birstall post (357) april 2013

APRIL 2013 No. 357

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

Stonehill’s good reportTHE QUALITY of teaching at Stonehill school has improvedsay Ofsted, who have rated the school “Good” in all are-as: a step up from the “Satisfactory” rating it achieved in2010.

Ofsted inspectors visited the schoolin February. Head Teacher Alan Monkssaid: “We are delighted with the judge-ments that Ofsted have made. We movedfrom being satisfactory under the oldframework to good under the new morerigorous framework. It was a gruellingprocess with the inspectors watchingthirty two lessons over two days, speak-ing to children, staff and governors asthey considered their findings on thequality of education at this school.

“The most important thing to us isthat they recognised the significant im-provement in teaching at Stonehill sincethe last inspection. This is having areally positive effect on children’sachievement. Of particular note wasalso the inspectors’ very positive com-ments about the young people whocome to this school and the way inwhich “they treat adults and each otherwith respect”.

The Ofsted report states:• pupils behaviour around school

and in almost all lessons is polite, per-sonable and sensible. Pupils are keen tolearn.

• the development of pupils’ spiritu-al, moral, social and cultural skills isgood. The school is a harmonious com-

munity based on a clear and explicitmoral framework.

• the headteacher is very committedto driving forward improvements

• the school holds staff to accountfor the quality of their teaching and theresults that they achieve through a rig-orous performance management system.Teachers only receive pay increases ifthe pupils that they teach are makinggood progress

• not enough teaching is consistentlygood or outstanding

• lessons are not always planned

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Continued on page 2

Pic: Stonehill Head Teacher Alan Monks

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APR 2013THE BIRSTALL POST2

using the monitoring information that isnow available. This leads to the mostable pupils making less progress thanthey should because they are not givenchallenging enough activities.

Stonehill’s “Good” rating is one stepbelow the top grade of “Outstanding”.

Mr Monks said: “We know schoolsmove forward fastest when we are ourown harshest critics. We are determinedto become outstanding and the inspec-tion report identifies those things whichwill support us in doing so.”

The school has joined an alliance ofabout 20 schools who have committedto work together to become outstanding– the Thomas Eastley Learning Alliance.

Mr Monks said: “The key focus isimproving teaching and learning. Ourstaff and those of other schools withinthe alliance will be able to learn fromeach other’s outstanding practice. Wewill also have a responsibility for thetraining of new teachers entering theprofession.

“All these things support our appli-cation for becoming an academy. Weare doing this so that we have greaterfreedom and control over our owndestiny and that we can play a signifi-cant part in 5-19 education in this com-munity.”

A LITTER pick by volunteers helped to tidy Wa-termead Country Park.

21 people took part in the litter blitz, organised by the WreakeValley Rotary Club, filling more than 50bags.

Spokesman Nigel Coleman said: “Wecollected for two and a half hours, com-pleting a big section around King Lear’sLake which being so close to the RiverSoar was very littered with rubbish afterthe floods.

“By the end of the session regularpark users congratulated us on the im-mediate improvement, however we wereunable to get at some areas along theriverbank which could only be accessedby water.”

The club hope to make the litter pickan annual event.Pics: (top) volunteers assemble for the day’swork & (bottom right) Finlay Williams (right)with Nigel Coleman

THE FALL in the number ofemployees of Leicester-shire County Council is thehighest for a local author-ity in the East Midlands.

The County shed 8867 employeesbetween the first quarter of 2010 andthe third quarter of 2012 – a fall of34%. The County now has 17,107employees.

In the same period, the number ofemployees of Leicester City Councilfell by 1319, a fall of 7%. LeicesterCity now has 18,811 employees.

For all local authorities in GreatBritain the fall in numbers employedby councils is 380,500 since the gen-eral election in May 2010.

The majority of the job lossescome from redundancies and naturalwastage combined with a freeze onvacancies. When schools becomeacademies they opt out of the localeducation payroll and their employeesare no longer counted in the figures.

Continued from page 1

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APR 2013THE BIRSTALL POST 3

A NAIL cutting service for£16 is being offered atFootmedics on Sibson Road.

The service will be provided byGabriella, the chiropodist who formerlyworked from a caravan at Birstall SocialClub many years ago.

Call 2675527 for more informationor to book an appointment. The servicewill be offered on Tuesdays and Wednes-days – conditions apply.

A VISIT by an Olympic med-allist and a robot were twoattractions at a boxing showstaged at Birstall SocialClub by Gunns’ Gym inMarch.

Bronze medal winning GBhockey player Nicola Whitebrought along her medal toshow visitors, while a visit by achildren’s entertainer dressed ina robot suit thrilled the children.

Nicola said: “The event wasgreat fun and most importantlylots of people came along tosupport and raise money for notonly Carl Gunns’ Gym but Alex’sWish too. It was my pleasure tobe there, sharing my Olympicbronze medal with the kids andeven getting my first taster lessonof boxing! It’s so fantastic to see acommunity pull together for such a

great cause.”There were boxing demonstra-

tions in a full size ring as well asmusic performed by singers Mat-thew Fearon, Olivia Carmichael andBonnie Bleu.

The highlight of an auction ofsporting memorabilia was a boxingglove signed by Mike Tyson andLennox Lewis.

The event was raising money forthe charity Alex’s Wish. OrganiserCarl Gunns said: “It was a fantasticday, very busy, a great day’s enter-

tainment and I hope Alex’s parents willbe very pleased.

A 31 YEAR OLD man has been charged with three counts ofburglary, all involving business premises.

They were at: Thurcaston Road,Leicester, on January 23 when threelaptop computers were stolen, BelgraveGate, Leicester on January 26 when£140 cash, bank cards and personaldocuments were taken; Sibson Road,Birstall, also on January 26 when £10 incash, bank cards and personal docu-ments were taken.

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Pics: (top) trainer Dean Spencer referees a bout; (inset, ctr) Bronze medallist Nicola White

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Oliver Andrews (15, pictured above)is part of a dance crew TXS whichwowed the judges at a competitionstaged at Leicester’s Curve Theatre inFebruary.

Oliver, who started dancing aged 12,described the experience at Curve as“the best ever”. TXS will perform inLondon later this year in a dance exhibi-tion called Move It.

Over the past year TXS enjoyed suc-cess at various competitions and at thestart of the year they appeared on SkyOne’s ‘Got to Dance’.

A Longslade spokesman said: “Iwould like to take this opportunity onceagain to congratulate Oliver and TXS ontheir success and look forward to seeinghow they all get on in the future.

A LONGSLADE student is part of a dance crew that won£1000 when it was judged to be Leicester’s best.

won of £100, £50, £25and many other prizeskindly donated by localbusinesses

“Ducks can also bebought on the day of theevent so come on downand join in the fun!” saidCharlotte.

For more informa-tion. Visit

www.thewhitehorsebirstall.co.uk or call0116 2671038

A FULL meeting of BirstallParish Council was held onMarch 13.

Richard Miller was co-opted onto thecouncil to fill a vacancy.

PCSO Mark Butler reported thatcrime had fallen in February comparedto January. Arrests have been madefollowing the theft of meat from theCo-op supermarket on Wanlip Lane.

All the off-licences in Birstall havehad underage test purchases – onefailed.

The Police Property Fund have donat-ed £250 to the Land & Lewis charity.

It was reported that the Royal Mailwill install the first post box on the Hal-lam Fields estate on the junction ofBecks Close and Hallam Fields Road.

Birstall Parish Council has been suc-cessful in a ballot to send a representa-tive to the Queen’s Garden Party atBuckingham Palace on May 30. CllrTony Fowler will attend.

Cllr Christine Geschke suggested theCouncil might consider organising acommunity event besides the summergala and Christmas lights switch-on. Itwas agreed to place the proposal on thenext agenda.

Comment was made about the poorappearance of the fencing placed aroundthe Christmas tree on the Sibson Roadcar park and that alternatives should beconsidered.

A resident has reported that her disa-bled granddaughter had nearly falleninto the unfenced ditch along MeadowLane. The southside is owned by theParish Council and the north side isowned by Charnwood Borough Councilwho let the land to the Parish Council. Aquotation of £20,000 for fending hasbeen received. A request from the Parishto fill the ditch has been refused. It wasagreed to write to the Health and SafetyExecutive for advice on this matter.

