christmas to make sure it'ssafe.) The shop also has alarmed pad-locks to keep the bike safe in the gardenshed.

If you have anyone in the family whohas recently become a student living awayfrom home, then there are various alarmsavailable to keep them and their propertysafe. There is also SmartWater which isused to mark things like computers. Ifstolen they can then easily be traced backto their owners.

For the older person the shop providesmany small gifts, which could be wrappedand hung on the Christmas tree. If you

Two National Semi Final appearances,seven Leicestershire titles and a runnersup trophy, three Leicester and DistrictParks competition wins, two Leaguetitles and one runner up, League Cuprunners up, and three other trophieswon, as well as players reaching anotherfour county semi finals and three countyquarter finals, have made this the mostsuccessful season the club has had byquite some distance.

The club competition finals tookplace in September and the winners arebelow.Ladies Winners:

Championship: Jennie Groves, RunnerUp: Pam Ratcliffe

Handicap: Pa Walker, Runner Up:Pam Ratcliffe

Maiden: Diane Hartop, Runner Up:Pam McMahon

Pairs: Chris Winder & Pa Walker,Runners Up: Margaret Fritche & DianeHurst

Two Wood Pairs: Janet Wildbore &Diane Hartop, Runners Up: SheilaJenkins & Val Hollis

Fielding & Everitt Cups: Pam Ratcliffe,Runner Up: Val RossMen’s Winners:

Championship: Dave Clarke, RunnerUp: Richard Smith

Handicap: Richard Smith, Runner Up:Stuart Hartop

Maiden: Ross Durance, Runner Up:Jack Berry

Three Wood: Stuart Hartop, RunnerUp: Dave Clarke

Two Wood: Andy Wye, Runner Up:Dave Clarke

Pairs: Malcolm Wright & Tom Cowles,

Runners Up: Derek Hemsley & DaveClarke

Club Night Cup: Brian TaftMixed Competition Winners:Club Open: Andy Wye, Runner Up:

Diane HurstSaunders Cup: Diane & John Hurst,

Runners Up: Pam Ratcliffe & DaveClarke

Adnett Cup: Velma Allen & StuartHartop, Runners Up: Pa Walker & JohnEaton

From Andy WyePic: The victorious Birstall team that wonthe County Cup

NHW news& crime report

Crime Report : Sep 11 – Oct 10Assaults 4, harassment 4, burglary 3,

burglary non-dwelling 6, fraud 7, publicorder 1, theft 7, theft from motor vehicle4, theft of motor vehicle 1.

During cycle patrols on Friday Oct 7,police came across a group of youngpeople from a neighbouring community.They appeared to be looking at housesalong the Loughborough Road. One malecame running from the garden of a houseand immediately ran upon sight of thepolice. Chase was given and shortly after amale was detained and arrested for apublic order offence, potentially prevent-ing a burglary.

The current local policing prioritiesare:

• To work with partner agencies andresidents to reduce incidents of damageto motor vehicles and antisocial behaviourin the areas of Dalby Ave, Newtown Driveand Worcester Ave between 9pm and 2am

• To work with partner agencies andresidents to tackle antisocial vehicle useon Stonehill Ave, Northfield Ave, Paget Ave,Wanlip Lane, Orchard Road, LambourneRoad, Worcester Ave and Meadow Lane(and surrounding park) in the afternoonand early evening.

You can raise local policing issues atthe Birstall Police Surgery on Nov 19,10am to 12noon, Birstall Police Office, 10Sibson Road, or email:charnwood.lpu@leicestershire.pnn.police.uk

PC 2139 Rich Carruthers, 0116 222 2222

are getting a smart, new purse for granny,don’t forget to pop in to the shop for apurse chain and bell. With these thingsadded they should be able to keep yourgift for a long time. A personal alarmmight also be welcomed.

Don't forget to keep your own money,credit cards, and gifts safe when out.

Put your presents in the boot of thecar, and leave a light on when you goout at night.

Further details of of the above prod-ucts can be found atwww.villagewatch.co.uk

And a Merry Christmas to you all.From Birstall & Wanlip NHW

OUR PICTURE showsDorothy Bond, Chair-man of the BirstallMethodist ThursdayGroup, presenting acheque for £3000to Andy Reed forthe Richard Engel-gardt Trust, as aresult of last year’sfundraising.

