birstall post (344) mar 2012

MARCH 2012 No. 344

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

Plans for traveller sitesPLANS FOR an authorised gypsy and traveller site onGreengate Lane have been announced by Leicester CityCouncil.

Two other sites, one near Red Hillisland and one in Beaumont Leys nearthe Leisure Centre, are also planned.

The City Council say the sites areneeded to tackle the problem of travel-lers setting up unauthorised camps inthe city. The city’s one authorised site, atMeynells Gorse, is full.

The three proposed sites will caterfor both long term tenants and gypsiesand travellers passing through the cityfor short periods. Tenants will not bepermitted to keep any livestock or con-duct any business activity on the sites.

The Greengate Lane and Red Hillsites have 10 mobile homes and theBeaumont Way site has six. The Green-gate Lane site, near the junction withThurcaston Road, is already occupied bya traveller family and the new planswould see it enlarged.

The Greengate Lane site was illegallyoccupied more than five years ago butLeicester City Council granted temporarypermission to remain as one of the fami-ly had serious health problems. Thistemporary permission has been renewedon an ad hoc basis since.

£1.5million of Government moneyhas been granted to Leicester City Coun-cil to create new gypsy and travellersites. Councils also receive additionalmoney from the Government’s ‘NewHomes Bonus’ for every new dwellingthey provide.

AN EARLY morning raid bythieves saw local business-es broken into on SibsonRoad.

Only small amounts of cash weretaken but the raiders caused hundredsof pounds worth of damage.On January 28 thieves broke into Bar-clays Bank, Lily and Grace on HannahParade, the RSPCA shop and Ruby Tues-days café. On January 30 they struck atthe RSPCA shop a second time.

At Barclays Bank, a small amount ofchange from a charity box was taken –the thieves did not access any securearea. At Lily and Grace the front doorwas smashed and some change stolenbut the door cost £350 to repair andafter insurance the owners are £200 outof pocket.

Continued on page 2

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MAR 2012THE BIRSTALL POST2

Tenants on authorised sites pay rent,council tax and for utilities. The sites aremanaged by either the City Council or aHousing Association

Leicester City Mayor Peter Soulsbysaid: “Residents have raised with ustheir concerns over the numbers ofunauthorised Gypsy and Traveller campsin the city, which cost a great deal oftime and effort for the council to dealwith.

“Moving travellers on from theseunauthorised camps doesn’t solve theproblem – it just moves it to a differentpart of the city.

“By creating enough space in author-ised, well-managed Travellers’ sites, wecan help ensure they are properly runand secure sites, where residents willpay rent, council tax and charges forgas, electric and water.

“We’ve spent a great deal of timelooking at what sites across the citycould accommodate these needs, andthe three we’ve identified are the mostsuitable.”

Birstall Parish Council ChairmanStuart Jones said: “This morning, FridayFebruary 17, whilst watching the BBCNews, was the first notification of a con-sultation beginning that same day on thepotential/proposed new authorised gypsyand traveller sites in Leicester City.

“I was outraged, yet again, about thelack of communication from the CityCouncil, despite their written promise in

a letter dated October 13,2011 which read: ‘BirstallParish Council will be con-sulted, along with all theother Parish Councils adjoin-ing the boundary, on the CityCouncil’s Site Allocations andPolicies Plan.’

“I don’t think finding outon national TV news on theday that the consultation began was thebest method of communication by theCity Council. Our staff had to deal with anumber of outraged residents and hadto trawl websites for information to giveto these concerned members of thepublic. Would it not have been betterpractice to write to us with this informa-tion before the event so that we couldhave been ready for the numerous en-quiries that we have received”

He added: “It isvital that residentshave their say onthese proposals dur-ing the consultationperiod.”

One resident ofQueensgate Drive

told the Birstall Post: “I’m concernedthat if the Greengate Lane site is permit-ted property values may go down, andI’m sure I’m not the only one who feelslike this. Also, it could be the thin endof the wedge.”

A Moorgate Avenue resident said:“We are concerned about the trafficimplications of the proposed site onGreengate and feel that if the site goesahead the access for caravans should befrom the Leicester Road. GreengateLane is not wide enough

for caravans to be regularly manoeu-vred in and out. We are worried aboutthe rat run that Greengate Lane hasbecome.”

Birstall County Councillor Roger Wil-son said: “I wouldn’t say all these sitesare a problem for Birstall, but I have agreat deal of concern about the site onGreengate Lane. It’s in an area of GreenWedge, one that is recognised by the City

and one we have fought very hard toprotect. Cutting into that Green Wedge issomething I would object to very strong-ly.

“Another concern is traffic – theremay be as many as 30 vehicles at thesite pulling on and off Greengate Lane atall times of day, when we have AshtonGreen planned and traffic calming meas-ures proposed for the road. And whatarrangements will be made for the chil-dren to attend school, when Highcliffe isalready full?”

He added: “I have nothing againsttravellers, they have every right to have aplace to live. But I am very annoyed atthe way these proposals were an-nounced.”

Leicester City Council has begun a sixweek consultation period on the planswhich ends on March 30. During thistime you will be able to have your sayon the proposals.

Questionnaires are available fromBirstall Parish Council Office, the Cus-tomer Services Centre at New Walk,Leicester Central library and all publicbuildings in Beaumont Leys includingthe library and leisure centre. The ques-tionnaire is also available online atwww.leicester.gov.uk/gypsyandtravellersites.

There will be a community wardmeeting about the plans on WednesdayMarch 7 at 6pm at Christ the KingChurch, Beaumont Way, Leicester LE41DS

The plans will also be on the agendaof the March 12 meeting of Birstall Par-ish Council, 7pm, Birstall Village Hall.This meeting is open to the public.

• The proposed sites are located onGreengate Lane near the junction ofThurcaston Road, on Red Hill Way be-hind the bowling club and BelgraveRugby Clubs with access from Thurcas-ton Road, and behind Beaumont LeysPolice Station, next to the leisure centre.

The RSPCA had nothing stolen in thefirst raid but the second burglary saw£72 stolen from a charity box. A smallamount of change was stolen from RubyTuesdays.

Police Inspector Duncan Southall,speaking at Birstall Parish Council meet-ing on February 13, confirmed there wasevidence from a taxi driver, that someforensic mater was recovered and thereis CCTV footage of an individual in ablue top with a white stripe. Police en-quiries are ongoing.

Continued from page 1

Pic: the existing site on Greengate Lane

Pic: the Beaumont Way site

Pic: the location of theRed Hill Way site.Access will be fromThurcaston Rd

Sibson Rd continued from page 1

The April issue ofTHE BIRSTALL POST

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MAR 2012THE BIRSTALL POST 3

A NINE year old girl from Birstallhas the potential to become a fu-ture world champion at kick box-ing according to her coach.

Amelia Pancholi, a pupil at Riverside school,trains at the CKI school of mixed martial artsalong with her brother Joseph.

She recent took part in her first tournament inManchester, the National Karate & KickboxingChampionships, where she won a bronze medaland automatic selection to represent England in theWorld championships in Montreal, Canada in October.

Amelia said: “I enjoy having fun,keeping fit and working towards thebelts and tournaments. I am currently ablue/black belt. The best thing is havingan interest that keeps you off the streetsand knowing that if needed, I can stickup for myself.

“The worst thing is getting up on aSaturday morning to train.”

Amelia’s mum Maria said: “We’vedecided that Amelia still needs moreexperience at tournament fighting and isstill young, so will not go to Canada thisyear. We hope she continues to trainhard and maintain her success.”Pic: medal winner Amelia Pancholi

A FULL meeting of BirstallParish Council was held onFebruary 13.

PC Richard Carruthers reported therehad been a marked reduction in antiso-cial behaviour in the village compared tolast month.

Inspector Duncan Southall reportedthat a Police operation to combat therise in burglaries involved increasedplain clothes police patrols. He said thathe had been on patrol himself last weekon the Gates estate and at 2am stoppedand searched a man who was wearinglatex gloves under his woollen glovesand was carrying a bolt cropper. He wasarrested for going equipped.

County Councillor Roger Wilson re-ported that he was unaware of anyprogress regarding the Hallam Fieldsschool and recreation centre but wasattending a meeting on February 27 todiscuss the development.

He said he felt annoyed for thosefamilies who had bought a property atHallam Fields in the expectation thattheir child would be educated at thenew school and may now have to makea difficult journey across the A6 to Riv-erside.

Cllr Wilson reported that the 99 busservice and the provision of bus serviceto Wanlip were both being considered atthe County Council.

Cllr David Gaskell reported that themonthly Borough Councillor surgeries atthe 10 Sibson Road building were work-ing well. Issues raised included noise inthe locality of a pub, the time limit inthe Sibson Road parking bays and lor-ries damaging pavements.

It was reported that Matt Bagley,Leicester City Councils Travellers Sitesand Liaison Officer, would attend thenext Parish Council meeting on March12.

It was reported that the GreengateLane petition calling for traffic calmingmeasures was still being prepared.

It was agreed that the council seeklisted building consent for the Forge onBirstall Road and built in 1870, and theWar Memorial on Front Street.

It was agreed to recommend toCharnwood that a new conservationarea be designated in Birstall to includePark Road, Tempest Road, Station Road,Henson Close and Cliffe Road.

It was reported that dog fouling anddogs being exercised off the lead was acontinuing problem on the School Laneplaying field.

The Council is preparing plans toformalise the parking arrangements andlayout outside the Village Hall.

Following damage to the low wallnext to the Stonehill Avenue toilets aftera collision with a vehicle, it was agreedto remove the wall.

The Council agreed to pay £1400 forthe removal of rubbish dumped onMeadow Lane/Birstall United Social Foot-ball Club ground.

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morning to ask motorists to account fortheir movements.

“We need the public to help us bysecuring their homes and cars; keepingtheir car keys out of sight when they areat home and using their garage if theyhave one. Registering property free ofcharge on immobilise is an excellentway of deterring criminals and ensuringwe can return property to its rightfulowner if we recover any. By workingtogether we can stop this current in-crease in burglaries and hopefully re-duce crime.”

Anyone with information about theseburglaries is urged to call LeicestershirePolice on 101 or Crimestoppers, whichis free and anonymous, on 0800 555111.

You can register your property freeof charge at www.immoblise.com andsign up to Neighbourhood Link to getthe latest information from your localofficers at www.neighbourhoodlink.co.uk

A SHARP rise in burglaries, many of them in Birstall, hasseen the Police in Charnwood launch a campaign to tacklethe problem.

Since January 1, 2012 there havebeen 56 burglaries across the policingarea – an increase of 22 compared tothe same period last year. 17 of theburglaries have been committed in Bir-stall prompting the police to believe theymay be being committed by people trav-elling out of the city. The other offenceshave occurred in the larger villages suchas Rothley, Mountsorrel, Anstey, Quornand Thurcaston. On six occasions thehomeowner’s high value cars have beenstolen as well.

In response, the police have launchedan operation using high visibility andplain clothed operations. They are in-creasing the use of Automatic NumberPlate Technology (ANPR) ensuring cov-erage on all the main arterial routes intoand out of the borough and they arecarrying out enforcement days to arrestpeople wanted by the police to disrupt

their criminal behaviour. They are alsosharing information with colleagues inthe city and other Forces to see ifknown offenders are travelling into thecounty to commit crime.