The council has agreed that allotmenttenants be permitted to keep hens andrabbits subject to a separate agreementand a £50 returnable deposit.

The event will be rais-ing money for BirstallUnited Juniors FootballClub - over the previousfour years the White Horseduck race has raised aover £12,000 for localcharities.

“It is great that theduck race has becomesuch a popular date in thevillage calendar” said Charlotte Foy ofthe White Horse. “We were so wellsupported last year despite the rain. Thisyear there will be even more stalls andgames to make it a great family dayout.”

BUJFC has achieved community char-ter standard status and has 19 teamsfrom soccer school age up to under 16s,including girls teams and an inclusiveteam for kids with learning or physicaldifficulties.

“The club is a real plus to Birstall,bringing kids together from all parts ofthe village and giving the young people aplace where they can develop their skillsin a fun and safe environment” said,club spokesman, Phil Hughes of BUJFC.

On May 6 “kick off” for the stalls andgames will be 12 noon, and the duckrace will start at 2pm.

Other attractions for the day are: facepainting, bouncy castle, teddy tombola,stocks, hook a duck, raffle, mini duckrace, Duck Derby, penalty shoot out,cake stall, tuck shop, BBQ and muchmore to be announced.

Ducks will be avail-able from April 1stfrom BUJFC andof course theWhite Horse,Birstall.

There arecash prizes to be

THE FIFTH annual White House Duck Race will take placethis year on Bank Holiday Monday May 6 and is set to bethe biggest yet, say the organisers.

ParishCouncilnotes

Dance crew’s prize

Duck’s gather for race


“A huge well done toall children who tookpart” said Faces Artsproprietor, Jody Chester-ton.

“Faces Arts is aboutproviding opportunitiesfor local children to dis-cover their performingtalents. The developmentin the ability and selfconfidence of the childrenhas been outstanding” sheadded.

Faces Arts next performance will betheir Theatre School Show at the PalmerTomkinson Centre on April 20 and 21.“A Musical Celebration” tickets are on

sale now: contact [email protected],07971423201 or visit the websitewww.facesarts.co.uk

Faces Arts will also be staging a se-ries of SummerSchools duringAugust at Stone-hill High School.For more infor-mation on Sat-urday TheatreSchool, StreetDance sessions,after schooldrama andShake Up Tod-dler sessionduring theweek visit thewebsite.

CANDIDATE FOR BIRSTALL, SIMON SANSOME

Dear Residents of Birstall

I am hoping many of you have either heard of me or know mepersonally as I was born and raised in Birstall.

Being brought up in Birstall is a unique experience, you get toknow the community and the people very well. The reason I loveBirstall so much is because if you're shopping at the Co-op, walk-ing in the village, or having a drink at the White Horse, the Le-gion or the Social Club, you usually meet people you know andcan relate to them easily.

Birstall needs a person representing them on the County Councilwho knows the area and can relate to the concerns of the village.Cllr Roger Wilson is retiring after 20 years of service to the peo-ple of Birstall and he has asked me to replace him as election can-didate this coming May. I don't mind telling you that I wasterrified of doing so. The reason for this is if a resident of Birstallhas an issue with rubbish collection, the local schools or church,they can come to me for advice and assistance. This did notsound like a great job. However after a few days I came to theconclusion, it's not just about people complaining to you aboutissues, it's about giving your neighbour a helping hand whenneeded.

With this in mind I accepted Roger's offer to stand for election.So now that I am standing for election for Birstall I should tellyou about myself and what I stand for.

For the past 4 years I have had a successful career working inAdult Social Services at Leicester City Council specialising inAdult Mental Health and Physical Disabilities. Before this, stillworking for the City Council I worked in Housing as a TenancyServices Officer.

I like to think of myself as a family man as I have lots of nephewand nieces, and far too many sisters. My family and many of myfriends live in Birstall

In the next few months I will be campaigning against the travel-ler sites, I will be trying to stop the Tories from expanding Bir-stall into Rothley as the Tories want to build a large housingdevelopment on the other side of the A46 roundabout and to callthis Birstall. I'm passionate about keeping Birstall a village andkeeping its fundamental structure in place, which is a nice family,friendly place to live. I will be campaigning for a school and com-munity centre for the residents in Hallam Fields, for a local lei-sure centre, to improve the park and ride system which isunderused, for better car parking time in the local village andkeeping the public toilets open. With these ideas in mind I amhoping you will support me this coming May. A large number ofvolunteers will be hand delivering leaflets over the next fewmonths, if you have any issues you want to raise then please doso with myself or one of the volunteers who are helping me inmy campaign to become your elected Councillor for Birstall.

I look forward to meeting you

Simon Sansome

Liberal Democrat Candidate for Birstall

Designed by Simon Sansome, 3a Chapel Street,Syston, Leicestershire, LE7 1GN on behalf of theLiberal Democrats

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OVER 70 children from Birstall and the surrounding areatook part in the annual Faces Arts street dance show at thePalmer Tomkinson Centre.

Street dance show


ONE OF Birstall’s oldestresidents celebrates her100th birthday on April12.

Mrs Kathleen Smith, known tomany as Granny Smith of BramleyRoad, was born in Newton Burgoland,near Market Bosworth and left homeaged 11 to work in Leicester as ahousemaid. She came to Birstall tolive in Gwendolin Avenue when shemarried in 1938 and then moved toPaget Avenue in 1948 until 1957. Shetook her husband Fred’s job at thewooden Co-op shop on RosetreeAvenue when he was called up in1940. She later worked at the Crosswaysstore and then at Mayhew’s newsagentson Windmill Avenue until she retired.

Joining her in celebrating on the daywill be all of her nine grandchildren and

most of her eight great grandchildren,many of whom will be visiting fromCanada and the USA.

A FORMER Stonehill schoolstudent who was a cookerywriter and pioneer of or-ganic country cooking hasdied.

Nikki Rowan Kedge was born inLeicester in 1944 and on leaving Stone-hill school she joined the WRNS, servingin the navy for 12 years.

During her navy career she met herlifelong partner Angela Rawson and afterleaving the service they started their owncatering company.

They opened the Loaves and Fishesrestaurant in Wiltshire and in 1982 itwas acclaimed as one of the best placesto eat in England by the Sunday Tele-graph magazine, which featured Nikkiand Angela on the front cover.

The couple wrote cookery articles forseveral newspapers and magazines andNikki co-authored five cookery books.

Nikki Rowan Kedge died from canceron February 11 in Norfolk. She was 68.

VINTAGE OUTFITS lent a so-phisticated air to a High Socie-ty evening at Wanlip Churchand Community Centre.

Guests dressed up for the occasionwith various outfits modelled from JaneScott’s vintage costume collection.

This fundraising event, which includ-ed a buffet, was raising money forchurch funds.Pics: (top) guests at the event & (below) Ray-mond and Joan Folland in genuine Victoriannightwear

NikkiRowanKedge

Kathleen’s100thbirthdayparty

Pic: Kathleen Smith

Vintageevening

The May issue ofTHE BIRSTALL POST

will be published on May 4.The copy deadline is Apr 19.

Pic: Nikki Rowan Kedge

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We are all sorry that Mar-garet has passed away.Margaret had lived in Bir-stall for 94 years with hermother Gertie and fatherTom and her elder brotherBill. There was a youngerbrother, Arthur who sadlydied at a very early stage.They were a very wellknown family in Birstall atthe Farm at the top ofChurch Hill. Their particu-lar family of ‘Sibson’ hadcontinually lived in Birstallfor well over 700 years andregrettably this is the endof that particular family.There was a small dairyherd and two beautiful Suffolk horses.Tom also rented land on Wanlip Lane asa market gardener. Margaret’s educationwas mostly in Birstall except for her lastyear which was at Roundhill ModernSecondary School at Thurmaston whichhad been opened in 1931. During thewar years Margaret worked in the un-derground municipal factory which isnow East Goscote. After the war Marga-ret resumed her occupation at the Wol-sey Factories on Abbey Park Road. Inlater years the factory employed manyemployees from abroad and Margaretenjoyed the change of culture.