THE OUTDOOR season finished last month for bowlers atBirstall Bowling Club and what a season it has been.

Thursdaygroupcash

County cup winners

Odd Job ManThe

No Job Too SmallGardening • Slabbing

Painting • House Painting

Gutters Cleared

FREE QUOTES • CALL HARRY

0116 26747030770 8419134

9 Kedlestone Ave, Birstall

The December issue ofTHE BIRSTALL POST

will be published on Dec 3.The copy deadline is Nov 18.

NOV 2011THE BIRSTALL POST12

REAL MELODY, great composers, bigbands and legendary vocalists – hearall these and more at the weeklymeetings of the Leicester Dance andSwing Bands Appreciation Society.

They meet every Thursday at Birstall

The production of ‘Yanomamo’ describes thecrisis situation in the Amazon Basin, where rainfor-est trees are being felled for use as commercialtimber, the land cleared for ranching and peasantslive in shanty towns, while the future of theYanomamo tribe is threatened.

Songs performed by the children were accompa-nied by musicians from Stonehill and Longsladeschools, directed by Alan Holford, with David Barkon the piano.

200 PUPILS from seven local primary schools performed in a musical at thePalmer Tomkinson Centre.

Children performin new centre

IT WAS high fives all round for young Birstall tennis aceMatt Williams when he clinched his fifth successivemen’s singles title.

Twenty-year-old Matt provedunstoppable yet again when hedefeated Ciaran Bibby 7-6, 6-2at Birstall Watermead TennisClub’s finals day.

In the ladies singles final,Laura Morley beat Kay Oakes6-0, 6-1, the first of three titlesfor her.

Laura and Jenny Cooperbeat Audrey Preston and LucyEvans 6-1, 6-0 to win the la-dies’ doubles, and to cap theday, she and Mike Lale beatMary Whiteman and ConnorWinterton 6-4, 6-4 in themixed doubles.

The men’s doubles final wasa tightly-contested match, withDave Hutchinson and Spencer

Wesson defeating Ciaran Bibby andColin Lister 6-3, 5-7, 7-5.

In the under-18s final, CiaranBibby beat Ethan Oakes 6-1, 6-0,but Ethan pulled off a victory in theunder-16s final, beating Kuljit Tara6-1, 6-4.

Adam Garratt beat Dave Evans6-1, 6-2 in the men’s plate final.

Winners were presented withtheir trophies at a barbecue laterin the day and among the victorswere Ciaran Bibby, Dave Watson,Wendy Morley and Dave Geschke,who comprised the winning side inthe Winter Team Shield event.Pics: (above)Matt Williams (left) and Ci-aran Bibby; (left)Kay Oakes (left) andLaura Morley

Social Club from 8-10pm and have beengoing for 25 years.

The club’s honorary president is noless a person than Doris Day and theclub members gather to listen to themusic of the great composers including

Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, theGershwins, Cole Porter, Rodg-ers and Hart and Johnny Mer-cer.

There’s an even longer listof bands and vocalists such asDuke Ellington, Count Basie,Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller,Ambrose, Ted Heath, JohnnyDankworth, the singers includeFrank Sinatra, Dick Haymes,Mel Tormé, Nat King Cole,Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald andJulie London.

Members prepare their ownprogrammes, presented on aCD or tape. There is no pres-sure to be a presenter, every-one is equal.

The annual membership feeis £1 with a 50p evening fee.

For further informationplease contact Geoff Penrose on0116 2201175.

Club’s finals day

Thursday night is music night

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NOV 2011THE BIRSTALL POST 13

IN JANUARY 2012 it will be fortyyears since Sheila Wilson and MaryDowns opened the doors of ‘BirstallPlaygroup for Children with SpecialNeeds’, then known as ‘BirstallCreche.’

They hadrecruited ateam of volun-teer helpersto play withthe childrenin each ses-sion and hadBirstall Meth-odist church’ssupport inoffering theplaygroup ahome ‘rentfree.’ Theyhad also secured the support of theBritish Red Cross to pay petrol costs forthe team of volunteer drivers, whowould go out on Monday and Fridaymornings to pick up the children fromaround the City and the County.