In the last four months, 25 peoplehave been arrested on suspicion of bur-glary in the Charnwood area.

Officers are also running a crimeprevention campaign promoting the useof forensic DNA property marking,immobilize.com and general crime pre-vention advice. A new leaflet campaign isalso being launched and messages arebeing sent out on Facebook, Twitter andNeighbourhood Link.

Inspector Duncan Southall, Com-mander of Charnwood Local PolicingUnit, said: “The Charnwood policingarea covers one hundred square kilome-tres which is a very large area for offic-ers to cover. There is no pattern tothese burglaries and no one method ofentry is being used either so establishinga pattern isn’t easy. We think ten of therecent burglaries may be linked and onsix of those occasions the car has beenstolen as well.

“Modern cars are very difficult tosteal without the keys so criminals arebreaking into houses, stealing largeitems such as televisions and using thehomeowner’s car to get away. We arecarrying out a number of plain clothedoperations and using the latest technolo-gy to help us identify possible suspects.We are stopping lots of vehicles travel-ling along the main roads particularlylate at night or in the early hours of the

A NEW beauty salon hasopened in Birstall.

Be Beau Beauty Salon on Front Streetopened its doors in February and offersa full range of spa therapy services.

Sammie Hanna, the Director of thebusiness said: “Elemis is the leadingluxury British spa and skincare brandfavoured by as many as 6.5million spagoers per year. The successful combina-tion of natural active ingredients withcutting edge technology has enabledElemis to bring to market some of themost influential anti-ageing products andprofessional spa therapies the beauty

industryhas everseen.”

Tolaunchthe faceand bodyservicesBe Beauis offer-ing a 20

per cent discount on Elemis.Other services within the salon in-

clude high fashion beauty brands suchas Sienna x spray tanning, CND nailssuch as Minx and Shellac, and luxuryhoney waxing services.

Sammie added: “I’m passionate aboutoffering the very best brands in the areaand am working closely with the salonnext door, Shapes Hairdressing, to offercustomers the convenience of having allyour hair and beauty needs in oneplace.”

A DAIRY firm has given avan to a local charity.

The van, donated by Kirby & West,will be used by Age UK Leicestershireand Rutland to transport furniture toits charity shop on Sibson Road,Birstall.

CAN YOU find a team ofthree, aged between 13 and17, the £13 team entry feeand face the challenge ofthe 2012 Charnwood Hike?

For more details do look at the web-site www.thecharnwoodhike.co.uk whichgives you some idea of how the hikeworks. You will need the Ordnancesurvey maps 129 & 140. Be prepared towalk around 12 to 14 miles or soacross Charnwood Forest, take part invarious incidents, and get a meal at thefinish at the outdoor pursuits centre onLoughborough Road.

The Birstall Boys Brigade company

(2nd Leicester) have organised this com-petitive hike for around 40 years andteams participate from many parts of thecountry.

Last year Birstall ATC scored the mostpoints and were outright winners, a

Nottingham team were 2nd and Luton 3rd.If you are 18 or over, there are a

limited number of veterans teams thatcan enter.

For more information see the websiteor phone 07801 923 984.

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WITH BRIGHTLY coloured flamboy-ant costumes, great enthusiasm,and a ‘suitably expressive’ castthe 2012 Methodist Pantomime‘Jack & the Beanstalk’ was wellreceived by appreciative audienc-es.

One audience member described it as:“A fun event but moving too – all thateffort, camaraderie, warmth and love – notjust between Jack and the Princess! Awonderful evening. Please give our thanksto the whole drama team, shining exam-ples of community spirit.”

The choreography, by Sally Montague-Mason, included a ballet, and the musicwas led by David Bark, who, like Sally,was very patient with the ‘slow to learn’cast!

The week did not go without problems.Two cast members caught a nasty sicknessbug, and stage hand Adrian Robinsonstood in as understudy for two differentcast members on Tuesday and Wednesday.There was real drama on Wednesday whenthe director Richard Tinley, playing theDame, fainted on stage – but he was backplaying his full and exuberant part the nextday.

The Radio 4 - Gardeners Question Time

section had the audience being given ad-vice about slugs, blackfly, Jeyes Fluid, andmanure – and getting very involved too!

Any men who would like to join thecast for 2013 are welcome – rehearsalsstart in late September, ring 2209462 or2675128 now and the Panto team willremind you nearer the time.

A WOMAN who likes to singhas started a singing groupwhere everyone is encour-aged to sing their heartsout.

The ‘Sing Your Heart Out’ group wasset up by Birstall’s Louise Hall andmeets weekly in Syston.

Louise said: “Gareth Malone on TV’s‘Choir’ has shown what an amazing,uplifting thing it is to come together andsing! So why not give it a go?

“Singing is our birthright. For thou-sands of years all over the world peoplehave sung – to express joy, celebrationand grief, to accompany work and devo-tion, to aid healing – without worryingabout having a ‘good’ voice or ‘getting itright’. Song has been a part of life, away of bringing people together, for avery long time. Perhaps now is a timefor you to reconnect with this joyful, yetpowerful activity.”

Louise Hall has loved singing all herlife, taking part in many singing groups,including Leicester’s Amika Choir that‘wowed’ the crowds at the Curve’s ‘Festi-val of Choirs’. In summer 2011 she leda singing workshop each day at a weeklong summer festival which was so suc-cessful she decided to set up a place forpeople to ‘Sing Your Heart Out’ on Sun-days in Syston Community Centre, from7-8.45pm

Louise said: “We have fun with differ-ent types of songs and we learn by lis-tening and repeating, so there’s nomusic reading involved. We start with awarm up and have a laugh with someaction songs. You can come along everyweek or just when you can. Men, wom-en and children are welcome.”

Comments from some people whocome along:

“I go out on a high and it lasts allweek, thanks Louise”

“Louise teaches songs that arestraightforward to learn but sound greatbecause they have such wonderful har-monies”.

“I can’t believe how great we sound!”The fee is £5 or £4 each time you

come, depending on your means. Justturn up, no booking required.

For further information call Louise on0116 2677007

Pics (clockwise from top left): The PrincessCarolina (Isaak Harrison) meets ‘Jack’ (ElliottHarrison); Paul Young as the Fairy & with TonyMoore in his arms; Richard Tinley as WidowGoodbody; Chorus singing ‘Raindrops’ (l-r)Tony Moore, Roger Dickman, James Moore,Michael Kerchey, and Peter Tinley; The Kingplayed by John Towson

Director faints but show goes on!Havefunsinging

Pic: Louise Hall


ms is April 4. Alternatively youcan get in touch withus via the Blog orFacebook. As before,the location is secret

until the displayhas beeninstalled,

and wewo

TO COMMEMORATE theQueen’s Diamond Jubilee,Birstall Parish Council areholding a competition tofind their very own Queen &King for this year’s Gala.

A VALENTINE’S day yarnstorm saw knitted hearts displayedin public spaces.

Following an appeal in last month’sBirstall Post, the knitting guerrillas ofBirstall (KGB), had 105 knitted heartsfor their display.

KGB spokesperson Trout Mask said:“Our chosen site for a portion of thehearts was our faithful tree outsideGreengate Medical Centre and we creat-ed a ‘tunnel of love’ at the labyrinth,Beacon Hill. It is very dark in there afternightfall when we crept in to hang thehearts.”

KGB are now planning the next event,with an Easter theme. They are appeal-ing to knitters and crocheters to join inand donate Easter Eggs and Easterthemed items.

Trout Mask said: “Once again, thecreations can be dropped off at theBirstall Methodist Coffee Shop in anenvelope marked ‘FAO David Bark forthe KGB’ – we promise that he is aninnocent party in ourescapades! The coffeeshops is open 10amtill 12noon Mondaythrough to Saturdayand the last dayto receivetheite

n’t be able toreturn theitems. Howev-er, we willtake as manyphotos aspossible andtry our best tocredit every-one for theirinvolvement.

“We hopeto get a greatresponse onceagain fromlocal knitters,both old andnew, whowould like tojoin in the funand raise asmile or two!”

www.kgb-123.blogspot.com

CALL 999 and ask for immediateassistance if your dog becomestrapped in partially frozen water.

That is the advice issued thismonth by Leicestershire Fire & Res-cue Service, who routinely assist atincidents of this type – on SundayFebruary 5 they were called out twiceto rescue dogs in difficulty. Officersare specially trained and equipped todeal with these types of incident.

A spokesman said: “Do not enterthe water if your dog does. In gener-al, dogs will find their own way out –resist the temptation to jump in your-self.

“You should keep your animal ona lead at all times when close tofrozen water.”

“If you are aged between 9 and 11years old and you would like to openthe gala with the Mayor and Mayoress ofCharnwood and The Chairman of BirstallParish Council on Sunday July 1 and bethe most important person in Birstall forthe day then simply complete the entryform and return it to us” said DeputyParish Clerk, Sue Coulson.

Birstall Parish Council, Council Offic-es, Birstall Road, Birstall, Leicester LE44DH

You can obtain a copy of the formfrom the Parish Council offices, theVillage Hall, Birstall Road or you candownload the form from the Council’swebsite on the Gala page. This must becompleted and returned to the ParishCouncil offices by no later than FridayMarch 16.

The entrants will be invited to attenda selection night at 6pm on MondayMarch 19 in the Village Hall on BirstallRoad where the Gala Committee willappoint a Queen and King.

In order to be chosen you must com-plete and return the application formbefore the deadline, attend the selectionnight on March 19 and be available toattend the Gala on July 1.

www.birstallparishcouncil.org.uk

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THE PROVISION of a new school at Hallam Fields remainsunresolved.

are pressures on its budget.One option for the site would be the

provision of a Free School. These are anextension of the Government’s Academiesprogramme, are funded directly fromWhitehall and are not controlled by thelocal authority. The first 24 Free Schoolsopened in autumn 2011. 79 additionalFree Schools were approved in October2011, most of which will open in 2012.Free Schools can be set up whereverthere is a parental demand and can beset up by groups of parents, teachers orcharities.

The new Schools Network is a charitythat was set up in 2009 to promote andfacilitate the creation of Free Schoolswww.newshoolsnetwork.org

Critics of the Free School model saythat Free Schools will be funded morefavourably than local authority schoolsand admit more children from wealthierbackgrounds, as they will have greatercontrol over their admissions policies.

helped 12 adults and young people,as young as 5 and up to 80 to paintsnowdrops. Some were using watercolours for the first time, others weretrying out different painting tech-niques.

Find out more about the EventsExtra programme at www.birstall.org(choose Activities, then SocialEvents), or pick up a leaflet at Bir-stall library, Lambourne Café, BirstallMethodist Coffee Shop or the Parishchurches. Rose Parrott 07811662235

A PAINTING workshop with alocal artist and a guidedtour of Bradgate Park werethe first two activities of aplanned series of communi-ty events.

‘Events Extra’ is a new programme ofsocial events for all organised by theParish churches.