Margaret had a good musical back-ground having firstly learnt the pianofrom her mother and then qualified asan ALCM. For over forty years she playedthe pipe organ at both the old chapeland the new church in 1958 and wasaccompanist for several church choirconductors, but was not too keen on thenew electronic Allen Organ that wasinstalled in 1973. The choir was very

strong over those years and on PalmSunday we regularly sang J H Maundy’sOlivet to Calvary, J Stainer’s Crucifixionand Penitence, Pardon and Peace onalternate years. Margaret’s brother Billwas a well-trained baritone singer andusually took the lower solos in thesecantatas. For all her years Margaret’schurch organs were situated behind alarge screen and she was pleased to beout of sight. However this did have itsdownside as during many of the annualSunday School anniversaries Margaretwas ‘bombarded’ with S S hymn sheetsby some of the 200 or so scholars whowere seated above her on the gallery.Our two sons included! Besides beingthe organist Margaret also taught as aSunday School teacher and for manyyears helped as a pianist for the localWomen’s Institute

Shortly after her father Tom died,Gertie and Margaret moved out of thefarm in 1963 to 38 Firfield Avenue. HereMargaret patiently nursed her motherfor many years and remained there for50 years. Margaret was a real and lovea-ble character and was regularly seen inthe village. One of her favourite walkson Friday was a visit to the library, thechemist and the hairdressers. She was avery proud person and was well respect-ed by all. Many of us remember her welland never forget her birthday which was‘Primrose Day’ Margaret is now at peaceand we all know that she has lived avery good life. God Bless you, Margaret.

Margaret Sibson, 19 April 1918 - 15February 2013

From John Kilby

“With cries of “are we there yet?”before we even got to the motorway Iknew it was going to be a long day” saidleader Ged Sessions.

“On arrival we went straight for thetop floor and biology – I had forgottenhow many tricky questions Cubs cancome up with when faced with dissectedanimals and realistic surgery being por-trayed.

“Witch doctors from Africa and ho-meopathic medicines led to even moretricky questions. Respite came on theinteractive science floor with the handson activities for the Cubs to learn as theyplay. There were hundreds of things tohave a go at from hydrogen rockets to“listening” to music through your teeth.

“A quick break for lunch and it wason to aircraft, ranging from the Spitfireto the jet, followed by computers andtextiles. Finally to the ground floor with

transport from Stevenson’s rocket tospace rockets and lunar modules.

“Back on the bus and I expected theexhausted cubs to sleep most of the wayhome! In my dreams, they were still fullof questions: all the way home.”

Birstall Scouts would welcome newvolunteers to help them. Ged said:“Scouting is now so popular that wehave waiting lists of children waiting tojoin and do things like this, as well ascamping and outdoor activities. Wewould like to hear from anyone who canhelp us out, whether it be directly withthe young Scouts themselves, or even inthe background on the committee mak-ing things happen.”

Contact Vic Dolby on 2671465.Pic: Ben, Luke, Dan, Bailey and Ben at thehydrogen rocket.

Margaret Sibsonremembered

A TRIP to London’s Science Museum was the latest adven-ture for Birstall Cubs.

Pic: Margaret Sibson (ctr)

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A MOTHER felt threatenedwhen a man reacted angrilywhen she asked him to keephis dogs on a lead in a Bir-stall Park.

The woman, who wishes to remainanonymous, said: “I took my daughterand friend’s children to School Lane parkafter school and when we got there therewere three dogs off their leads”.

The bylaws require dogs to be kept ontheir leads on the School Lane playingfields.

“One of the dogs came up to the chil-dren and jumped up. It was not a hugedog but the child that it jumped up at isterrified of dogs so I asked the owner toplease put his dogs on a lead.

“He was very rude to me and told meto stop being a stupid woman and that Ishould shut up and that the park is fordogs anyway. I felt very threatened andscared by the reaction that this youngman had and he shook me up.

“I have since them been put off goingto the park. I was wondering if anyoneelse has had a similar experience.”

MORSBAGS are fabric bags made byvolunteers from donated fabric andgiven away at local events to encour-age people to use a reusable bag in-stead of a plastic one.

If you would like to find out moreabout being involved in making mors-bags you can visit the Charnwood Mors-bag Pod at Greenacres, The Sidings,Leics LE4 3BR (near Leicester Northstation). They meet on the last Wednes-day of each month 12.30-3pm.

A spokesman said: “Someone willexplain more about morsbags and showhow they are made, you are not commit-ting yourself to anything by comingalong, don’t be shy, we would love tomeet you. We need people to cut out,press and sew the bags.

“If you would like to donate fabric orsewing thread to the project please leaveit in the box provided at the entrance toGreenacres or come along on the lastWednesday of the month to give yourdonation in person. Thank you to all thepeople who have donated fabric, withoutyour support we would not be able tocontinue.”

For more information go towww.morsbags.com

A TEAM from Birstall printers Flex-press threw themselves off the topof a city centre hotel with Leicester’s Mayor Peter Soulsbylast month.

Along with 100 others, they weretaking part in a charity abseil from theroof of the Ramada Encore hotel onCharles Street.

The team from Flexpress raised £813for Leicester Charity Link: each year LCLhelp over 5,000 local people who areexperiencing poverty, hardship and crisisby providing basic items that most of ustake for granted, such as a bed to sleepin, a cooker to prepare a hot meal or

even food to eat“We’re a close team at Flexpress, we

often ‘hang around’ together but I’m notsure what the hotel guests must havethought as they saw us dangling outsidetheir windows” said Flexpress ManagingDirector Steve Wenlock.Pics: (l-r): Marcus Cox, Justine Brain, SteveWenlock, Tamara Panczak, Steve Wenlock Jnr &Alex Welford. Abseiling: Justine Brain and Tam-ara Panczak.

Charity abseil

Parkbylawsbroken

Help tomakebags

A level recitals

Birstall ParishCouncil is re-sponsible for theplaying field andhas numerouscomplaints fromthe public aboutdogs being offthe lead, anddog waste notbeing picked upby dog owners.

Dog wastepresents a prob-lem for ground-staff, visitors andsports teams whouse the park.

Parish ClerkSteve Blackburnsaid: “It is aserious problemthat causes usgreat concern.The Parish Coun-cil view thisincident veryseriously, thereare clear signs ateach entrance tothe park sayingthat dogs mustbe kept onleads.”

The Council isarranging train-ing for its staffand some volun-teers to deal withthe problem,which will givethem the authori-ty to issue £80fixed penaltyfines to thosebreaking the dogbylaws.

FOUR A LEVEL students performed recitalsto a small audience in the Palmer Tomkin-son Centre.

The Longslade students were completing a part of theirqualification – performance counts as 30 per cent of theirfinal grade at AS and A2.

Refreshments were served after the recital by year 12 hos-pitality students.

Music students at Longslade will be joining forces withstudents from Stonehill for an evening of music on April 18.The programme will include performances by the Stonehilland Longslade bands and various solo items. Tickets for thisevent will be available from both schools.Pic: Sean Toor at the piano with Katy Vickers (left), Niall Turner & SadieSmith

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AN OPTOMETRIST who sethis sights on the summit ofAfrica’s Mount Kilimanjarohas just returned from hisfundraising climb.

A STONEHILL pupil had a day to re-member at Twickenham last monthwhen she wore the shirt she was in-volved in designing for her school rug-by team on the legendary pitch aheadof the RBS 6 Nations England v Italygame.

Samaya Sheikh was one of 100 students representingschools from across England that had taken part in theCanterbury kit design workshops, as part of the RFU’sAll Schools programme.

Canterbury, the kit supplier for England rugby, isOfficial Partner to All Schools. As part of its commit-ment to the programme Canterbury held a number ofkit design workshops across England in October andNovember last year. Stonehill High School in Birstallwas one of the schools who attended, where pupilslearnt about the core values of rugby and the prideassociated with the shirt before they were given theopportunity to put their team shirt designs down onpaper.

The drawings were then turned into bespoke finaldesigns by the team at Canterbury and the shirts werepresented for the first time at Twickenham by Englandprop Alex Corbisiero and England women’s hooker AmyTurner. All 100 shirts were revealed to the 82,000crowd when Samaya and the rest of the students flankedthe military as they brought out the giant England shirt

onto thepitch beforekick-off, andthen during ahalf timeparade.

StuartLancaster, England Head Coach said: “Thematch shirt is a source of huge pride forthe players. When they are presented withit before an international it is a very spe-cial moment for them and the wholesquad. By teaching these pupils who arenew to the game the core values of rugbyunion and the history of the shirt, I’msure that these school teams will sharethe same passion for their own design.”