Sheila and Mary were very clearabout what they were trying to achieve.Sheila’s fourth child Miriam, then fiveyears old, has Downs’ Syndrome. Miriamwas a celebrated part of the family,much loved and much wanted but whenshe was first born and Sheila and herhusband were given the diagnosis it wasa massive shock. The emotional adjust-ment to the news but also the implica-tions in terms of decision making,search for services and advice was bewil-dering even to Sheila who as a HealthCare professional knew something aboutdisability. It was this personal experi-ence that inspired her to elicit the helpof Mary and attempt to develop a servicefor children with disabilities and theirfamilies, in those early years when every-one feels so vulnerable and potentiallyisolated.

Forty years on the Playgroup, nowsupported by BBC Children in Need, isstill thriving! In some ways nothing haschanged. Among the committed team ofvolunteers there are even one or two ofthe original helpers including Sheilaherself. The venue remains unchangedand the rent is still donated by the Meth-odist Church. The group presently sup-ports about 20 families by offering oneor two mornings of play for the children.As has always been the case at Playgroup,

the basic premise is that with the rightsupport and attitude of the peoplearound, getting messy and creative,learning about having friends and havingfun are the things that children do best,

regardlessof a disa-bility ordifficulty.Parentsand carersstill saythat whatthey needis contactwith otherpeoplewho canshare theirexperience.They often

go into the coffee shop at the church, toget together, an opportunity to relax butalso to share useful information aboutservices or practical day to day ideasabout coping and enjoying their child.Other times they go and do a bit ofshopping or visit a friend, forty yearsago it wouldn’t have been called ‘metime’ but essentially we’ve all alwaysneeded some.

We would love to hear from anyonewho over the forty years of the life of thePlaygroup, has had any involvement.Maybe you attended, maybe your childdid, maybe you volunteered. We want toinvite you to our party on March 24 nextyear to celebrate the playgroup and allthe wonderful people that have beenpart of its’ long life!

From Playgroup Leader DeborahHoggar

BIRSTALL AND Wanlip WI did not meetin August but many members enjoyed aSummer coach trip to Webbs of Wych-bold on August 15.

At our next meeting on September 5Richard Golden gave a talk on glass mak-ing and showed the members some veryexpensive examples of his work.

Ann Waite won the competition 'Myoldest treasured possession' with a beauti-ful traveling ink well. Also in September wealso competed in two Skittle competitionswith WI teams from Astill Lodge andMountsorrel. Unfortunately we narrowlylost both games and are now out of thecompetition until next year.

26 ladies attended our most recentmeeting on October 3 when MarianneParry gave a captivating talk on candlemaking. She grew up in Denmark wherecandles are used far more frequently in the

home than in Britain often replacing elec-tric lighting. We learned about the historyof candles and how she set up her ownworkshop. Afterwards we were able topurchase from her very reasonably pricedrange of handmade candles. Incidentallydid you know that the one cow could pro-vide enough fat or tallow to keep a familyin candles for 3 years? Of course todaythey are usually made of paraffin, soy orbees wax. Jane Glover won the homemadesweets competition with some deliciouschocolate truffles.

There will be no speaker on November7 as we will be holding our AGM but therewill be a quiz and buffet to round off theevening.

We can be contacted by email atbirstallandwanlipwi@hotmail.co.uk or visitwww.birstallandwanlipwi.wordpress.comfor more details of our activities.

OUR PICTURE shows representatives from Heart-Link and Cystic Fibrosisreceiving a cheque each for £1000 towards their charities from the Bir-stall Methodist Monday Group.

The money was raised by holdingcoffee mornings at the Methodist coffeeshop, members having coffee morningsat their own homes, selling quiz forms,cake and book sales, and also fun filledtheme evenings at the Methodist Church.

If you would like to join the group,please come along on Monday eveningsat 7.30, you will be made most welcome,or phone Margaret on 2671181 or2673674.