Organiser Rose Parrott said: “OnValentine’s Day 15 adults and youngpeople aged 9 to 80 joined the BradgatePark Ranger to find out all about aplace we all can see and spend manyhappy hours enjoying the Park. Theweather turned out to be mild, the snowand ice still there in parts, but the parkwas bathed in sun”

Later that week at Wanlip Church andCommunity Hall, local artist Sue Faulks

A County Council spokesman told theBirstall Post: “We are continuing to nego-tiate with the developers of Hallam Fieldsto ensure suitable and adequate provisionis created to serve the residents of thedevelopment. At this time no decision hasbeen taken to expand Riverside.

“There isn’t a precise timescale butdetailed negotiations are ongoing and theparties involved hope for a resolution assoon as possible.”

In Spring 2011 the County Council saidit had decided a primary school wouldnot be needed at Hallam Fields and that itwould consult with Riverside school aboutaccommodating the children there.

The County had deemed that a schoolwas necessary when Jelson Homes wasgranted planning permission for HallamFields in 2000. As part of a section 106agreement, Jelson was required to con-tribute £2,050,000 for the provision of aprimary school and recreation centre.

The County’s position in Spring 2011that a school was not needed means thatthe S106 agreement has to be renegotiat-ed, with Charnwood Borough Councilstating that it would press for the ‘recrea-tion centre’ part of the deal to be re-tained. It is these negotiations that arestill ongoing.

Concern has been expressed locallythat if Hallam Fields children are accom-modated at Riverside, the existing trafficcongestion near the school would worsenand those children walking to schoolwould have a dangerous route, having tocross the A6.

Some sources say the County’s deci-sion that a school is not needed is a fi-nancial one - £2million is not enough tobuild a school and the County would haveto fund the shortfall at a time when there

Hallam Fields: newschool provided?

CHARNWOOD BOROUGH Councilhas announced it is freezingcouncil tax for 2012/13.

The County Council has made asimilar commitment for the next threeyears.

Charnwood’s budget for 2012/13contains £1.3million of ‘savings’. Thereare plans for a Community FacilitiesGrants fund of £150,000 over twoyears, to help parishes and towns ren-ovate and improve community build-ings.

Across the country more than 150councils have announced that they arefreezing council tax or reducing it.Around 30 are planning a rise, ofwhich 11 are Conservative controlled.

The Government has set aside£805million in grants to compensateany council that agrees a freeze. Thoseauthorities who agree a freeze will bepaid an amount by Whitehall equivalentto the amount of money they wouldhave raised if they had increased coun-cil tax by 2.5 per cent. This ‘freezegrant’ will end in 2013/14.

Councils that announce an increasegreater than 3.5 per cent are nowrequired to hold a local referendum toapprove the rise.

Art andthe parkevents

Pic: (top) Sue Faulks leads theworkshop and (right)one of thepaintings

Tax freeze

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Holidays ApproachIt is bad enough losing your purse

or wallet when close to home but itcan be a disaster if it happens whileyou are away, especially abroad. A fewsimple precautions taken before yougo on holiday can make life a loteasier should the worst occur.

First of all, do not carry all of yourcards and money together, split thembetween two or even three pockets orbags while you travel and store all but

what you need on a daily basis in thehotel safe once you have arrived. Keepyour passport there too but carry aphotocopy of it with you in case youare asked to produce identity.

Make a note of important tele-phone numbers, especially those youneed to cancel cards, and keep it withyour passport. Put the numbers intoyour mobile phone as well but re-member that it can also be stolen orlost. A written list of important num-bers can be invaluable.

Make sure that you have two sepa-rate cards with which you can drawmoney in an emergency but do notkeep them together. Then, if you haveto cancel one, the other is not affect-ed. If you are travelling with a com-panion that you trust, it is a good idea

for each of you to carry the other’sspare card whenever you are unableto keep them in a safe.

Some banks are now offeringemergency telephone cash services ifyou are stranded without your cashcard. It is worth checking with yourbank about this.

Take care to avoid pickpockets incrowded places both at home andabroad. Travel wallets that you canhang around your neck under cloth-ing are available, although not highlyregarded as fashion-accessories!

Your holiday is well earned andmeant to be enjoyed. A little care andforethought can prevent it turning intoa nightmare. Bon voyage.

Ed Chambers, Secretary, Birstalland Wanlip Neighbourhood Watch

www.villagewatch.co.uk

BIRSTALL VILLAGE CChave had a promisingturn out of players forthe 2012 season.

Nets at Grace Road have beenencouraging with many old playersreturning and a few new faces look-ing to strengthen the club.

BVCC 1st XI won the PremierDivision title for the third time infive years and look forward to hav-ing another big season. The clubhas seen the emergence of talentedjuniors who if they continue theearly form in the nets should makean impact in the senior teams.

Birstall Village encourages andwarmly welcomes any new players,young or old, who wish to join theclub. We are about to begin ourpre season training so if you want tojoin or just get an early hit out inthe nets then come along!

Pre season net dates at GraceRoad (within the LCCC ground):

Every Thursday night from 9 –10pm with the last net on March 29.

Under 15 Nets at LongsladeSchool Sports Hall

Every Monday evening until theend of April from 7 – 8.30pm witha fully qualified coach who willprovide these juniors with experi-enced and skilled advice on allelements of the game.

If you would to find out anymore information about our Seniorteams, please contact Club Chairmanand Secretary, Andy Merry on07708473308 or 1st Team Captain,Dave Sharpe on 07527186705. Formore information about our juniorteams please contact Prad Sood on07531339320. For regular updatesthroughout the season, keep youreye on the BVCC website:

www.birstallvillagecc.co.ukWe once again look forward to

you support for another successfulseason.

From Joshua SayePic: Birstall Village Cricket Club Jun-iors from the 2011 season looking tomake their way into the senior teamsthis year.

CricketCorner

NHW news& crime report

Crime Report : Birstall Jan 5 – Feb13, 2012

Assaults 12, harassment 1, burglary20, burglary non-dwelling 11, damage10, damage to motor vehicle 5, drugs3, fraud 4, theft 4, theft from motorvehicle 4, theft stores 2.

There has been a marked reductionin antisocial behaviour in the villages,a drop or 29 per cent. Also a cleardrop in the theft of cycles. Thanks tothe NHW for their efforts in postcodingbikes over the last few months.

From PC 2139 Richard Carruthers,PCSO 6611 Mark Butler, telephone101

Let your children join in the Zumba craze

STONEHILL HIGH SCHOOL, BIRSTALLApril 2 - 6: 12 - 1pm 4 to 7 yrs, 12 - 2pm 7 to 12 yrs£20 for the week

Keep them from getting bored this Easter holidayby having fun, learning to dance & making new friends!Disguising exercise with fun & games, it’s the perfectway to keep your children healthy! • CRB Checked

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10 week course of Zumbatomic classes starting April 21BIRSTALL VILLAGE HALL11 - 11.45am 4 - 7 yrs, 11.50am - 12.35pm 7 - 12 yrs


CHURCHES IN Birstall and Wan-lip are marking the season ofLent by asking people to do-nate any old or unwantedspectacles.

670 million people in the world aredisabled or disadvantaged because theydon’t have glasses. Specs will be sent to“Vision Aid Overseas” via the Sibson Roadbranch of Henry Smith & Hamylton (Opti-cians) Ltd. The charity will either recondi-tion the glasses for direct use in Ethiopiaand Burkina Faso or else will raise cash fortheir work by reclaiming recyclable materi-als.

Rachel Parkinson, speaking for ChurchesTogether in Birstall and Wanlip, said:“Methodists, Anglicans and Roman Catholicsare gathering together each week in Lent tostudy the healing works of Jesus recorded inthe Bible. We want to extend this focus onhealth and healing by taking a practicalaction which can involve the whole commu-nity. I know I’ve got at least one pair ofglasses lying around the house that I don’tneed and I’m sure other people will be thesame. Let’s see how many pairs we can gettogether.”

Collection points will be set up in localchurches as well as in Riverside and High-cliffe Primary Schools. Publicity materialshave been made by the Birstall MessyChurch and include ‘totem poles’ of specta-cle-wearing faces. Glasses in any conditionor without their cases are welcomed.

Andrea Wright, General Manager of Hen-ry Smith and Hamylton, said: “We are de-lighted to be part of this project being runby the Birstall Group of Churches. We havefor many years collected old spectacles forVision Aid Overseas as well as donating anysurplus ophthalmic equipment to this veryworthy cause. We hope that the HealingProject proves to be a resounding successand look forward to receiving the donatedspectacles.”

Anne Jordan (60) of Malling Closeentered a BBC writing competition in2007 and won a prize. She said: “Mystory was about a cat who got lost in thesnow but eventually found his way home.It occurred to me, how about includinga character that has a learning difficultyin some more cat stories with the samecat character. I teach adults with learn-ing difficulties and they say you shouldwrite about what you know best.”

She added: “My latest venture is toput the stories I have written so far onto Amazon Kindle with the title‘U.R.Normal’, the spelling is deliberate.There are five stories for adults with asmall explanation of the learning diffi-

culty mentioned in each story at the endof each one. I am calling these factbytesas they are meant to give a small bit ofinformation only. Hopefully this will leadyou to doing your own research! I havealso included the five cat stories I havewritten.”

Anne has not had any of her storiespublished yet but regularly enters amonthly fiction competition in the Writ-ers’ Forum National Magazine and re-cently one of her stories made theshortlist for that month.

Anne said: “My aim is to continuewriting stories with characters withlearning difficulties in them. I have along way to go but I love writing.”

“OFTEN THE best way of learning something is from astory” says a Birstall writer whose stories are nowavailable on the Kindle Store.

Author with apassion for writing

Donate old spectacles

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In response to Mr Cherry’s letter inthe Feb issue of Birstall Post: I disagreewith your accusations of this ParishCouncil ‘flaunting’ any regulations thatthey agree to. To answer your questions

in more detail:1) The Allotments Act 1922 defines

‘allotment gardens’ as ‘an allotment notexceeding forty poles in extent which ismainly cultivated by the occupier for theproduction of vegetables and fruit cropsfor consumption by himself or his fami-ly’. (Section 22)

You are confusing maximum size withminimum, for which there is no legaldefinition.

2) Referring to your second pointand the points raised in a copy of aletter from Liz Bunting – Legal Advisorfor NSALG to MF. the Allotments Act1950 states at Section 10 (1): Land letby a council under the Allotments Acts,1908 to 1931, for use as an allotmentshall be let at such rent as a tenant mayreasonably be expected to pay for theland if let for such use on the terms(other than terms as to rent) on whichit is in fact let: It is considered that theannual rent of £30.00 (0.576p perweek) which includes water charges,is thought to be a very reasonable rentfor the benefits received, bearing inmind the following, we have:34 tenants out of the 140 paying the£30 rent = £0.576p per week

20 tenants paying £12 rent = £0.23pper week

43 tenants paying £14 rent =£0.269p per week

13 tenants paying £24 rent =£0.461p per week

30 tenants paying £7 rent = £0.134pper week

The rates are set after a comparisonexercise with other Parish Councils. Allof our new tenants have accepted the£30 rent without question and haverecently signed up again for their secondyear at £30, and so I find it difficult tosee where your problem lies.