CEO of Canterbury, Chris Stephensonsaid: “ I imagine it was a very proud dayfor all involved, getting to wear the shirtyou had a hand in designing on the pitchat Twickenham in front of a sell-outcrowd.”

Canterbury is providing each of the100 participating schools with 20 rugbyshirts in their own bespoke design.

Paresh Patel of Opticare on SibsonRoad reached the peak at 5895 metreson February 26 after a seven day trek.

The climb raised £900 for Sightsav-ers, an international charity that worksto prevent blindness in the developingworld.Pic: Paresh Patel (centre) at the summit ofMount Kilimanjaro

MOST PEOPLE know theRoyal Navy was involved inthe First World War andsome people have heardof the Battle of Jutland,but not many people knowwhat else the Royal Navydid in the Great War.

Local speaker Nick Marshall willbe talking about the Royal Navy inWorld War One at Birstall Library onThursday April 18 at 7.30pm. Nickwill be adding an extra dimension tohis talk by wearing period naval uni-form and bringing with him some ofthe kit the sailors would have beenissued with.

The navy was present almost every-where the army was during the GreatWar. Find out about the Royal NavalDivision, sailors who fought in thetrenches at Gallipoli and Passchendae-le, and the fight against the Germannavy in East Africa. Learn about theexploits of the Royal Navy Service andthe small naval missions on the Tigristo Baghdad, the Danube and the BlackSea.

Tickets cost £3 and can be bookedby visiting Birstall Library or calling0116 3053678. Places are limited sobooking in advance is necessary.

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I am writing to you on behalf of my friendSue, who is not very good at putting pen topaper.

Sue lives in the Pudding Bag at the top ofWayne Way, Birstall, adjoining Hill Rise Bir-stall. She would like to know why there areno double yellow parking restriction linesfrom Barclays Bank to the junction of HillRise? Just parking being on one side onlyplease. Parking restrictions are badly neededthere. As she says “It is dangerous getting outof there, accidents waiting to happen”.

So come on Parish Council please sort theparking out before there is a major accident!

Birstall parking is horrendous anyway.A Gamble

ment thrust upon us, I’m sure there could bea few suggestions put forward for discussion.

Firstly, instead of diverting the traffic offthe A6, shouldn’t we be coaxing a few moredrivers into the park and ride facility? Maybethey could have a second entrance to thepark and ride from the proposed new road tothe south of Wanlip. Incidentally, Incidentally,I would agree with Pauline Harrison that thenew bypass would not be of benefit to every-one living in Wanlip.

Secondly, I know from personal experi-ence that Wanlip Lane is already a very busyroad, and it seems only a year or two sincethe many and various traffic calming meas-ures were installed, apparently to make theroad safer for children from the threeschools along the route. This increased trafficwill only make the area more dangerous forthese pupils. Possibly a new zebra crossingwould need to be installed near to the en-trances to Longslade and the pathway throughto Stonehill.

When all this traffic reaches the top ofWanlip Lane, near to the Social Club, we thenhave the very busy area around the club,pubs, supermarket and take-aways. There hasalready been mention made on your letterspage of the problem with cars parked ongrass verges. This is a real problem aroundthis area and causes difficulties for residents’vehicles trying to pull out on to Wanlip Lane,especially from the point of view of the driv-er’s vision being impeded. Maybe some of theverge area could be removed to provide newbus pull-ins in order to help the smooth flowof traffic.

On reaching the Triangle, the only obviousroute to take into Leicester is along BirstallRoad. However, this is very narrow in places,and made trickier by the recently installedchicane and humps. One way to improve thiswould be to make it one way towards RedhillCircle and possibly also one way for part ofSchool Lane from the Curzon Avenue junctionto Birstall Road.

If you make it safely to Redhill Circle,then it’s every man for himself!

Alternatively – we could scrap the wholeidea and build a brand new swimming poolfor Birstall residents (my preferred option).

L Goodfellow

blocking the Barclays junction and creates atail back and massive blind spot for carspulling out!

Thirdly, a very warm welcome to a newoutlet due to open where Krustys used to be.A tattoo parlour will bring custom to thevillage. We seem to have too many shopsselling kitchens etc it is nice to have some-thing fresh in the village. I am sure it willcause a ‘stir’ – having something that differ-ent, but is great to have a shop occupied.

Fourth, why isn’t the park and ride siteused for something like a Sunday car boot?Look at the success of Donington Market andQuorn car boot! Could bring even more peo-ple here.

Finally, when we are going to get any formof decent leisure facilities in the village? I useCharnwood Leisure Centre quite a lot, andhave recently been to the Peepul Centre, bothof which are brilliant community centres. Thepark and ride site would have been ideal forsomething like this, but we have wasted ahuge area of land on something that very fewresidents use – it actually takes custom andvisitors away from Birstall as most park therethen get whisked away never to visit what fewfacilities we have!

I am hoping that Birstall begins to getbetter at providing for its residents, as atpresent it doesn’t seem that there is much toattract people here.Name & address supplied

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]

As a Wanlip Lane resident, I was surprisedand interested to read the proposals, in thelatest edition of the Birstall Post, for a Wanlipbypass. From past experience, I expect thatby the time we read about these plans, it isalready a ‘done deal’.

However, if we are to have this develop-

If I understand correctly the council wishto build a new road which by their estimationwill inconvenience a few hundred house

I am not normally the sort of person whowould typically write in to anywhere and havea moan but I feel that I need to!

I have a few points to make about Birstallthat I hope other residents share.

Firstly, the village, especially the Gatesestate, is becoming a Mecca for dog poo! Ilive on Kingsgate and on my way to workpretty much every day there is mess allaround the corner of GreengateLane/Ambergate Drive junction from clearlythe same dog, which is repeated in the villageoutside the Tesco area. This is a main routefor school children and frankly disgusting.When pushing our pushchair we have tosometimes go on to the main road or grassverges to avoid it. If I see who is doing this,they will probably end up with a shovel full oftheir own dog’s mess over their car if I catchthem. Please clean up whoever you are!

Secondly, the junction of LoughboroughRoad/Greengate Lane clearly cannot cope withthe traffic coming down it. The actual junc-tion is so badly designed that a lot of thetime, due to cars queuing through the waitingarea opposite Nandos, only around two carsget out of Greengate Lane. The school busesdo not help as they block the entire junctionmeaning nothing can get through. While I’mon the bus subject, can the operator thatpicks kids up outside Bains Chippy not usethe Tesco bus stop, as it is very dangerous

Once upon a time there were four neigh-bours (possibly more, but it ruins the story)who lived along this road and who shared theservices of a window cleaner. He would rollup with his ladder, clean the windows, knockon the door and be paid. He would then goto the next person and repeat the perform-ance. One could always know when he wasthere by the happy rattle of his ladders.

One day he decided that he could nolonger clean the windows at a civilised hourof the day but at the crack of dawn. No long-er did he get a reply when he knocked onthe door, for the neighbours were all in theirbeds asleep. So bills mounted. Then the mon-ey was put out for him by each neighbour ona bedroom windowsill so that he no longerhad to knock on the doors. One neighbourwho did not do this dropped out after havingrun up a bill of £25 and, having found himrattling his ladder one day in

Sibson Road at a civilised hour, paid him.The other neighbours continued to hear

the happy rattle of his ladders, though at thecrack of dawn; their windows were cleaned,the money taken, gates were left unbolted andladder imprints could be found on wet lawns.

Then suddenly, nothing: gates were stillunbolted, money still vanished, windows ap-peared clean, but no happy rattle of the lad-ders nor imprints on the lawn were everheard or seen again. Could it be that thewindow cleaner had departed this life and lefthis ghost in charge of phantom ladders? Wasit all a cunning plot by the Mafia? Perhapssomeone has trained a burglaring cat? Whathad happened?

Is there anyone out there who can tell theneighbours?

Name and address supplied

holders in Birstall by allowing 500 extra carsan hour during rush hour, plus an unspeci-fied amount extra at other times, and in-crease the traffic past Longslade schoolendangering pupils walking to and from theschool. Wanlip Lane is difficult to get into andcross at times as it is, due to traffic. Councilscondemn rat runs but now they are wantingto create an even bigger one up the WanlipLane.

Charnwood already have the condemna-tion of Birstall residents to the new housingon our doorstep, now this!

What is our opinion worth?Were is the Conservatives pledge on get-

ting local residents approval on this sort ofthing.