The forthcoming programme: Nov 7Craft Evening; Nov 14 Aloe-Vera; Nov 21Embroidery Evening; Nov 28 Christmaswords and music; Dec 5 Christmas gettogether and Dec 12 Christmas Dinner atthe Golf Club.

A spokesman for the group said “Inthis picture is a most genuinely thoughtof member of our group, Janet, whosadly passed away not long after thisphoto was taken.”

Special playgroupcelebrates forty

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NOV 2011THE BIRSTALL POST14

A LOCAL guide leader has achieved a top award.Gemma Lawrenson, of 1st Birstall Guides, was presented with the Queen’s Guide

Award by Chief Guide, Gill Slocombe at Charnwood 2011, Leicestershire’s Internation-al Guide and Scout Camp in July.

BIRSTALL WILL host free breastfeed-ing workshops for expectant parents.

The new workshop will be held atBirstall Methodist Church Hall on WanlipLane from 2-4pm on the second Satur-day of every month.

Pregnant women are invited, prefera-bly from about 33 weeks gestation, withor without partners. It is free to attendand is designed as a one-off workshopso each couple would attend once only.

The sessions are run by CharnwoodBRAS (Breastfeeding Reassurance andSupport) Group.

Jay Field lives in Birstall and is atrained breastfeeding peer supporterwith the Charnwood BRAS. She says:

“The antenatal workshop is so importantfor couples expecting their first baby.It’s a lot of fun, very informative and souseful. Your baby will thank you forattending!”

For more information about thisworkshop or the Charnwood BRAS ingeneral, please seewww.charnwoodbras.co.uk

To book a place please contact thegroup on 07583 041054

THE CHARNWOOD Branch of CancerResearch held their 4th LadiesEvening at the Village Hall in Wood-house Eaves.

The event raised fund for the contin-ued research into the treatment andcauses of cancer.

Ladies from all around the area,including Birstall, Rothley and Mountsor-rel joined together in an evening whichprovided free demonstrations of reflexol-ogy and advice on beauty and fitness.The fashion show this year was the au-tumn selection from the Green HouseCollection. There was a wide range ofstalls including pickles and jams, birth-day and Christmas cards, gifts, cupcakes, cosmetics, fashion accessoriesand jewellery.

This year the branch was joined byJoy Bark, who with her husband David,are the founders of The Bark Foundation.This was formed in 2008 to support theHOTPEC Orphanage, Buea, Cameroon.Jan Gaskell, Chair of Charnwood Branchof Cancer Research, said: “Joy is anexpert on broken and unwanted jewel-lery and the large variety of items shehad for sale proved to be one of thehighlights of the evening. We were de-lighted that our two charities were ableto give support to each other and hopewe have the opportunity to be able tojoin together for future events.

“Once again we would like to say abig ‘thank you’ to all who supported ourLadies Evening. This year we werepleased to see many of our regular sup-porters and also a great number of newfaces. The evening raised over £530.”Pic: Joy Bark (left) at her jewellery stall withStephanie Holden

The Queen’s Guide Award is the high-est award a member of Girlguiding UKcan achieve, taking up to three years tocomplete and consisting of five modulesaimed to chal-lenge the indi-vidual on manydifferent levels,such as Person-al Skill Develop-ment andCommunityAction. Gemmawas presentedwith a solidsilver broochand a certifi-cate signed bythe Queen.

Gemma(26) has beena member of Girlguiding Birstall sinceshe was seven years old and is proud ofher achievement. “The award took metwo and a half years to complete andover that time my confidence and appre-ciation for the guiding organisation hasincreased immensely” she said. Thechallenges that Gemma undertook in-cluded: volunteering for local charityLeicestershire AIDS Support Service;helping to plan and deliver a performingarts festival for over 2,000 guiding mem-bers; being part of a team of youngwomen who launched a national petitionin 2010 to have all airbrushed images inthe media labelled; planning and leadinga leaders exploration to Belfast; learning

yoga and co-directing a show with 150local Rainbows, Brownies and Guides.