3) We clearly give 12 months noticeof any increases in the form of a letterwith new tenancy agreements The £30rent did not increase for 2013.

The reason for increasing the otherrents is to bring all plots gradually intoline with the annual rent of £30 to helprecover some of the £11,600 deficitincurred in the management of the allot-ments. Full recovery of the costs wouldresult in an annual rental averaging £90.A similar principle applies to the hire offootball & cricket pitches and it is ourview that the subsidy of allotments andsports is, of necessity, a widespreadfeature of Parish Council authority. Allfees are reviewed annually.

I am well aware that offers have beenmade by Birstall Allotment Society re-garding the management of the allot-ments and can only refer you to MrBlackburn’s letter dated 31 August 2010which outlined the reasons for the Coun-cils decision to decline.

As members of the NSALG we tookthe opportunity of contacting the ourNSALG area representative to ask theiradvice on these “three r’s” and she hadno idea whatsoever, she also thoughtthat our rents were very reasonableindeed.

Sue Coulson, Deputy Clerk Bir-stall Parish Council

to take them down to the manned pe-destrian crossing but rather walkingstraight across Greengate Lane, directlyopposite Woodgate Drive ie very adja-cent to the brow of the hill. This is in-herently dangerous and as well as notusing the safety facilities available, givesthe wrong messages to their children.Basically it is saying, 'Don't bother usingthe safety facilities available if you don'twant to.' How silly is that? The County,Borough and Parish Councils can all doas much as they can to protect yourchildren's safety but they do require you,as parents, to do your bit.

Cllr 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:[email protected]

It was with deep sadness that weearly morning swimmers and the staff atCossington Street Pool heard of the sud-den and tragic death of Jane Shilcock.

Jane swam in her own distinctivestyle for over twenty years, first at StMargaret’s Baths and then here at Coss-ington Street. She was a friendly andactive woman who walked here everyweekday morning from her home inBirstall. She cared for her elderly moth-er, grew her own vegetables and lovedwalking and dogs. Jane will be muchmissed and remembered with affectionby us all.

Jenny Cook

At one of our surgeries, the issue ofspeeding traffic on Greengate Lane, par-ticularly during school times, was raised.I agreed to look into it, together withCllr Stuart Jones. We found that therewould appear to be such a problem andso, as a member of the Highways Forum,I agreed to raise this with them. This Idid on Tuesday January 17 and wasassured by them that they were alreadyaware of the issues and were takingremedial action to help rectify this. I wasreassured by their comments but we willbe closely monitoring their actions toensure that their words match theirdeeds. However, in the course of mysurvey I noticed that parents bringingtheir children to Highcliffe from theWoodgate Drive area were not bothering

My letter about S106 funding pub-lished in last months Birstall Post hasbeen included as an agenda item fordiscussion at the next full Parish Councilmeeting on March 12 at 7pm.

Unfortunately the intention seems tobe to bring me to account for writingthe letter rather than addressing theissues raised such as to why so little ofthe funding has been used to benefit thevillage as a whole and why no one isable to answer simple questions regard-ing the funding.

It wasn't me that promised to build aschool, signed a contract with the build-ers for them to pay £2,050,000 towardsthe cost and then changed their mind.

I want to make it crystal clear that ifeel the the blame lies firmly with thethree layers of local government, that thebuilders are blameless and that I wouldbe failing in my duty as an elected coun-cillor if I didn't try to get the the bottomof this fiasco.

If anyone has an questions they wantto raise about this you can pass them tome through the Parish Council officeor send them direct to me using mycontact details on the Parish Councilwebsite.

Julian Howe

I hope you can help me. I am tryingto get in touch with the relatives of thelate Ivy Clay who lived in Birstall most ofher life. My name is David Mawby, and Ilive in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Ivywas my birth mother, who I found about35 years ago, and we were in contactwith each other up until about 10 yearsago, and I assume she died. I am notsure who in the family knew of me, so itcould be delicate. I was born in Leices-ter on the 8th September 1945. I wasadopted when I was six weeks old. Mybirth name was Paul Clay, but waschanged when I was adopted. Ivy toldme why I was adopted, and I understoodand accepted the reason. I do know thatshe had more children, and it would

be nice if they could contact me, ifthey wish. I do hope you can help me inthis search, or put me in touch withsomeone who could. My email is:[email protected]

David Mawby

We are concerned about dog depositsin Gwendolin Avenue, made by a verylarge dog daily. Hoping the owner willtake heed and take the dog deposits

Allotments

Jane Shilcock

Use the crossing

Funding answers

Ivy Clay

Deposits

I. Wardle Maintenance Services (Birstall DIY)Do you need any of the following workcarrying out? If so, please phone or email me.FENCING: Erection & RepairsGARDEN MAINTENANCE: Turf Laid, Mowed & Hedges Cut etcBUILDING REPAIRS/WORK: New Guttering & RepairsINTERIOR WORK: Curtain Rails Fitted, Mirrors Hung & PaintingLANDSCAPING: Gravel Drives & Paths LaidFLOORS: Concrete & Laminate Laid

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home.The school children are up and down

this road regularly and are walking in it.Name & address suppliedPS I have been caught twice.

but they first set up here ILLEGALLY andhave remained here because the coun-cils have failed to do anything to shiftthem. They should be moved, not givenpermanent homes at the tax-payer'sexpense.

I urge ALL residents who care aboutthe value of their homes, personal safety,crime levels and the environment, to doall they can collectively to ensure thispreposterous proposal is stopped. Con-tact your MP Stephen Dorrell, as well asyour local councillors and push them totake action. I truly hope our councillors,who have been chosen to represent us,will have the conviction to rise to thefight. I also hope that they will be ar-ranging a public meeting in Birstall, sothat residents can show their opposition,as public meetings advertised so far arein City Council areas. When/if such ameeting is known about PLEASE attend -do not think that others will do this. Ourstrength will be in the number of peoplethat show how passionate they are aboutstopping these sites. Remember, if thesesites go ahead you will not be able giveyour property away - let alone sell it - soyou will be stuck surrounded by gypsycamps for ever, which will only grow insize.

One thing is certain, if this proposalis successful, it will surely be the finalnail in Birstall's coffin.

Name & address supplied

public footpath from Birstall Road toNetherhall Lane.

I was contacted by another lady whohad a very similar frightening experience

This account also appeared in theBirstall Post. Since these reports Leices-ter City Council has had over five sepa-rate people contacting them with similaraccounts.

It is such a lovely walk through to thelakes and I would hate anything to hap-pen to anyone else. I would like to seesome sort of safety procedure put inplace before others finds themselves inthis awful position. I am still not at workproperly and still undergoing physiother-apy on a weekly basis at the hospital.The impact has been long and arduouson my health and my family. I want todo all I can to make sure no one elsegoes through this.

I am curious to know if anyone hasever reported anything to anyone, re-garding incidents, before my accident,perhaps the owners of the field, thehorses, or our own local council per-haps?

Spring/ Summer is approaching andthe days are drawing out, the perfecttime for a late evening stroll, a dog walkor out and about with the children. Iwant all to be able to enjoy this safely.

I would really appreciate any otheraccounts and who if anyone, you told.

Many thanks have a ‘safe summer’.C [email protected]

that I must object for several reasons. Atleast a ‘minority’ of travellers have shownover the years that they disrespect andabuse the environment, not just by leav-ing litter strewn around but by destroyingfences and cutting down trees and thatabuse seems likely to continue.

Whenever travellers have camped inthe vicinity ie on the grass verges at thesides of the roads which lead off fromthe end of Greengate Lane going towardsLeicester and Thurcaston there seem tobe increased reports of burglary onGreengate Lane and parts of the Gatesestate. Fortunately, so far I have not suf-fered a burglary but I have often beenpestered by travellers offering to tarmacmy drive for a very low cost (accordingto them!). When told I am not interestedin having any work done they have beenvery reluctant to take No for an answerand usually have become persistent andthus very annoying.

Also, when travellers have been resid-ing in the area, albeit mostly just for afew weeks I have heard shooting by ashotgun or shotguns which has seemed tocome either from the railway or fromfields adjacent to the railway. I cannot sayfor certain that the shooting is by travel-lers but more often than not it coincideswith their presence in the area. A lot ofpeople walk their dogs either along the

After enjoying a day at the parksledging with my family. I returnedhome to Went road to find people emp-tying the grit box (which is for theroads) to use on their drives. Do theseselfish people realise that the grit is forthe use on our roads, and not theirdriveways? As a resident of Went Road Iwas unable to grit the road, which Ihave done over the past few years.Which lead to a school bus getting stuckpicking a resident up from our street onMonday morning. This would not havehappened if these selfish people (theyknow who they are) purchased theirrock salt from a local DIY to do theirdrives.

Name & Address supplied

You may not be aware but LeicesterCity Council is about to commence pub-lic consultation on proposals to establishthree permanent Traveller sites on theoutskirts of the City close to Birstall. Thethree sites under consideration are atGreengate Lane, Beaumont Way andRedhill Way.

The largest of the sites is the current‘temporary’ pitch on Greengate Lanewhich is to be enlarged to accommodateten pitches. However, looking at the planand the layout of the access road it isnot beyond the realms of possibilitiesthat once established the site could beexpanded further south along GreengateLane in the future. Notwithstanding thefact that this site is significantly closer toBirstall than the majority of BeaumontLeys, the City Council have said thatthere are no plans to consult residentsoutside of the City Council Boundary.

That doesn’t mean of course thatresidents do not have the right to maketheir views known.

Further information can be found onthe Leicester City Council’s web-site atleicester.gov.uk/gypsyandtravellersiteswhere there is to be an online question-naire for people to make their viewsknown to the City Council. Question-naires are also available from BeaumontLeys Library or Leisure Centre. MattBagley, of the Multi Agency TravellersUnit is, I understand, to discuss theplans at the next Birstall Parish meeting.I would suggest that anyone looking forfurther information should attend themeeting and make their comments totheir local councillors.

Name & address supplied

So on top of everything else thatothers have mentioned on this letterpage (an unwanted Park and Ride, ex-tensive overbuilding, lack of leisurefacilities) it seems that Birstall is nowthe proposed target to be surrounded bythree gypsy camps that will sit within anarea of less than two miles; one onBeaumont Way, one on Red Hill Wayand the other on Greengate Lane. Theargument in favour of the GreengateLane site is that the gypsies have beenhere for years anyway. This may be true,

Thank you to all who sponsored megrowing my moustache. I raised a mas-sive £500 with donations still coming in.

Manny Sanghera

I'm trying to do something about ahazard on a Birstall public footpath. LastAugust some of you may have readabout my accident where I ruptured myAchilles heel, as a result of being chasedby an aggressive horse, whilst taking the

I find it strange that some people feelthe need to lead a travelling lifestyle in-stead of settling down in permanent ac-commodation but I suppose we have toaccept that there will always be so-calledtravellers and therefore they do needofficial sites with adequate facilities, regu-lated and properly supervised by localauthorities.

In regard to Leicester City Councilestablishing an official site off GreengateLane, I feel as a resident of that road,

Grit

Traveller sites

Final nail?