What with unwanted Hallam Fields, thefiasco of the gypsy sites, and the moneythrown away on the park and ride, can weupgrade, to some one who has our interestsat heart?

Mick Joyce

Would you add Copeland Road to the listof churned up verges. It looks like the settingfor ‘War Horse’ down here now. Perhaps itwould be better for a Council to cement overeverything.

K L Reid

In response to CC's “Irritating” (Your Say,March 2013); the KGB appear to have suc-ceeded in stimulating debate!

I'm sorry that CC finds the whole idea ofthe decorated tree irritating. Everyone is enti-tled to their opinion. However, I would liketo point out that, in this world of doom andgloom, the idea is to inject a bit of fun intoour lives. Yes, the tree is a work of art in

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APR 2013THE BIRSTALL POST 11Mountsorrel Methodist ChurchPresents the 4th in the 12th series ofSunday Night @ Eight

Organ Recitalson Sunday April 21 at 8pmby Hilary PunnettOrgan Scholar at Southwell MinsterAdmission freeDonations for Development fundBuffet from 7.30pm

Birstall FlowerClubNaughty LadiesVal DukeWednesday April 24 at 7.15pmBirstall Village HallVisitors very welcomeSylvia Simes2674206

Noah’s Ark inWatermead ParkSt James Church BirstallSaturday April 13From 9.30-1pmBoat trip(s) on the river with theBaldwin Trustand painting our local wildlife withSue Faulks in the ChurchAll ages and abilities welcome£1 for adult/child, £5 max cost forfamilies or groupsYou can choose to do both activities orjust oneProgramme & bookingdetails:www.Birstall.org/eventsor email: [email protected] tel: 07811662235Pre-booking advised

Birstall & District LocalHistory SocietyThe next meeting will take place onThursday April 11commencing 7.30pm in the BirstallVillage Hall, Birstall Road, BirstallThe talk for this month will be ‘Battlesin the Midlands’

Speaker – Gareth KingAll visitors are very welcome

MentoringIt really works!We’re a local charity looking for com-mitted adults to volunteer as mentorsfor disadvantaged young people (aged10-19)You’ll receive training and supportenabling you to provide friendly helpand encouragement to a young personwho really needs it.Your help will empower them to de-velop positive attitudes, make goodlife choices and successfully engage ineducation or employmentSounds good?For more information please visit:www.twentytwenty.org.uk/mentoringAlternatively, get in touch on 0300111 2020Or email:[email protected]

Wreake Valley Rotary Club

9th Annual Real AleFestivalApril 11-13Syston Community Centre, SchoolStreet, SystonThursday April 11, 5-11pmFriday April 12, 3-11pmSaturday April 13, 12noon-11pmAt least 20 real ales, free non alcohol-ic drinks for designated driver and forthe first time Saturday night big prizegeneral knowledge quiz starts 8.30pmFree entry per team of 4Full details on websitewww.wreakevalleyrotaryclub.uk.org

CLASHDrop-in Sessions for people with Ar-thritis and other Musculoskeletal con-ditions, to gather information and tohave a general chat about these condi-tions.Sessions held every Monday, 10am to12noon, Room 7, Peepul Centre, Or-chardson Ave, Leicester LE4 6DP Ses-

The Royal Mail in their infinite wisdomhave deemed it necessary to change the"round" of our favourite postman Rhubenwho delivered mail to the houses in the"Gates" area for many years.

No longer can we rely on the time ourpost drops on the mat. Rhuben is an oldfashioned postman who is always aware ofwhat is going on with his area, especially theelderly and those of us that live alone. Noth-ing is ever to much trouble for him.

The "Gates" loss is the new rounds gain.We all miss him dearly and wish him well.Carol Withers

itself but how many more people now look atthe tree who wouldn't have given it a secondglance normally?

KGB are succeeding in encouraging: asense of fun; an appreciation of our sur-roundings; a greater sense of communitythrough promoting conversation; a heightenedawareness of the art of knitting and crochet;a crafting community which welcomes anyoneto join; the opportunity for people to learnnew skills; the recycling of wool and otheryarns; a sense of purpose

We could and do knit a variety of articlesfor various charities as well. Blankets fromcrocheted squares, teddy bears for hospital-ised children in the third world and war torncountries, etc

Next time you look at something that irri-tates or otherwise, try to think outside thebox and appreciate the good that is beingdone.

Rose Sphere

Noticeboardall details printed free

HATS playHATS next production is The HauntedCabin by Matthew LynchThe show is on stage from May 16-18at Highcliffe School on GreengateLane, BirstallPerformances start at 7.15pm and thedoors open at 6.45pmTickets are available now and can bereserved by phoning the box office on0116 2209594 or 2676049or by applying in writing to HATS at16 Lyngate Avenue, Birstall LE4 3HFor by email:[email protected] are £6 (£5 for concessions)As usual there will be a reduction forgroup bookings

Coffee ShopSaturday April 27from 10am to 12noonBirstall Methodist ChurchWanlip Lane, BirstallRaffle, tombola & lots moreMoney raised in aid of LOROS.Reg Charity No.506120

HIGHCLIFFE AMATEUR Theatrical Society are serving upsomething a little different this Spring.

we’d love you to get in touch with us.So, if you have a couple of hours or

more to spare each week, why notphone HATS Secretary on 01162128757 or just turn up at GreengateHall on any Wednesday after 7.00 pm.

From Highcliffe Amateur TheatricalSociety

Our next production is The HauntedCabin by Matthew Lynch and, as thetitle suggests, it is a ghost story. Theshow is on stage from May 16-18 atthe usual venue, Highcliffe School onGreengate Lane, Birstall. Performancesstart at 7.15pm and the doors open at6.45pm.

Haunted by a family from the1700's, will it be a safe haven for agroup of walkers taking refuge from astorm and waiting to be rescued?Thrown together by chance, will theyall survive? And, are they all who orwhat they appear to be? Come and findout and listen out for those mysteriousbumps that come from nowhere.

Tickets for the show are availablenow and you can reserve yours byphoning the box office on 01162209594 or 2676049 or by applying inwriting to HATS at 16 Lyngate Avenue,Birstall, LE4 3HF or by email [email protected]. Prices are£6 (£5 for concessions). As usualthere will be a reduction for groupbookings.

Once again, we would love to seemore people from Birstall and thesurrounding area coming to see ourshows or actually joining our happyband of thespians. We are particularlykeen for younger people to join usbecause there are loads of wonderfulplays with great parts for late teens upto early thirties men and women. Wecould also do with more people to takeon the backstage jobs such as buildingand painting scenery and we are alwayskeen to find more people with dress-making skills. So, if there are any ofyou reading this who can sew a bit,

Postie

HAT’s spring show

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APR 2013THE BIRSTALL POST12sions are free – please contact Karen:07963221570/[email protected] – Are you interested inlearning basic computer skills and howto safely use the internet? If so comealong and join us at Palmer TomkinsonCentre, Longslade College, Birstall.Sessions are free and held on Thurs-days from 3.30-4.30pm, dates of ses-sions are April 11, 18, 25 & May 2, 916, 23. Please contact Conrad on07919 844629/[email protected] 2013 Monthly Meeting – WedApril 10 – NHS Podiatry & Arthritis(speaker TBC) & Lisa Preston (Directorof Shoemed). Meeting held at PalmerTomkinson Centre, Longslade Commu-nity College, Birstall, 7-9pm. Firstmeeting free, subsequent meetings £2Indian Charity Fundraising BuffetTuesday May 14, 6.30-9.30 at Tama-rind Restaurant, Peepul Centre, Or-chardson Ave, Leicester £15 perperson. To secure your place pleasesend a deposit of £5 by April 14 toKath Cramphorn, 29 Wyndale Road,Knighton, Leic LE2 3WS. The remain-ing £10 will need to be paid on arrivalwhen your ticket will be issued.