Charnwood 2011 was a week-longactivity camp held in the grounds of

Whatton Houseand was attendedby over 3,000Guides and Scoutsfrom all over theUK and the world,15 of which werefrom Birstall aspart of a Guidegroup Gemmahelped to lead.Chief Guide GillSlocombe hadtravelled up espe-cially for the coun-ty presentation ofsix Queen’s Guide

Awards, a record for Girlguiding Leices-tershire. Gemma said: “Meeting Gill wasa highlight for me. She was so down toearth and really proud of all our achieve-ments.”

Gemma would like to thank all herfamily, friends and guiding colleaguesfor all their support over the past threeyears and hopes to continue gaining newexperiences through her involvement inguiding.

For more information about joiningGirlguiding Birstall, contact Rachel Smithon 07907579685Pic: Gemma Lawrenson receiving herQueen’s Guide Award from Chief Guide GillSlocombe at Charnwood 2011.

BIRSTALL’S PARK and ride service sawpassenger numbers rise by 18% inits second month.

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NOV 2011THE BIRSTALL POST 15

Shop without dropping?If you are starting to plan your cards and

present –giving, have you considered the widerange available from Fairtrade? There is anexcellent catalogue, which Jane Scott at StJames has available and you can be assuredthat everything you spend will be helpingsome of the poorest people in the world toearn a living as craft producers. Contact Janeon 2673761 or go on line towww.traidcraftshop.co.ukDarkness and light

November sees the annual, solemn serviceof remembrance at St. James church on Sun-day 13 at 10.30am, made more poignant yearby year, as the toll of young men and womenkilled in warfare continues, even though the

“war to end all wars” (World War I) mayseem a distant memory.

Many of the other events organised by thechurches seem to be towards the end of themonth as the Advent season begins. For manypeople, particularly the children, Adventmeans calendars or perhaps lighting an Ad-vent candle day by day. It is very unlikely thatpersonal calendars were anything to do withthe first Christmas, but the idea of light, show-ing the way and dispelling darkness has every-thing to do with the birth of the very specialchild, Jesus. For this reason much is madeof candles at our annual Churches TogetherAdvent service which will take place on Sun-day November 27 at Wanlip church at 6pm.The hymns and carols, which we sing togetherall have this theme of light, and candles willbe lit during the service.Social events

The same very busy weekend includes theannual Wanlip Christmas Fair to be held inthe Church and Community room from 10amon Saturday November 26.

From there, you might be tempted toMulberry House on Front Street, where therewill be Christmas stalls and light lunches onoffer from 12 to 2pm, in aid of the RNLI andVista for the Blind.

Then on Sunday afternoon (27th) at 2.30pm you are invited to an informal Quiz after-noon with cream tea at Birstall Village Hall.Approaching festive season

From then on, Christmas events will takeover the calendar. We look forward to theChristmas Carol services at Wanlip on Decem-ber 18 & 19 at 6pm.

Then, instead of standing in the coldand/or wet, singing carols to your neighbours,why not bring your neighbours to St James,on Wednesday December 21 at 7.30pm for afun evening of “Carols For All” There’ll besome help from the organ and the piano butit will be “chiefly yourselves” singing favouritecarols and enjoying refreshments together.

All completely free! More details nextmonth.

From Beryl McHugh, Parish Churches

of the founding of the 1st Birstall Companyand this will be celebrated in the morningservice on November 27.Memorial Service

On Remembrance Sunday, November 13,our minister Rev Rachel Parkinson will take aspecial memorial service at 6pm. This servicewill not just be thinking about those whohave died in conflict, but also especially thoseclose to us who have died.Winter Wonderland Christmas Festival

Friday & Saturday November 25 & 26 arethe two dates for our Christmas Festival whenthe church will be full of decorated trees,displays, models, and arrangements. If previ-ous years are any guide, it will be worth avisit to admire and appreciate the designskills and ingenuity of many Birstall folk. Thedisplays will be open Friday 10am to 7pmand Saturday 10am to 2pm.

On Friday 25 there will be an outdoorChristmas Market starting at 2pm, until 7pmwhilst on Saturday 26 there will be a tabletop sale 10am to 2pm. Refreshments & lightlunches will be available on both days.

From Tony Moore, Methodist Church

CHIPS FROM Birstall Fisheries featurein a new nationwide advertising cam-paign by Pukka Pies.