Thanks

Hazard on path

Traveller sites

Continued on page 12

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railway or in the fields alongside it and itworries me that they are possibly puttingthemselves and their dogs at risk whenshooting is happening. I wonder if thepolice check as to whether any of thetravellers own guns and if checks do takeplace and guns are found to be owned bysome travellers, whether the police wouldagree to them having licences?

It has been announced that severallocal authorities across Britain are goingto celebrate and commemorate theQueen’s Diamond Jubilee by creating intheir areas a site of woodland to beknown as a Jubilee Wood. I have suggest-ed that Leicester City Council do likewiseparticularly as the Council likes to regardLeicester as Environment City and espe-cially as the Queen is visiting Leicester inMarch as the first place she is visitingthis year. When she does visit it would bevery appropriate and would probablyraise the status of Leicester for the citymayor to tell the Queen that the city isgoing to create a Jubilee Wood. I havesuggested that an ideal site for that wouldbe the area bounded by Leicester Road,the Western By-Pass, the Great CentralRailway and Greengate Lane. I understandthis area is to remain designated as agreenfield site, a green wedge and itseems timely and logical to transform itso that it can be used and enjoyed by thegeneral public. That area planted withhundreds of trees and criss-crossed bypathways would be a wonderful facilityfor walkers and cyclists and indeed forwildlife ant it could perhaps be part of agreater facility by linking it in some waywith Watermead Country Park and per-haps with Beaumont Park. If a JubileeWood were to be created in that area andhopefully it will be, it would be very inap-propriate, in fact ridiculous and indeedvery worrying for a travellers site to beestablished in Greengate Lane, to be at-tached like a blister to what would be awonderful facility for a lot of people,whilst remaining a greenfield/greenwedge site.

J Woods

Many thanks to all local residentswho supported Wreake Valley RotaryClub’s Santa Sleigh so well in December.Many, mainly local causes will benefitfrom the proceeds. During the last yearthose organisations we have supportedinclude: Birstall ATC, Birstall Juniors andCommunity Football Clubs, ThurmastonGuides and Brownies and Syston YouthProject.

Don’t forget to look out for details of

our upcoming 8th annual Charity RealAle Festival which will be held at SystonCommunity Centre from April 19 to 21.

The Wreake Valley Rotary Club

ple who worked in them.If you can help please contact JohnBrooks on 0116 2302625 or email

[email protected]• • •

Avoid being targetedby rogue traders

Put your mind at rest and visit theAge UK Business Directory, where you

will find a large selection of trust-worthy traders and businesses whichhave been checked by local Age UK

staff who are available to helpwww.aubd.co.uk

If you do not have a computer we willhappily search the Directory for you –just call us FREE on 0800 5999435

Leicestershire & Rutland Age UK• • •

Birstall Birdwatching Clubpresents

Fluttering Jewelsby Steve Houghton

Looking at his project to photographthe entire butterfly species in Leices-

tershire & Rutland. Steve has beenphotographing wildlife for over 25years and the results are stunning.

Tuesday March 13 at 7.30pmThe Rothley Centre, Mountsorrel

Lane, RothleyVisitors welcome £2

Contact Ken Goodrich 0116 2674813• • •

Charity BridgeDrive

Organised by Loughborough LionsClub

The Rothley Centre, MountsorrelLane, Rothley

Wednesday April 18 at 1.30pmAfternoon tea provided at a cost of

£6 per personTo book a table please contact Jackie

on 0116 2303317 or email:[email protected]

• • •Mountsorrel Methodist Church

presents the Third in the EleventhSeries of

Sunday Night @Eight

Organ Recitalson Sunday March 18 at 8pm

by Josef Laming & Jack ThompsonAdmission free

Donations for the Church’s Develop-ment

Buffet from 7.30pm• • •

Charity WhistDrives

Held on the first Thursday of everymonth

at the Rothley Centre, MountsorrelLane, Rothley

at 7.30pm. Admission £2The next whist drives will be held on

Thursday March 1, April 5 & May 3organised by Derek Farr

• • •Birstall Social Club Wanlip Lane

Come and dance thenight away

Every Tues & Sat night ballroom andsequence dancingCash Raffle Thurs

Bingo Thurs, Sat and SunGames Room

Secure parkingNew members welcome

Function rooms available• • •

PhotographyEvening

Wed April 18Ellis Tea Rooms, GCR Station, Rothley

Improve your digital SLR and Pho-toshop skills

Contact Lesley Peasant 01162302234 (evenings)

• • •

Aspergers SyndromeFind information andsources of support

at www.assupportgrouponline.org• • •

Birstall Flower Club

‘Dancing WithFlowers’

Pauline FosterWednesday March 28 at 7.15pm

Birstall Village HallVisitors very welcome

Coffee MorningMethodist Church,

Howe Lane, RothleyMarch 10

From 10 to 11.30amProceeds in aid ofAir Ambulance and

Methodist Church FundsRaffle, tombola, cake stall,

white elephantEntrance fee £1

Inc tea and coffee, biscuits• • •

The Rothley Centre12 Mountsorrel Lane,

Rothley LE7 7PRFriday April 27 at 7.30pm

presents

The upBeatlesin a Charity Concert in aid of

The Leicestershire & Rutland Branchof the

Motor Neurone Disease AssociationRegistered Charity 294354

Tickets £6From John on 0116 2674040

• • •

Can You Help?Rothley History Society is arrangingan exhibition, to be held later this

year, which will illustrate the physi-cal changes that have taken place inthe village since the enclosures of

1780.In more recent years farming and in-dustry, which were major activities inthe village, have all but vanished andthe land they used is now occupied

by residential development.To illustrate the earlier uses wewould like to borrow photographs

showing factories, farms or the peo-

Noticeboardall details printed free

Continued from page 11

Thanks

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The birstall post47 x 59mm £26 • 47 x 120mm £4498 x 59mm £44 • 98 x 120mm £78

CALL 2674213 for an advertising rate card,or view online at www.birstallpost.co.uk

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• • •Birstall & District

Local History SocietyThursday March 8

‘The Lost Housesof Stoneygate’

speaker Neil Crutchley7.30pm in the Birstall Village Hall,

Birstall RoadVisitors are very welcome

• • •St James Age Concern 200

club winners:1st Mr Richard Green No.105

2nd Mrs Gwen Bradshaw No.453rd Miss Emily Ball No.37

4th Mrs Pam Potter No.133• • •

Birstall RoyalBritish Legion

March 3: Double Trouble (F/DUO)March 10: Leanne Green (F/V)

March 17: Leighton Morell (M/V)March 24: Vinney (M/V)

March 31: Sam Bailey (Award Win-ning F/V)

Dancing every Saturday night withlive entertainment

Bingo Free meat raffle and not for-getting Open the Box

Every Tuesday night Bingo starting at9.15pm

Quiz nights Sunday March 11 & 25starting at 9pm

Acoustic night Sunday March 18Rock & Roll nights Wednesday March

7 & 21Open for Bank Holiday Monday (Jan

2) Families welcomeFood available every Saturday

Wakes catered for• • •

Birstall Ladies Bowling Club

Coffee MorningSaturday March 3110am to 12noon

Methodist Hall, Wanlip Lane, BirstallRaffle, Tombola, Cakes, Bric-a-brac,

Books etc• • •

Knit2gether GroupBirstall

Last Wednesday of every month atthe White Horse Pub in Birstall,

7.30pm onwardsNext meeting Wed March 28

All are welcome to join in our socialknitting and crochet group

Meet like minded friends and learnabout participating in public art

projects.There’s no charge to join but we

can’t provide materials or equipment(though we welcome donations) as

there is no funding for this group justyet

For more info contact Lisa Pidgeon atwww.littlebirdsos.co.uk or call/text

07760232059• • •

Saturday March 24

Easter CraftMorning and Café

Birstall Guide HQ, Johnson Road, Bir-stall

10am to 12noonCrafts to buy and make

Easter bonnet competition with judg-ing at 11am

Easter bunny, egg hunt, stalls andrefreshments

• • •

An Evening of Faure’smusic

(including the popular Requiem)sung by the Cossington Voices(conductor Alexandra Lewis)

on Saturday March 31 at 7.45pmat St James’ Church, Birstall

Organist Simon MurphySoloists: Caroline Sharpe, soprano

Robert-John Edwards, baritoneTickets £6 (inc refreshments) at the

doorProceeds for Cossington Church Res-toration Fund and Children’s Homes

in Bethany, Palestine• • •

The Bark Foundation

Coffee ShopSat March 17

10am to 12noonTombola, raffle, lucky bags

Jewellery stall (lots of new items)Fashion Show & Sale

Friday April 20 at 7.30pmMany bargains for you

Tickets £5 (inc refreshments)Available now by telephoning

01162 677576Both events at Birstall Methodist

Church• • •

Councillors’ SurgeryMarch 31, 10-12noon

Old Council Office, 10 Sibson RoadPlease raise any issues of local con-

cern with your Borough Councillors• • •

MacmillanStarlight Supper

March 10, 7-11pmAt the Trees pub (lounge area)

Please come along and help raisevaluable funds for Macmillan Cancer

Support and make a difference to thelives of people living with cancer!All you need to do is each make a

secret donation in the envelopes pro-vided on the night in exchange for

your supper and no doubt great com-pany. Every penny raised from the

Starlight Supper will go to the Mac-millan Cancer Support. There will befood, cakes, bar, music & raffle to

help raise fundsFamilies and friends welcome, please

let us know estimated numbers forthe supper. We hope to raise as much

as possible. Hope you can make it,every penny counts.

Please text/call Paula: 07934551563for your free invite or to donate

• • •National Childbirth Trust

Baby& Children

NearlyNew Sale

Sat March 241.30-3pm (1pm for NCT members)

Beaumont Leys School, Anstey Lane,Leic LE3 OFL

£1 admission (in aid of NCT), chil-dren free

Sale of good quality used baby &children’s clothes (0-12 yrs), mater-nity wear, nursery equipment, books,

toys & games• • •

Film PresentationsFrom Thurcaston & Cropston Parish

Council“One Day”

Friday March 9 (107 mins)Based on a best-selling novel by DavidNicholls, this film is an epic funny butsad love story. Anne Hathaway and JimSturgess play Emma and Dexter who

graduate on St Swithan’s Day, vowingto remain good friends for ever. They

occasionally meet up while dealing withthe joys and heartbreaks of life in

teaching and in television, during thenext twenty years. Then their fates un-

expectedly entwine… “Jane Eyre”

Friday April 13 (120 mins)Mia Wasikowska had never seen an ear-lier version of this film when she took

on the role of Jane Eyre. We swing fromthe strange happenings in the houseout in the wilds back to Jane’s hard

childhood and then to the electrifyingattraction between her and Mr Roches-ter. However, secrets threaten that

glimpse of happiness…‘My Week with Marilyn’ Friday May

11.“The Iron Lady” Friday June 8.

Thurcaston and Cropston ParishCouncil will be showing these films atThurcaston Memorial Hall. Starting at7.30pm, tickets cost £4-50 and con-cessions are £4. The price includes

refreshments and a lucky prize draw.Advanced tickets can be purchased

via the parish office 0116 236 7626or at the door.