Birstall Royal BritishLegionApril 6: Pete Scofield (M/V)April 13: Karen West (F/V)April 20: Double Trouble (F/Duo)April 27: Jacqui Daniels (F/V)Dancing every Sat night with live en-tertainmentBingo, free beer raffle and not forget-ting Open the BoxEvery Tuesday Night Bingo, starting at9.15pmQuiz nights Sunday April 14 & 28starting at 9pmAcoustic night Sunday April 21 at 8pmRock & Roll nights Wed April 3 & 17Food available every Sat 12noon-2pmWakes catered for

Table Top Sale &Mini MarketBirstall Methodist ChurchSat April 2010am-1pmGood as New Clothes, home madecakes, preserves, bric-a-brac, books,toys, plants, raffle, hot dogsCoffee Shop : 10am, - 1pmTables @ £100116 2672606

Leicestershire PoliceBirstall Beat Office

Cycle HubSibson Road, BirstallSaturday, April 2010am until 12noonOn site cycle health checkCarried out by a City & Guilds qualifiedmechanicThis is a free cycle check and does notsubstitute for a full service by a quali-fied technicianOn sale, Bike Lights, D-Locks £5 eachTurn up on your bike and receive afree back pack! (first 50 cyclists only)Staff attending will be from BirstallBeat Team & Traffic Management

Players wanted forGirls Football TeamsBirstall United Juniors FC are lookingfor players for their two girls teamsfor the 2013/14 seasonIf you would like to play for the U13steam, please contact Peter Holgate on07976853182. If you would like to play forthe U18s team, please contact DavidPreston on 07966 079788

Leicestershire & RutlandDowsing GroupTalk on keeping recordsEveryone who has problems organis-ing their paperwork should consider-ing attending the next meeting ofLeicestershire & Rutland DowsingGroup as Avril Holland will speak

about keeping recordsThe talk will be held at the usual ven-ue: St James’ Day Centre, Birstall Vil-lage Hall, on Saturday April 13There will be change of format tomeetings, beginning on April 13. Re-freshments will be served before thestart of the meeting, from 10am to10.30am, rather than half way throughthe talk.At the end, the half hour from 12.30-1pm will be used for networking

Abbeyfield

Green Day CoffeeMorningFriday April 2610-11.30amCoffee & BiscuitsFunds in aid of AbbeyfieldGrove House, 35 Church Hill, Birstall0116 2671523All welcome

The Friends of BelgraveCemeteryInvite you to a Presentation‘Belgrave Cemetery Soldiers of theGreat War’by Dr John SuttonFriday May 3, from 7.30-9.30pmDedicated to the 28 soldiers who lie atrest in Belgrave Cemetery, this pres-entation tells the story of each of theirlives before and during the ‘war toend all wars’To be held at Greenacres, The Sidings,Red Hill Way (A563)Booking advised as space is limitedTel: 0116 2672018Tickets in advance £2.50, £3 at door

Coffee MorningSaturday May 11From 10am to 12noonAt the Methodist Coffee Shop, WanlipLane, BirstallVarious stalls including raffle & cakesAll proceeds to Mothers’ UnionProjects

Thurmaston Bowls ClubOpen DaySunday April 14, 2.30pmElizabeth Park Sports CentreA friendly mixed club for ages 12 andaboveMore info: 2207121 [email protected]

Knit2getherWe meet on the last Wednesday ofevery month from 7.30pm onwards atthe White Horse Pub in Birstall.Knit2gether is primarily a social groupto bring together like-minded individ-uals to knit, crochet or weave togeth-er, share skills and socialise once amonth in relaxed surroundings. Every-one is welcome – just bring along aproject to be getting on with and en-joy a chat and a cuppa or a pint withus.Next Meeting Dates:March 27April 24

Bizzy Bees PlayGroupWe have been running for over 40years and we are looking for someoneto take over running it. We meet everyFriday at Birstall Village Hall, 10am to12noonFor more info contact Cheryl on07972759973

Film PresentationsFrom Thurcaston & Cropston ParishCouncil‘The Lady’ Friday April 12 (145 mins)This is an extraordinary true story of AungSan Su Kyi and her husband Michael Aris. Wewatch the peaceful quest of the woman whois at the heart of Burma’s democracy move-ment. This film depicts devotion and humanunderstanding within a dangerously hostileregime.‘Quartet’ Friday May 10 (145 mins)Starring Dame Maggie Smith, this wickedlycomic film is about redefining old age withaspirations. It demonstrates how music canilluminate life. Four retired opera singerscelebrate Verdi’s birthday endeavouring toperform an operetta at their retirementhome.‘The Life of Pi’ Friday June 14Thurcaston and Cropston Parish Council willbe showing these films at Thurcaston Me-morial Hall. Starting at 7.30pm, tickets cost£4.50 and concessions are £4. The priceincludes refreshments and a lucky prizedraw.Advance tickets can be purchased via theparish office, 0116 2367626 or at the door

St James Day Centre 200 ClubWinners for March 20131st Miss Shelagh Noble2nd Mrs Valerie Clements3rd Mrs Leigh Reid4th Mrs Margery Orton

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ONCE AGAIN the month of Marchfound the Charnwood Branch of Can-cer Research holding a ‘Big Break-fast’ at Roman Road, Birstall.

The home of David and Jan Gaskellwas opened to friends and family whocame to enjoy a very traditional Englishbreakfast – sausage, bacon, eggs, blackpudding, tomatoes, mushrooms andfried bread together with lashings ofcroissants, fruit drinks, coffee/tea.

Jan said: “This year it was breakfastonly with no afternoon tea, but for thosewho felt unable to manage a large calo-rific breakfast/brunch there was coffeeand scones. So is that the last ‘Big

Breakfast at 95’?“Just like Frank Sinatra’s farewell

concerts which appear to have takenplace on a regular basis from the 1970sright through to his death in 1998 wehave for the last five years said that thiswas to be our final breakfast event.

“Well, watch this space and make adate in your diary for somewherearound March 2l, 2014 just in case.Many thanks to our friends who helpedus raise £656 for Cancer Research. Nota bad morning’s work.”Pic: neighbours Di and Bob, Marian and Bertfrom Roman Road enjoying some good old fash-ioned home cooking.

ON A cold night in February Cubs and Beavers from Birstall took part in theDistrict swimming Gala at Cossington Street Pool. The Cubs entered races inthe disciplines of front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke at different agegroups.

We had two second places, threethird places a fourthand a fifth.

The fastest fourcubs then went intothe relay race andfinished a creditablefourth and overallfourth in the teampoints competition.

The Beavers faredmuch better with a win, a second andtwo thirds and two fourths, earningenough points to win the team trophy,

jointly along with Groby beavers. SarahDolby, team managerfor the Beavers wasvery proud of her team.

Cubs team wereDaniel, Finn, Luke,Barney, Ben, Joe andJake.

Beavers team wereEthan, Danny, Luke,Adam, Arjan, Jaspal,

Kye and Samuel.Pics: (top) the Birstall Beavers receiving thetrophy for first place are on the right with Grobyon the left & (inset) Birstall Cubs

Stay Safe – Take a Look OnLineEver seen the Police helicopter in the air

above Birstall? Or a Police car using bluelights dashing somewhere and wonderedwhat it was all about?

Well - no guarantees - but it is possiblethe details have been posted online some-where.

There are a number of websites that carryup to date information of crime that is oc-curring in and around Birstall.

Birstall Neighbourhood Watch’s own web-site: www.villagewatch.co.uk posts details ofcrimes and suspicious behaviour as soon aswe become aware it is happening. In addi-tion - If you choose to subscribe - an emailwill be sent to you every time a new item isposted.

www.leicestershirevillages.co.uk is a web-site run by Charnwood BC. There is a pagefor each village and a noticeboard that pro-vides details of the incidents, rogue tradersand other scams that are currently occurring.

Leicestershire Police have a websitewww.leics.police.co.uk. This covers thewhole of Leicestershire and also requests forinformation and witnesses to incidents thathave occurred recently.

This is just a selection of what is availableonline to keep you informed and, hopefully,help you avoid becoming a victim of crimebut also to ask for your help if you see any-thing suspicious.

And finally - you can now find ‘The Bir-stall Watch’ on Facebook!

From a NHW Committee member

NHW news& crime report

Crime Report : Feb 2013Assaults 8, burglary 3, burglary non-

dwelling 2, damage 1, damage to motorvehicle 1, fraud 1, public order 1, theft 5,theft cycle 2, theft from motor vehicle 2,theft stores 4.

There were 23 less recorded crimescompared to January. The overall reduc-tion in burglaries I would put down torecent arrests we have made and thecourts remanding the accused.

Shop thefts have also reduced. This islargely due to us now working much clos-er with Beaumont Leys officers. We havemanaged to identify offenders quickly, sotherefore made prompt arrests and thecourts have supported us, stopping thethieves from returning to Birstall.