A colourful poster shows two dinersenjoying pie, mushy peas and chips, atRothley Park Cricket Club.

Tim Lee from Syston based PukkaPies Ltd said: “The photo shoot lastedseveral hours, as did the quality of thechips.

“I personally chose Birstall Fisheriesas my family have eaten from there overthe years and you are always guaranteeda great meal as well as being greetedwith a friendly smile.”

Paul Kyriacou, the owner of BirstallFisheries, said: “Pukka Pies are a greatcompany with excellent products andI’m pleased that they chose us for theiradvertising campaign.”

Pukka Pies was founded as a oneman concern in 1963. The family owned

about what can happen to them andhow the use of slug pellets are affectingtheir numbers.

Jane advises “if you find a hedgehogout in the day, it’s likely to be poorly”so give Jane a call on 07970 177 437.

The Rainbows group gave Jane asupply of cat food to feed the poorlyhedgehogs and baby ‘hoglets’ as a thankyou.

If you are interested in any aspect ofGirlguiding Birstall contact them onbirstallguides@googlemail.com

Churchnews

Pre School is aged 40!For a church group that has clients all

mostly aged between 2 and 5, the age of 40seems a bit strange. It was 40 years ago that‘Birstall Methodist Playgroup’ opened its doors.It has now been updated to a ‘Pre-School’. InOctober this group celebrated its 40th birth-day and this included a special service com-memorating this milestone. The Special Needsplaygroup celebrates their 40th birthday earlyin 2012.Girls Brigade (also 40)

Our Girls Brigade continues to grow, andas a result need a little more storage space.One of the rooms on the first floor is havinga stud wall put into place to create the extraspace the girls need. The church is gratefulfor a donation of most of the materials forthis project, which ended up costing only£30!

The GB too reaches the 40th anniversary

Birstall Baptist NewsAs I write this, we are looking forward to

our Anniversary and Harvest Thanksgivingservice on October 16, which will be led byRev Alvin Shuttleworth from Shepshed. Thisyear we will be making a donation to supportthe work of MERF (The Middle East Re-formed Fellowship), which undertakes reliefwork in the Middle East.

During September we have continued toenjoy fellowship and ministry with our friendsat East Leake Evangelical Church on Sundayevenings and also on their ‘Away Day’ onSaturday September 24, held at the LodgeTrust in Market Overton, Rutland, when theministry was led by Rev. Gwynn Williams fromCardiff.

Our visiting preacher for November, onSunday 27, will be Mr Stan Braybrook fromShepshed. We will be hosting a stall at thevillage Christmas Fair on Friday December 2and our Carol Service will be on Sunday De-cember 18. We meet in the CommunityRoom at Highcliffe Primary School and Com-munity Centre, Greengate Lane, Birstall,Leicester, LE4 3DL on Sundays at 10.45amand you will be most welcome at any of ourSunday services.

Three ‘frees’: if you are interested in find-ing out more, we offer a free, short introduc-tory course to Christianity (which will bearranged at a mutually convenient time andvenue); we also offer free CDs (of Sundaysermons) and free Bible Studies. Simon, ourevangelist, is continuing to visit around Bir-stall on the East side of the A6. For furtherinformation please ring 0116 2214883.

From Anne Taylor

P/11/2224/2: Woodlands Day Nurs-ery, 1 Park Road – fell 1 beech tree(Leics County Council Tree Preserva-tion Order)P/11/2149/2: 66A Curzon Ave – workto various trees (Tree PreservationOrder)

company has been based in Syston sincethe 1980s.

BIRSTALL RAINBOW Guides had a visit by a falconer and a hedgehogexpert this autumn.

1st Birstall Rainbows welcomedKinder Falconry who brought alongsome birds of prey for the Rainbows tomeet.

A week later the group met JaneMuggleton who cares for sick and in-ured hedgehogs.

Claire Birch from Girlguiding Birstallsaid: “Jane brought along a hedgehogcalled Daisy Moo. The group hadn’t seena real hedgehog before and all remainedquiet whilst Daisy Moo woke up to sayhello. Daisy has made a full recoveryand so will be released back into thewild very soon.”