Enjoy a complimentary therapy treatment in a calm relaxing atmosphere. Meet &chat to other patients & carers over a cup of tea. Therapies available includearomatherapy massage, reflexology, Indian head massage & reiki


Elina Garton, Emily Manship, BenMartin, Emily Mason, Kirsty Naismith,Meera Patel, Charlotte Platts, JoshSmalley, Hayley Taylor, Matthew Well-

born and Tom Wilkes took part.The challenge was for groups of

students to compete against eachother to build the tallest possiblefree-standing structure. However,there was a catch – the only materi-als available were marshmallow andsticks of spaghetti. Longslade studentsled teams of primary schoolchildrenfrom various schools around the areato the dizzying heights of tower con-struction, with some fantastic andvery sticky results.

The eventual winner was JoshSmalley and his team, building atower of almost two metres, withHayley Taylor’s team a close second.Pic: (l-r) Hayley Taylor, Ben Mar-tin, Matt Wellborn and Elina Gar-ton

CHARNWOOD BOROUGH Council will invest £60million toimprove its housing stock over the next five years.

The Council’s Cabinet approved theproposal in February as part of theCouncil’s 30 year housing business plan.

Properties in greatest need of refur-bishment will take priority under theimprovement plan which will see insula-tion work completed on all Precast Re-inforced Concrete (PRC) properties by2015 and all Decent Homes work com-plete by 2021. Also high on the list willbe improved heating systems.

The investment has been made possi-ble thanks to changes in Governmentrules about the way council housing isfinanced.

Councillor Jane Hunt, CharnwoodBorough Council’s Cabinet member forHousing, said: “Under the new rules, theCouncil is allowed to keep all the rent itcollects rather than pay it in to a nation-al pot. This gives us more control overthe money, and most importantly meanswe can increase how much we spend onimproving our housing stock.

“Over the next five years we plan tospend around £60 million on a pro-gramme of improvements which will

ELEVEN OF Longslade’s Gifted & Talented Year 11 stu-dents took part in a Construction Mania event organ-ised by Riverside Primary School, Birstall in December.

include works to Precast ReinforcedConcrete (PRC) homes and the ongoingDecent Homes programme.

“This is fantastic news for tenants,especially those whose homes are ingreatest need of investment as they willbe the first to benefit from this invest-ment scheme.”

Because of the rule change, theCouncil will first have to pay£79.2million to the Government, whichit will borrow and pay back over thethirty years. This means that all the in-vestment can be paid for out of theCouncil’s own housing account, whichwill be made up of loans, governmentgrants and around £18million a yearincome from rents.

Charnwood Borough Council has5,847 rented, 287 leasehold dwellings,18 leasehold shops and 824 garages.

These are managed on behalf of theCouncil by Charnwood NeighbourhoodHousing.

Council house rents will increase by£4.80 per week, from £61.82 to £66.62per week

Cash spent on homes

Physics challengeusing spaghetti

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Spring in the air?What a relief, March has arrived!

With the days lengthening and hopefullythe dullness and cold of January andFebruary behind us, Spring is becominga reality.

There is plenty on our church calen-dar to rouse us from our winter lethar-gy, starting with a call to all women onFriday March 2, when at 7.30pm at St.Theresa’s church we celebrate the Wom-en’s world day of prayer. This year thewomen of Malaysia give us a revealinginsight into the injustices of their coun-try, where women are still discriminatedagainst in education and employment.

work is recorded in the New Testament.These letters and records were originallywritten in Greek, as that was the com-mon language of the Mediterraneanworld at that time. Three main Greekwords are used interchangeably for localchurch leaders: episkopos, which meansa ‘superintendent’ and it can also betranslated as ‘bishop’ or ‘overseer’ (e.g.1 Timothy 3:2 & Titus 1:7); presbuteros,which means ‘senior’, ‘elder’ or ‘presby-ter’ (e.g. Acts 14:23 & 20:17; Titus 1:5)and oikonomos, which means a ‘manag-er’, ‘overseer’ or ‘steward’ (e.g. Titus1:7). In his letters to Timothy and Ti-tus, Paul outlines the qualificationsneeded for the post of ‘elder’. Such aperson acts in the local church as an‘under-shepherd’ of Jesus Christ andpoints to Him in the preaching, which isthe main purpose of the church alongwith worship.Sunday Services

Our Sunday services are at 10.45a.m. in the Community Room at High-cliffe Primary School and CommunityCentre, Greengate Lane (LE4 3DL). Ourvisiting speaker on March 4 will be MrJohn Todd from Loughborough. Youwill be most welcome to join us. Forfurther information please ring 01162214883.

From Anne Taylor, Birstall In-dependent Baptist Church

P/12/0369/2: 2A Stonehill Ave – erectionof single storey extension to rear and sideof dwellingP/12/0239/2: 30 Sycamore Rd – retentionof conservatory to rear of dwellingP/12/0325/2: 30 Wanlip Lane – erectionof conservatory to side of dwellingP/12/0283/2: Land off Geoff Monk Way –display of various illuminated and non-illuminated signs and flagpolesP/12/0302/2: 32 Iris Avenue – erection of2 storey extension to side of dwellingP/12/0248/2: 34 Blenheim Rd – erectionof a brick garden shed

Giving up for Lent?Instead of ‘giving something up’ for

Lent why not join the series of meetingswhich are being jointly arranged throughthe Methodist, Anglican & Roman Catho-lic Churches in Birstall.

The meetings will follow the theme of“Jesus’ healing works and ours”. EachTuesday evening meeting will start at7.30, and be led by different people.There will be opportunity to listen to atalk and then an opportunity to discussthe material in groups. Refreshmentswill be served too.

The next meeting is entitled “Faith &Healing” at St Theresa’s on March 6.On the 13th at Wanlip the title is simply“Touch”. March 20, “Deliverance” at theMethodist Church, and the final meetingat St James “To ask or not” on March27.A real Irish Night

An evening of Irish Music, with asupper is planned for Saturday March17 at 7.30pm, arranged by the lovelyIrish Eileen and Peter. It is in celebra-tion of St Patricks Day. The cost is £8with proceeds going to Action for Chil-dren and The Bark Foundation. Tel2929670 for tickets.Special Needs Playgroup reaches 40

In December the Church playgroupreached its 40th Anniversary. Now inMarch the ‘Special Needs Playgroup’reaches the same anniversary. For thosethat have been involved with the groupthere is an Anniversary Party on March24 and on Sunday March 25 the morn-ing service will celebrate this anniversa-ry.Christ in the Centre

Friends from our church will bestewarding at this City Centre event onGood Friday April 6, when the scenesthat led to Christ’s crucifixion will beplayed out in the centre of Leicester.

From Tony Moore, MethodistChurch

Village church newsSunday March 18 is that very tradi-

tionally British occasion, MotheringSunday, which will be celebrated at StJames at the 9.30am service, when po-sies of flowers are presented to all wom-en in the congregation.The road to Easter…

As described in last month’s Post, theinter-denominational Lent talks eachTuesday evening at 7.30pm on the sub-ject of Healing, will continue duringMarch. “Faith and healing” is the subjecton March 6 at St. Theresa’s; “Touch” on13th at Wanlip; “Deliverance” on the20th at the Methodist church and “Toask or not” on the 27th at St James.Everyone is welcome at any of thesemeetings, as well as to the short medita-tions, which will be held from 7.30 to8pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednes-day in Holy Week (April 2-4).

Our Curate, Stephen Crofts is continu-ing his series of ‘Quiet Days’ with aPilgrimage on Saturday, March 24, start-ing from St. James at 10am and arrivingabout 1pm at Wanlip for a light lunch.Phone Stephen on 3279781 for moredetails.

Cossington Voices will be singing aprogramme, of music by the Frenchcomposer Faure, including his much-loved Requiem, on Saturday March 31 atSt. James church at 7.45pm. The organ-ist will be Simon Murphy with the so-prano soloist Caroline Sharpe andbaritone, Robert-John Edwards. (See theNoticeboard page for more information).…and beyond?

After the very successful Alpha course(the well-known introductory course tothe Christian faith) held last autumn inthe evenings, it has been decided tooffer a daytime course starting afterEaster. If you, or someone you know, isinterested in exploring what it means tobe a Christian, you are invited to get intouch with Stephen on 3279781, eitherfor more information or to sign up forthe course.

From Beryl McHugh, ParishChurches

What’s in a Name?Different words are used for the

names of those people who lead a localchurch and many of you will be familiarwith such terms as ‘vicar’, ‘rector’, ‘min-ister’, ‘curate’ or ‘priest’. In B.I.B.C.we use the name ‘elder’. This is one ofthe words used by the translators of ourEnglish Bible.

During the period immediately afterthe ascension of Jesus Christ, Paul andthe apostles established churches inmodern-day Turkey and Greece and this

THIS SUMMER young peoplein and around Birstall willhave the chance to take partin a free groundbreaking na-tional programme to helpthem learn new skills andsupport their local communi-ty.

National Citizen Service (NCS) is a flag-ship government initiative which aims topromote a more cohesive, responsible andengaged society by bringing young peoplefrom different backgrounds together tomake a difference in their communities.

It is a voluntary summer programmefor 16 year olds which focuses on their

personal and social development whichincludes challenging activities, from away-from-home residential experiences to aself-designed social action project.

Now in its second year National CitizenService is scheduled to run throughoutEngland in July and August with over 500young people expected to be involved fromLeicestershire in the three week pro-gramme. Nationally up to 30,000 16 yearolds will be involved.

National Citizen Service is open to allYear 11 students, although places will beallocated on a first-come first-served basis.Those signing up will be expected to spenda residential week at an outdoor centreteam building and developing personalskills before undertaking 30 hours of ac-tivities on a team project in the communi-ty.

Spokeswoman Abigail Kearley said:“National Citizen Service gives young peo-ple a structured and creative way to spendpart of their summer, while giving some-thing back to their local community. It willalso give them the edge with their jobsearch and university applications.”

Anyone wanting more information aboutNational Citizen Service in Leicestershirecan contact Abigail Kearley [email protected].

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MEMBERS OF the community group Transition Leicester are cele-brating after being awarded £30,000 of grant funding to develop anew community energy cooperative for Leicester and Leicester-shire.

To coincide with National HeartMonth in February, St John Ambulancehas introduced a new price for a pack-age of a defibrillator and comprehensivetraining for up to eight people for£1,695.

St John Ambulancewants to seemore Auto-mated Exter-nalDefibrillators(AEDs) availa-ble at business-es and locationslike doctors anddentists surgeries,leisure facilitiesand shopping cen-tres where theycould save some-one’s life if theirheart stops beating.

An AED is an im-portance piece ofequipment that can savelives in the minutes aftersomeone suffers a cardiacarrest. The machine shocks theheart back into action and can be oper-ated by anyone, regardless of the level oftheir first aid knowledge.

In the UK one person dies every sixminutes from a heart attack and as manyas one in three will die before theyreach hospital. Thirteen per cent of allworkplace casualties are cardiac arrestvictims and for each minute that passes

without defibrillation, the chances ofsurvival fall by up to 10 per cent.