Violent crime has increased slightly butthis is due to more harassment cases be-ing reported. There have been no seriousphysical assaults to be concerned about.

Sibson Road has been raised as a beatpriority. I have done this in order to targetthe youths that gather and harass shoppersto buy them alcohol. Officers will be morevisible along this road for the next monthto combat this and the reports of antiso-cial behaviour behind the shops.

Over the last week we have conducteda test purchase operation within the vil-lage. I was pleased to see the no nonsenseapproach and tough stance from six of theseven shops tested. But I was obviouslydisappointed when one of the shops failedto ask for ID and challenge the youngperson who successfully bought alcoholfrom them.

From PC 688 Des Hearnshaw – Beacon Of-ficer

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BIRSTALL BROWINIES helpedmake finger-knitted flowersfor Mother’s Day.

Agents from the Knit-ting Guerillas of Birstall(KGB) then ‘planted’ theflowers near to theGreengate medical Cen-tre and invited localchildren and their mumsto pick one on the day.

The KGB’s woolly egghunt kicked off on Fri-day March 29 and con-tinues through untilWednesday April 3. “Allyou need do is get acamera, pop on a pairof sensible shoes andscan Birstall for woollyeggs. There will be a trailmap issued on our bloghttp://kgb-123.blogspot.co.uk/ in

case you

want to find them all” said a KGBspokesperson. Submit your entries, withphotographic evidence of your finds, [email protected] before April

6, 2013. The winner will be en-tered into a competitionto win a Lindt Easter Eggcracker donated by SteveWenlock of FlexpressPrinters, Birstall. There isalso have a prize of abeautiful knitted brooch,donated by a local knitter.Winners will be drawn at

random.“The KGB would

like to hugely thankeveryone who hasbeen involved, in-cluding those whohave donated yarn,those who havemade the wonderfulwoolly eggs, to RubyTuesdays and Bir-stall MethodistChurch for actingas drop off points,to Little BirdSchool of Stitch-craft for continuedsupport, to Flex-press for their

donation of the prize and support withprinting and to Dodgy, of "Good Enough"fame, who have funded the printing costsfor flyers for this event” said the spokes-person.

www.kgb-123.blogspot.co.uk

For Chris (44, & pictured above) thiswill be his first attempt at a Marathon,after both father Dirk and sister Annehad both successfully completed theevent in the past. Chris will be runningon behalf of three local charities closeto his heart, LOROS, Macmillan CancerSupport and Birstall BAGS and is activelylooking for sponsors.

Chris said: “This is without doubt, themost stupid thing I have ever agreed todo. I won’t deny I have found the train-ing gruelling and with a succession ofrecent injuries, any ambitions of a re-spectable sub 4 hour time have nowbeen replaced with an objective of justgetting round in one piece. I would liketo say I am looking forward to it …. butright now, I would be lying! But the aimhere is to try and raise money for threeincredible charities. I appreciate howdifficult it is these days, but every poundI can raise will be going to great caus-es”.To sponsor Chrism you can donate online athttp.//uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ChrisTinbergenAlternatively pledges can be made by contacting Chris [email protected]

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MOLLY GALE of Birstall presented acheque for £200 to the nurses onthe day ward at Great OrmondStreet Hospital.

Molly (pictured centre) has treat-ment every 4 weeks for MultipleSclerosis. Her Grandma Diana God-win of Leicester raised the money ather local Social Club.

BIRSTALL’S CHRIS Tinbergen,will be looking to continue afamily tradition by running inthis year’s London Marathon.

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WE USUALLY associate April with the realbeginning of Spring, but with the gloomyforecasts of continuing cold weather thisyear, one can only live in hope!

For the church, April is also the month ofthe Annual General Meeting (APCM) and onWednesday April 17 at 7.30pm in St. Jameseveryone on the electoral roll can hear anup-to-date report on the past year’s events,successes and sorrows and how the financesare standing up to the recession.

Due to the generosity of donors to theMemorial Fund for the much-missed andloved Minne, wife of Rev Stephen Crofts,improvements are going ahead to the HowardRoom in St. James’ Community Area. Theroom was once a little-used chapel at theback of the church, which was later convert-ed to a room to facilitate catering. This hasnow proved inadequate for increased usage,so further kitchen equipment and a new,practical floor covering is to be installed, sothat visitors and congregation can be sure ofa “warm” welcome.

Much less welcome is the verdict thatnumerous leaks in the church roof will ne-cessitate repairs costing over £26,000 forwhich funding has to be found. It is perhapssurprising to some people to realise that2013 marks 50 years since the building ofthe “new” church at St. James, an eventwhich will be celebrated later in the year.

The first news has been received fromPeter and Gill Chester, members of St JamesChurch, who have left their jobs in SocialServices and IT at County Hall to travel to thewar-torn Democratic Republic of Congo.There they are spending six months on behalfof the Church Missionary Society, in a remotevillage (thankfully away from the fighting)lending practical support to help the localpeople become self-sufficient and rise abovethe poverty line. They are having to contendwith a daytime temperature of 35°C, have norunning water or mains electricity or publictransport and live in an area where, apartfrom the tribal language, most people speakonly French. The villagers are helpful and arevery wiling to work on projects, but have noexperience of how to plan and make full useof available resources: this is the job theChesters have to tackle. Most of us couldnever even imagine ourselves faced with sucha task and can only admire the courage ofPeter and Gill, and try to support them in ourprayers.

From Beryl McHugh, Parish Churches

takes place at 4pm on Sunday April 21 at4pm and will conclude with a short act ofworship.

From Tony Moore, Birstall Methodist Church

BIRSTALL GOLF Club’s new skip-pers drove in with words ofpraise for the hard work of thecourse’s green staff.

New men’s captain Mel Whitemansaid their efforts over the winter shouldensure the club has a successful year.“The course is in wonderful conditionconsidering the weather we have had.The green staff have done a magnificentjob, and worked within budget despiteall the extra work they have had to do”.

Mel, who lived in Birstall all his lifeuntil moving to Sileby a few months ago,has been a member at the club for 15years.

He is joined by new ladies captainChris Hyde, who lives in Rothley and isalso President of the Leicestershire andRutland Ladies Golf Captain Association.The new junior captain is 16 yr old MirPatel who lives in Curzon Avenue, Bir-stall. The captains have chosen LOROSas their charity for the year.

Birstall Golf Club will again hostmembers of the Midland ProfessionalGolfers Association, firstly for the MarkGroup Pro-Am on Friday May 17 andwill also stage the Midland Golf Union’sBoys Championships on Thursday July 4.

On August 1 & 2 the course willagain host the prestigious Mark GroupMidlands Open. It is one of the tourna-ments on the Midlands PGA Order ofMerit and attracts a top quality fieldincluding former Ryder Cup players likePeter Baker.Pic: Mel Whiteman, Chris Hyde and Mir Patel arewelcomed onto the first tee by some of theclub’s lady members

Churchnews

SCAFFOLDING THAT was seen at the frontof the coffee shop in March has now beenremoved.

The workmen were attending to the verg-es. A new process was used with the inten-tion that it should need no future significantmaintenance. It was done at a cost of £1848which has been met from church funds

The Men’s Pantomime was able to makea donation of £2000 to church funds, whichmore than covers the cost of the repairsdetailed above. Some funds have been re-tained in the Men’s Pantomime fund with aview to possibly replacing some sceneryflats. The first meeting for the next panto-mime is Thursday September 19.

The Special Needs Playgroup was delight-ed to hear that they have been awarded agrant from the BBC Children in Need appeal.This secures the group’s finances for thenext three years. The group, which has beenrunning for 40 years, provides a valuableservice for young children with a variety ofspecial needs from a wide area.

Our friends at Rothley Methodist Churchwill celebrate their 190th anniversary with aspecial service on April 14 led by StellaBristow from Oxfordshire who is known tomany Birstall folk.

The Church Annual General Meeting

THE OPEN-AIR Mission is celebrating its160th anniversary this year, as it wasfounded in June 1853 by the Londonbarrister John MacGregor, with the aimof letting people who would never en-ter a church hear the good news aboutJesus Christ.