Hedgehogs in the UK are currently onthe decline and the Rainbows learnt all

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NOV 2011THE BIRSTALL POST16

Everyone gets a cough now and again,but if you've had one for over 3weeks you should see your doctor:coughing could be a sign of lung can-cer.

40,000 people are diagnosed withLung Cancer in the UK every year. 550live in Leicestershire.

Birstall BAG’s urge you read onand learn a little more.

November is LungCancer Awarenessmonth.

Lung cancer isone of the mostcommon and serioustypes of cancer.Symptoms of lungcancer include:

• coughing• unexplained

weight loss• shortness of breath• chest painThere are two main types of primary

lung cancer, which are classified by thetype of cells in which the cancer starts.These are:

• Non-small cell lung cancer• Small cell lung cancerNon-small cell lung cancer is the

most common type of lung cancer, ac-counting for around 80% of all cases.

Small cell lung cancer is less com-mon and accounts for around 20% ofall cases. Small cell lung cancer is moreaggressive than non-small cell lung can-cer, and it usually spreads faster.

Causes of Lung CancerSmoking cigarettes is the single big-

gest risk factor for lung cancer, and it isresponsible for 90% of all cases. Tobac-co smoke contains more than 60 differ-ent toxic (poisonous) substances, whichare known to damage DNA and cantrigger the development of cancer. Thesesubstances are known as carcinogenic(cancer-producing).

If you smoke just one cigarette a day,you are three times more likely to getlung cancer than a non-smoker. If yousmoke more than 20 cigarettes a day,you are 20 times more likely to get lungcancer than a non-smoker.

DiagnosisThere are several tests that may be

used to diagnose lung cancer. Theseinclude: Chest Xray, CT Scan, bronchos-copy, lung biopsy, mediastinoscopy, PETScan.

TreatmentTreatment of lung cancer depends on

the type of tumour, its location and howfar it has spread, as well as the personsgeneral health. The outlook followingtreatment is always much better if thecancer has been found at an earlierstage. If you have any of the symptomsof lung cancer the sooner you see adoctor the better. EARLY DIAGNOSIS

REALLY DOES SAVE LIVES!For more information please contact:http://www.nhs.uk/lung-

cancer/Pages/lung-cancer-cough.aspxMacmillan Cancer Support free phone

help line 0808 808 000 Monday – Fri-day 9am-8pm.

University Hospitals of Leicester Can-cer Information Centre on 0116258 6189.

To reflect the inter-est and support ofthe local communi-ty Birstall BAG'sseeks to be inclu-sive of all cancersand the group wel-come villagers tosupport the manyevents they organ-ise each year within

the local community.We urge those affected by

cancer to visit the Birstall TimeOut Group (see separate advert).

Our next fundraising event is our annualLADIES GIFT NIGHT Friday November11th 8pm onward Birstall Earl of Stam-ford pub. Ticket only even, tickets £3each which includes a glass of wine orjuice. Tickets available from any of theBirstall BAG’s.

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CAROLS, a fun fair and a Christmas market with free mincepies and mulled wine will all feature at this year’s BirstallChristmas lights switch-on event.

Held on Friday December 2 at 6pm on the Sibson Road carpark and in the Village Hall, the event is organised by BirstallParish Council.

A Santa’s sleigh will be arriving and music will be per-formed by Leicestershire Arts Birstall Brass ensemble.

A council spokesman said: “It is unfortunate, but unavoida-

ble that in the interest of Health & Safetywe will be closing the Sibson Road carpark from 7am on December 2 and willendeavour to reopen it as soon as possi-ble after the Christmas lights event laterthe same evening.

“I must stress that any vehicles thatare on the car park when we proceed toerect the fencing at the entrance willhave to remain on site until after theevent. The fencing will be secured andwill not be removed until after the Christ-mas lights switch on has ended. Weapologise for any inconvenience that thismay cause.”

YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERLongslade College, Wanlip Lane,

Birstall, Leicester LE4 4GHEditor: Mr Jerry Jackson

Editorial/Advertising (Tel & Fax)

0116 2674213Correspondence, news etc

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