Mel Fox, Regional Director for com-mercial training at St John Ambulance inthe Midlands, said: “St John Ambulancebelieves that no one should die because

of a lack of first aid when theyneed it. The survival rate increas-es by more than 50 per cent ifan AED is used within the firstfour minutes, so immediatedefibrillation could be the dif-ference between a life lost anda life saved. This is a fantasticpackage offering all you need

to have an AED on site withconfidently trained staff,

but in an emergencyanyone can use a defi-brillator as the ma-chine talks youthrough the proc-ess. The moreAEDs that arelocated through-

out the county themore lives that can be

saved.”Anyone interested in purchasing an

AED, or to request more informationabout first aid training through St JohnAmbulance, should contact St John Am-bulance on 0844 324 5535.

AED training and requalificationcourses can be delivered through any ofSt John Ambulance’s training centres inthe Midlands, including locations acrossLeicestershire.

A MARCHING brass band is looking to recruit new members.Thurmaston Marching Brass Band meet once a week at the Scout and Guide HQ

in Thurmaston and regularly take part in local and national events from parades andcarnivals to competitions and royal performances.

No experience is necessary to join and an instrument and uniform is provided.New members must be 7+ (no upper age limit) and belong to any Scout or

Guide Association.Contact Richard Warrington on 0116 2353812 or 07831 105648.

LEADING FIRST aid training provider St John Ambulance hascut the cost of a vital piece of emergency medical equip-ment in a bid to encourage more businesses and organisa-tions in Leicestershire and Rutland to help save lives.

Equipment thatsaves lives

The funding, secured from the Gov-ernment’s Department of Energy andClimate Change, will be used to identifylocal installation sites for solar electricpanels and woodchip boilers, and to setup a community-run organisation todeliver local projects to cut fuel billsand generate renewable energy.

The new company will enable localresidents, community groups and busi-nesses to invest in local energy provi-sion, by buying shares to fund newrenewable energy installations. The or-ganisation will be volunteer-led and runfor community benefit, with any profitsbeing paid as a dividend for local inves-tors, or reinvested in local energy savingschemes. The cooperative will belaunched at the Green Light festival inLeicester on Saturday March 31.

The coop has been initiated by localvolunteers from Transition Leicester,who are working with renewable energyexperts from Sharenergy and Run by theSun Ltd.

Sam Woods said: “The new coop isgreat news for organisations that wouldlove to install renewable energy but can’tmeet the upfront costs, and for anyonethat would like to invest in a positiveand sustainable future for their localarea.”

The project team are asking localorganisations to get in touch if theirpremises could be suitable for invest-ment in solar PV and woodchip boilers.The team are looking for buildings withlarge south-facing roofs, or premises inoff-gas areas spending more than £5000a year on heating bills.

For further information or to discusspossible installation sites, contact Sa-mantha Woods [email protected] or07890 587 611.

Band seeks new members

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BIRSTALL UNITED JuniorsUnder 15s boys team areholding a Family Race Nighton Saturday April 7 atStonehill High School tohelp pay for the kids to goon a football tour of the UK.

Manager, Manny Sanghera said: “Thecurrent under 15 boys team have beentrying to go away on tour abroad for thelast two years. However this has not beenpossible mainly because the costs haveincreased massively, and the underlyingfact that people have less disposableincome now. Therefore they can’t spendas much on kids’ trips that can give somuch experience and memories that theywill never forget.

“With kids having missed out on pre-vious years, we had decided to try andarrange a tour in the United Kingdom forthem. We had booked on a tour in theUnited Kingdom at Southport, which hasnow been cancelled by the tour companyand it now looks gloomy for anotheryear.

“Myself and the other manager havedecided enough is enough and haveorganised a ‘Family Race Night’ to helpraise funds, to still send the kids awaythis year. This will be held at StonehillHigh School on Saturday April 7, with allprofits from the evening going towardsthe kid’s cost of the trip.

“If you would like to sponsor any ofthe races, there are 8 in total, or theevent itself then please contact us, or ifyou would like to donate any gifts for ourraffle this would be greatly appreciated.”

All are invited to attend this familyrace night in Birstall, doors will open at7pm and tickets will be sold in advance,but can also be purchased on the night.Tickets priced £2 for adults & £1 forchildren. To book tickets or for moreinformation please call Manny on 07940528279 or Gail on 07962 147916.

More than 100 cyclists took part inthe 20 mile ride in 2011 – this year theride will again take you through a cir-cular route along the leafy lanes andpretty villages of Charnwood, startingand finishing at Rothley school on Sun-day April 29.

Organised by Rothley School PTFAthe event is raising money for the Mus-cular Dystrophy Campaign and new playequipment for the school.

Spokeswoman Emma Hallam said:“Huge thanks go out to our event spon-sors: Taylor Bloxham Printers, Bradley’sSuperstore and the Woodies pub inRothley, meaning 100 per cent of allmoney raised will go direct to the char-ities.”

Halfords will be selling helmets andoffering free bike checks and there willbe a crafts and games area for childrenunder 14, accompanied by an adult.

The ride is suitable for all levels ofability and families are welcome –

young people aged 14-18 can take partif accompanied by an adult. There is a£15 registration fee. For more detailsand entry forms call 0116 2374867 orvisit:www.charnwoodforestcycleride.co.uk

BIRSTALL PARISH Council is makingimprovements to the Memorial Wallat Greengate Cemetery.

The main part of the work will in-volve the removal of plaques and theirremounting on new wood, which isintended to be a long lasting solutionand help keep plaques in place. Allplaques will be replaced in the sameplace after this work has been complet-ed.

Some works to the surrounding areahave already begun. The main work tothe wall will begin during early March.If you have any enquiries, the Parishcouncil is inviting you to contact themon 0116 2676191.

FREE HOME-MADE cakes are promised to those who crossthe finish line of the second Charnwood Forest Cycle Ride.

Bicycle ride’s secondspin from Rothley

THE GOVERNING Body ofRiverside Primary Schoolhas a vacancy for a Com-munity Governor.

A school spokesman said: “Any-one who lives within our local com-munity can become a CommunityGovernor. No experience is neces-sary just interest, enthusiasm and awillingness to give up some of yourspare time. Our team of Governorswork together to ensure that everychild at Riverside gets the best edu-cation possible to enable them toreach the highest standards ofachievement.”

If you would like more informa-tion about becoming a school Gover-nor please write to Rachael Boyall,Chair of Governors, c/o RiversidePrimary School or email:[email protected]

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SEVERN TRENT Water has an-nounced it is not currently pre-dicting any usage restrictions thisyear, despite record low rainfallover the winter period and theEnvironment Agency stating thatparts of the region are officiallyin drought.

The situation remains under constantreview however and the company istaking steps to ensure supplies are resil-

ient this year and next.Over the last six months the company

has focused on moving raw water sup-plies across its water ‘grid’ from thewetter West to the drier East to balanceout regional supplies. Careful waterresources management from river andground water sources, including thedevelopment of a new over-land pipelineat Draycote Reservoir has also helped tostrengthen the system.

The company is also reminding cus-tomers to use water wisely and save

water in the home and garden, with freewater saving kits available for all cus-tomers at www.stwater.co.uk

Severn Trent water resources manag-er, Marcus O’Kane said: “Dozens ofindividual measures are being taken toensure our customers do not face anyusage restrictions this year, but we can’tafford to be complacent. Although wewould never rule out the prospect ofrestrictions, we are confident we havethe situation under control at this time.”

VISITORS TO the Great Cen-tral Railway’s Rothley sta-tion can sample the awardwinning tourist attraction’slatest completed project.

The popular Ellis’s Tea Room atRothley station has been extended tocope with demand and was officiallyre-opened on Saturday January 14.

The tea room only opened threeyears ago in a building converted froma former grain store at the station.With only 26 seats it quickly becamefull during busy gala events – the newextension has almost doubled thelength of the building.

The majority of the funding for the£35,000 project has been provided bygenerous supporters of the Great Cen-tral Railway through its dedicated char-ity, the David Clarke Railway Trust.However, £10,000 was providedthrough a Leicestershire County Coun-cil ‘Inspire’ Visitor Development grantafter a successful application.

With the original conversion of thebuilding three years ago great care wastaken to preserve the character of thebuilding. It isn’t listed, but the stationbuildings at Rothley, right alongside,are. The finishing details reflect theoriginal structure but a stepped designindicates where the old building finish-es and the extension starts.

Rothley station’s extended tea room opens

CHARNWOOD BOROUGH Council isasking residents to suggest sitesin their locality that are suitablefor development.

Sites suitable for housing or em-ployment land will feature in theCouncil’s Strategic Housing LandAvailability Assessment (SHLAA).

The assessment is a part of theCouncil’s evidence base for its LocalDevelopment Framework (LDF) – aset of documents that guide planningand development in the area.

Residents have until March 16,2012 to take part in the consultationatwww.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/urbancapacitystudy

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Pension IncomesRecent research by Prudential has

revealed that pension incomes are ex-pected to hit a five year low for peopleretiring this year, meaning that one infive will have to survive on less than£10,000 a year.

The recession has seen a fall in pen-sion funds and annuity rates, which,when combined with inflation risesmean that thousands will struggle tomake ends meet.

However, this isn’t just a problemfacing future pensioners. Today’s pen-sioners are already struggling; yet manyare not aware of the financial supportavailable to them. Two thirds of pension-ers on low incomes, who could be eligi-ble for Pension Credit do not believethey qualify; yet a quarter of them strug-gle with bills, a third with housing costsand 1 in 10 are forced to skip meals.The latest government figures show thatthe amount of Pension Credit unclaimedannually was between £1.6bn and£2.9bn.

The charity Turn2us says it is impor-tant that pensioners are aware of theirpotential welfare benefits entitlement. Aspokesman said: “Pensioners have todeal with a terribly complicated benefitssystem, which often deters them fromclaiming much-needed funds. Yet, it iseasy to access the free Turn2us benefitscalculator and establish entitlement, howmuch is available and where to claim -www.turn2us.org.uk. Those withoutinternet access can call our freephonehelpline on 0808 802 2000.”Arthritis

Arthritis is a disease characterised byinflammation of the joints, which resultsin pain and swelling. It is estimated thatarthritis affects over 9 million people inthe UK.

The most common form of the dis-ease is osteoarthritis which affects over8 million people in the UK. This type ofarthritis causes the cartilage between thebones to wear away, causing the painfulrubbing of ‘bone on bone’ joints. Knees,spine, hands and hips are the most fre-quently affected joints, which becomeswollen and sore. Joint related condi-tions increase the age of onset, but itusually develops in those aged 45 yearsand over. Arthritis is diagnosed by yourdoctor using a combination of X-rays,scans, blood and urine tests(http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/arthritis/).

Diet, with vitamin supplements, hasshown some evidence at reducing thesymptoms of arthritis, if taken in moder-ation. Omega-3 fatty acids (found infresh fish) can reduce inflammation andthere is some evidence of Vitamin E(nuts and cereals) also reducing inflam-mation and preventing damage to bones.Lack of Vitamin D (sunlight) is wellknown to cause brittle bones and isessential in bone development. An expo-sure of 15 minutes a day, to naturalsunlight, is recommended.

Glucosamine and chondroitin supple-ments are thought to nourish damagedcartilage, and are recommended by

General Practitioners (GPs). A recentreview by the British Medical Journalhas however stated that these supple-ments have no effect on reducing jointpain (BMJ2010;341:c4675).