The organisation has been faithfullycarrying out this task in city centresaround the country ever since and alsohelping those who need training in preach-ing in the open-air in other countries. Wewere able to be represented at their Sup-porters’ Conference at the beginning ofMarch, which was held at Willersley Castlein Derbyshire.

About 75 people gathered and we wereblessed firstly, by good ministry from aDerby pastor, who spoke on the benefits,privileges and responsibilities Christianshave through their spiritual adoption assons and daughters of God. Secondly,there were both encouragements andprayer points from the reports given bythree of the evangelists on their work incity centres, fairs and beach missions (atTenby and Weymouth) over the last year.

Thirdly, there was the enjoyment ofgood fellowship, meeting fellow-delegatesfrom England, Wales, Scotland and Ire-land. There was some free time on theTuesday afternoon and many of us tookthe opportunity to visit the Cromford Mill(currently undergoing restoration work asan International Heritage Site) and have awalk in the spring sunshine alongside theCromford Canal.

ServicesOur Sunday services from April 14 will

be in the Community Room at HighcliffePrimary School (LE4 3DL) from 10.45 amand you will be most welcome to join withus. (Please note: we are not able to usethe school on April 7, so please ring forvenue.) Our visiting speaker for April 21 isStan Braybrook (Shepshed).

Further information, please ring 01162214883.

From Anne Taylor, Birstall IndependentBaptist Church

New captains

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BIRSTALL VILLAGE CricketClub is in early preparationfor the 2013 season.

They have recently held their AGM todiscuss and decide business and plans forthe upcoming season. Election of positionsin the club were made:

President: Ian Hunt, Chairman: AndyMerry, Secretary: Dave Sharpe, Treasurer:Ian Bartlett, 1st Team Captain: AndyGalpin, 2nd Team Captain: Tony Clapham.Andy Merry has decided to pass on theresponsibilities of club secretary this sea-son and take a slightly more reduced rolewithin the club. Andy has held the positionof club secretary of Birstall Village CricketClub for over 20 years and has done afantastic job in this time. He will still re-main an integral part of the club and islooking forward to just enjoying the sea-son.

BVCC has gained some new players whoare looking promising with our BVCC un-der 15’s improving every week at nets andalso look promising with the chance play-ing a part in the senior teams at somepoint this year.

The season begins for both teams onSaturday April 27 (all fixtures are Saturday1.30pm start)April 27: 1st XI vs. Braunstone Town (away);2nd XI vs. Barrow and Burton (away)May 4: 1st XI vs. Huncote (away); 2nd XI vs.Gilmorton (home)May 11: 1st XI vs. Burbage (home) ; 2nd XI vs.Broughton (away)

Date for your diary:BVCC Presentation night with quiz!

Saturday April 13 at Birstall United Foot-ball Club.

Keep up to date with all the latestnews on our website:

www.birstallvillagecc.co.ukFrom Joshua Saye

26 LADIES attended Birstall and Wan-lip WI’s meeting at Highcliffe Schoolon the March 4 for another very en-joyable evening.

We rattled through our past, present andfuture business so the time remaining wasdevoted to Mr John Stirling one of our mostentertaining speakers ever and ended withreally delicious cakes made by our hostessesof the month.

Mr Stirling was a child actor who becamea Stage manager and director of many popu-lar TV shows and Soaps. A close directorfriend died and bequeathed him two Irishdonkeys and eventually the Michael ElliotTrust was created in his memory. After helpfrom Challenge Anneka, stables were built inthe Peak Forest and Freshfields Donkey Sanc-tuary was born. Being an ex actor we weretreated to an excellent impression of BrianBlessed and many anecdotes of his actorfriends. These donkeys and famous friendshave helped many children with learningdifficulties and have raised fortunes for thetrust.

During one three week sponsored walkfrom Scarborough beach to Blackpool Beach,walkers and donkeys were cared for by 36different WI’s at each village along the routeand this is why Mr Stirling has a soft spot forall WI ladies. He takes every opportunity totalk to us whenever he is asked and hasspoken to 507 WI’s over the past 22 years.Another charity donkey walk ended with aprivate and totally unexpected audience withthe Queen at Buckingham Palace.

Our next meeting will be on April 8 whenwe welcome back Ken Goddard who will beguiding us through a ‘Beginners Guide toOpera’ and our competition is an ‘OperaWordsearch’.

From Birstall & Wanlip WI

The National Gold Standard Frame-work

There are a number of initiativesdesigned to help patients and their car-ers prepare for end of life. TheNational Gold Standard Frame-work (GSF) is one ofthese.

GSF involves the pri-mary care team, (yourfamily doctor and districtnurses) or care homestaff, working togetherwith you and with otherprofessionals involved inyour care. The aim is to improvethe organisation and quality of care foreveryone in the last years of life whatev-er their age or illness.

GPs and the district nursing teamidentify patients who they believe are inthe last year of their life. The patient willthen be placed on a palliative care regis-ter. Some surgeries know these patientsas gold patients, ensuring all staff knowwho they are, their condition and makeevery effort to ensure their calls aregiven priority.

Their condition will be continuallyassessed and their care planned. Plan-ning a patient's care is the key. It's donein consultation with the patient - the aimis to ask a patient what kind of care theywould like and where they would like toreceive it. These preferences are thenrecorded and passed on to other medi-cal professionals including out of hours

doctors who don't know the patientpersonally. Many surgeries and primaryhealth care teams (district nurses, GP’s,Macmillan Nurses) meet regularly to

discuss their current gold patients.By coordinating, assessing and

planning a patient's care inthis way doctors and nurs-es can avoid admitting apatient to hospital when itis not essential and canenable the patient to becared for and to die intheir chosen place wherev-

er possible.You matter because you are you.

You matter to the last moment of yourlife. And we will do all we can, not onlyto let you die peacefully but to help you

to live until you dieDame Cicely

Saunders, Founderof the Modern Hos-pice Movement

For more infor-mation:

http://www.goldstandardsframework.org.uk/Information%2b_or_Patients_Fa

milies_and_Carers.htmlTo reflect the interest and support of

the 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.

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Birstall BAG’s cancer corner

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]

BIRSTALL BAGS are holdingtwo fundraising events thismonth.

The cancer charity is holding a coffeemorning from 10am to 12noon at Bir-stall Methodist Church rooms on Satur-day April 13. A spokeswoman said: “Wewould love to see you all there. This wasa great success last year raising over£300. Any cake donations would bemuch appreciated and all proceeds goto cancer related charities and to helpfund Time Out at Birstall Village Hall,

held on every 2nd and 4th Wednesday ofthe month.”

On Sunday May 19 from 10am therewill be a fun run/walk around Water-mead Park.

The spokeswoman said: “Please comealong and support us, this a great familyday out starting on Whiles Lane at 11amwith registration from 10am and finish-ing at Birstall United FC on MeadowLane where there will be a bbq, bar,raffle, cakes and penalty shoot out, andprizes for the winners.”

Any raffle prizes you wish to donatewould be gratefully appreciated andanyone who could spare a couple ofhours to help marshal on the day wouldbe more than welcome. Please get intouch with us on our web sitewww.birstallbags.co.uk, and look out forour posters locally.

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

P/13/0469/2: 7 Gwendolin Ave – the ap-plicant Advance housing is a RegisteredProvider, specialising in providing hous-ing & support services to adults with men-tal health problems or a learningdifficulty. The existing house provided ahome for three unrelated adults with mildmental health problems sharing communalfacilities such as the bathroom, kitchenand lounge. We propose a change of usefrom single dwelling to two one bedroomself-contained flats.P/13/0392/2: 10 Elmfield Ave – erectionof 1st floor extension to side of dwellingP/13/0368/2: 1B Sibson Road – variationof condition 2 of application P/09/0365/2to extend opening hours from 17.00 hrsto 23.00 hrs from Monday to Sunday &Bank HolidaysP/13/0383/2: 233 Wanlip Lane – singlestorey rear extensionP/13/0336/2: Land adj 27 The Meadway –erection of a dwellingP/13/0363/2: 1 Kedleston Ave – erectionof 2 storey extension to side & single sto-rey extension to front & rearP/13/0344/2: 10 Keswick Close – erectionof a single storey extension to side ofdwellingP/12/0307/2: 54 Beechfield Ave – erec-tion of single & 2 storey extension to sideand single storey extension to rear ofdwelling

Planningapplications

The May issue ofTHE BIRSTALL POST

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birstall post (357) april 2013

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