There is no cure for arthritis; howev-er there are a number of treatment op-tions. Anti-inflammatory drugs such asibuprofen can help reduce the swelling,as well as corticosteroids. Painkillers arealso given to reduce the pain associatedwith the disease and in severe casessurgery can be an option. Knee and hipreplacements are the most common typeof surgery, with a quick operation thatdoes not require an overnight stay inhospital.

From Samantha PriceWarm Front

Warm Front energy help schemegetting a frosty reception in the EastMidlands

Consumer Focus and National EnergyAction are warning that the Govern-ment’s flagship scheme to help the poor-est households in England to make theirhomes warmer and cut their energy

bills, is set for up to a £30 million un-derspend this year. This means manyolder people, families and people withlong-term health problems will miss outon much-needed help.

Warm Front has seen a dramaticdecline in applications for help. In Aprilto December 2011 applications in theEast Midlands fell to just over 3,000,down from over 11,000 the year before.A fall of 72% - the second highest per-centage fall in applications (see table innotes for full regional breakdown). InEngland less than 40,000 people appliedfor a Warm Front grant compared toover 130,000 applications in the sameperiod in 2010. The scheme was over-subscribed in 2010 but funding was cutby almost two thirds this year.

The Warm Front scheme - whichoffers heating and insulation improve-ments to households living on low in-comes – is expected to see up to a fifthof its £143 million worth of funding forthis year going unclaimed. This moneycould help up to 16,000 households inEngland struggling to afford their energybills to cut their costs by a potential£650 per year.

A combination of factors are likely tohave led to this fall in applications. Theeligibility criteria were made stricter andthe Government did not advertise thescheme as it was anticipated demandwould again exceed supply. The milderwinter weather may mean not as manypeople have been driven towards thescheme, but it is also seems that thenumber of advice organisations referringpeople to the scheme must havedropped significantly. They are likely tohave been concerned people would endup not getting the grant given eligibilityrestrictions and the much smaller fund-ing pot.

Consumer Focus and National EnergyAction are urging people to put in aclaim now before the funding for thisyear ends on March 31. People on cer-tain income-related benefits and living inhomes that are poorly insulated or donot have a working central heating sys-

tem are eligible for Warm Front grants.Anyone who is eligible for Cold WeatherPayments can claim the grant such as:older people receiving pension credit;families with a child under five and inreceipt of Income Support, Income Re-lated Employment and Support Allow-ance or income based Jobseeker’sAllowance; and people with higher ratedisability premiums.

Audrey Gallacher, Director of Energyat Consumer Focus, said: “The poorestpensioners and families will have beenhit particularly hard by high energyprices. Many are living in cold homes,which could put their health at risk. It isvery disappointing that people who needWarm Front help to make their homeswarmer and cheaper to heat are likelyto miss out. We’d urge anyone whothinks they may be eligible to put in aclaim. This help is free and can make abig difference in affording your energybills and keeping warm and well.”

Full details of who can claim helpunder the Warm Front scheme and howto apply are available on Directgov -www.direct.gov.uk/warmfront People canapply for the scheme online, by post, orby phone on 0800 316 6004 (or text-phone 0800 072 0156), Monday toFriday 8.00 am to 6.00 pm and Saturday9.00 am to 5.00 pm.

INFOage

THE BIRSTALL POSTYOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Longslade College, Wanlip Lane,Birstall, Leicester LE4 4GHEditor: Mr Jerry Jackson

Editorial/Advertising (Tel & Fax)

0116 2674213Correspondence, news etc

can be handed in at:Birstall Library or to our office in the

Youth Centre,Longslade College, Birstall

[email protected]

The ideal venue for forWeddings • Parties

Christenings etcLarge Function Room with use of Kitchen

Separate bar for that quiet moment

Car Park with CCTV coverageDisabled facilities

Mid Week Functions takenGive us a call at Birstall Rd on

2674059 or 07837 690287

The Midlands Co-OperativeSports & Social Club

Birstall Road

Help us in our work helpingothers less fortunate than

ourselves

All gifts and donations gladlyaccepted at the

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION19 FRONT STREET • BIRSTALL

or Ring 2674817

NOT SELF”“SERVICE

ALANCHAMBERS

PAINTER &DECORATOR

24 Years ExperienceFree Quotes & Advice

Tel: 0116 2941336Mob: 07989 451048

39 Copeland Rd, Birstall

ALL TYPES OF DOMESTIC& INDUSTRIAL WORK

Extra PointsAlarmsRewiringSecurity LightingElectrical TestingPart P Registered

Control Electrics LtdTel: 0116 2682910

FREE ESTIMATES

Home CarersRequiredAre you a caring person?Like varied work & job satisfaction?Join our team of carers in the Mountsorrel,Cropston, Quorn, Sileby, Syston, Birstall &Wymeswold areas.Flexible shifts, 10-40 hrs per week, & morn-ings, evenings and weekends available.No experience required as all training will beprovided.Up to £7.25hr, plus travel expenses. Tele-phone essential. Ring Debbie between8.30am & 4.30pm for more information on0116 2696247 (quoting reference BP)

Help At Home (Egerton Lodge) Ltd

M&G PlumbingServices

All Plumbing& Heating work

undertaken

0116 267790507834 600384

Sycamore Rd, Birstall


the Be Clear on Cancer brand?Be Clear on Cancer has been devel-

oped for bowel, lung, breast and bloodin urine, as a symptom of bladder andkidney cancer. An additional breastcancer version specifically for womenover 70 years has been developed.

Oesophago-gastric cancer will beadded to the suite of materialsfor Be Clear on Cancer during

2012.Timings of the

Be Clear on Can-cer campaigns?

From 30 Jan-uary 2012, theDepartment ofHealth has runthe first nationalbowel cancercampaign to raise

public awarenessof the symptoms of

bowel cancer and helpimprove earlier diagnosis. The

campaign will feature on national TV,radio and press, as well as on buses,pharmacy bags, TV screens in GP prac-tices and online, providing people withmultiple opportunities to see the BeClear on Cancer message.

Meanwhile, lung cancer became thefocus of a regional pilot in the Midlands,running from 10 October to 13 Novem-

ber 2011, and 18 new local projects arepiloting activities to raise awareness ofthe symptom of blood in urine (forbladder and kidney cancers), breastcancer in women over 70, oesophago-gastric cancer and lung cancer in 2012.

Look out for Be Clear on Cancermaterials around Birstall. The messagesthese materials convey lead to earlierdiagnosis and save lives, take note andtake responsibility for your own health,if you are concerned SEE YOUR GP.

For more information:http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/spotc

ancerearly/naedi/beclearoncancer/Macmillan Cancer Support free phone

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

University Hospitals of Leicester Can-cer Information Centre on 0116 2586189.

Or contact Department of Health’s BeClear on Cancer campaign [email protected]

To reflect the interest and support ofthe local community Birstall BAG's seeksto be inclusive of all cancers and thegroup welcome villagers to support themany events they organise each yearwithin the local community. Our nextfundraising event is our annual LiveBand Night at the Birstall Social Club onSaturday March 17th - Ticket onlyevent. www.birstallbags.co.uk

TELEPHONE EXTENSION Sockets fit-ted by ex-BT engineer. Cable, BTand digital TV. Over 25 yrs experi-ence. John 2675132

AMLI DESIGN Architectural Consul-tancy. Plans drawn and submitted.Extensions, conversions, new build.David Ives B.Sc.(Hons) FBEngMCIOB 0116 2674395 /07974807111www.amlidesign.co.uk

MATHS & PHYSICS tuition. Popular,experienced private/college tutor,(PGCE, BSc Hons) offers excellenttuition and exam preparation forGCSE and A-level. Call 07980749992 for more details.

COOKER VALETING Cookers cleanedinside and out, drives and patiospressure washed, conservatoriescleaned inside and out. Also gener-al house cleaning. Tel: 01162215079, Mobile 07955175177

REIKI TREATMENTS at Blue Moon.First visit half price. Vouchersavailable. Visit www.rainbow-therapy.net for details

FOR SALE ‘Simply Yoga’ DVD andinstruction book. Never used gift£7.50. Stainless steel boules withcarrying case and rules – hardlyused £10. Small box of healthbooks mainly heart problems £5.Can deliver Tel: 0116 2925824

ACCOUNTANCY SERVICES providedby qualified accountant. Low ratesfor sole traders/small businesses.Tel: 2673951

PIANO TUITION: Friendly profes-sional tuition for all ages. Lessonstailored to individual needs. ChrisWhite 07587177851

FOR SALE Bungalow detached, cul-de-sac location, bottom of Green-gate Estate. 2 beds, south facinggaarden. Side extension, gfch/dg.Garage & parking for 3 cars. Pleasering 2676926/07855 730029

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 25pa word. You are liable for the trade/businessrate if you are offering a service for which youare asking for payment, or if you are advertis-ing new goods for sale. All text will be printedbold. Box outline £1 extra. Max 50 words.Phone numbers count as one word.

Small Ads

BIRSTALL BAG’S have embraced theDepartment of Health’s Be Clear onCancer campaign and are using thecampaign material for the first timeat the BAG’s Cancer Awareness CoffeeMorning at Birstall Methodist CoffeeShop on Saturday March 3.

The campaign is an excellentinitiative and the BAG’s reallyhope to keep Birstallinformed with itsprogress. The BeClear on Cancerbrand was devel-oped by the De-partment ofHealth and hasbeen in use sinceJanuary 2011 topromote aware-ness and earlydiagnosis of cancerlocally, regionally andnationally. The campaign aimsto raise public awareness ofsymptoms of cancer and encouragepeople with symptoms to see their GPearlier.

Each campaign is tested locally to seehow people respond and what impact ithas on their behaviour. The results theninform whether the campaign is takenforward more widely.

Which tumour types are covered by

proSP CSeyewear

at the best pricesQuality spectacles

visit our showroom

Unit 3,Victoria MillsFowke St,RothleyEasy Parking

Top quality lenses including Varilux, Nikon, Zeiss

Contact Mike or Teresa Keily on 0116 237 6098DESIGNERFRAMES

GET A QUOTE FROM US BEFORE YOU BUYYOUR NEXT PAIROF SPECTACLES Same day service on most plastic lenses

www.tebbatt-electronics.co.ukTEBBATT ELECTRONICS

TelevisionLCD • PlasmaDVD recordersDigital Radio

Washing MachinesTumble DryersDishwashersRefrigeration

MicrowavesVacuum Cleaners Built-in Appliances

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Home

Installation

& After Sales

Service

Free 5 Year Warrantyon the latest models of selected Panasonic Televisions

need anneed anelectrician?electrician?

Simon Oates Electrical Contractors18 Cliffwood Ave • Birstall • Leicester

0116 2672675 or 07816 288765www.birstallelectrical.co.uk

“Local, Reliable,Clean & Tidy”That’s what our customers are telling us!see our web site for more testimonials.• Fuse board upgrade/Rewires• Additional sockets & lighting• Landlord safety certificates/PAT testing• Electric showers fully installed• All work guaranteed• Free call out for elderly people



birstall post (344) mar 2012

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