birstall post (380) march 2105

MARCH 2015 No. 380

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

Aladdin pulls in crowds TWO BIRSTALL schools havebeen awarded grant fundingfrom the Governments Pri-ority School Building Pro-gramme (PSBF).

Highcliffe primary school and Longs-lade College are two of 227 schools inEngland chosen to benefit from thefunding, which is for schools in "urgentneed of repair". Only two other schoolsin Leicestershire will receive funding.

The 277 schools will share £2billion,the equivalent of £7.2million per school.

At Highcliffe the money will be spenton refurbishing the school.

At Longslade it will be used to eitherrefurbish or demolish and rebuild themain administration block.

The chair of the Lionheart AcademiesTrust Chris Swan said: "This is good

EVERYONE KNOWSthe story of Alad-din, or at least theDisney Version.

For their annual panto thecast of the Birstall MethodistMen's Pantomime performeda more traditional version,where Aladdin is a poor boyfrom old Peking. He liveswith his mother the WidowTwankey and his adoptedbrothers Wishee and Washeein the town laundry.

The wicked Abanazar isseeking someone trustworthybut gullible to retrieve amagic lamp from a deepdark cave.

Aladdin refuses to giveAbanazar the lamp until he isout of the cave, but insteadAbanazar locks him in thedarkness. With the help of amagic ring Aladdin escapesand summons the Genie. Itall works out well in the end.

The men’s panto groupmeets for rehearsals, at theMethodist Church on WanlipLane from the end of Sep-tember, on Thursdays from7.45pm until about 9.30pm.New members are alwayswelcome. “Singing, dancingand acting abilities are notnecessary” said Richard.

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MAR 2015THE BIRSTALL POST 3

Leicester City Council has agreed tosell a 2.5 hectare site to Morris Homesfor just over 100 family homes, includ-ing affordable housing. The site willhouse a range of three and four-bed-roomed homes, designed to meet theenvironmental standards required forAshton Green as a sustainable develop-ment.

Securing this first land sale is animportant milestone for the council as ithas been unable to find a developersince planning permission was grantedin 2010.

The parcel of land was sold for£3million. It is located at GlebelandsWood, off Leicester Road, next to theGlebelands development.

In 2014, the council altered its strat-egy for the development of Ashton Greento make it easier for different developersto take on a number of smaller parcelsof land, rather than one developer tak-ing on the whole scheme.

Since then the council has installedhighway infrastructure needed to makethe site more attractive to developers.

New walking and cycling routes andtraffic-calming improvements are due tobe installed to tie in with the MorrisHomes scheme, which aims to be on sitein the autumn.

Ashton Green is planned as a sustain-able new community including 3,000new homes and according to LeicesterCity Council, will be the most significantand innovative housing scheme inLeicester in more than 30 years. It willmake a significant contribution towardsdelivering the new homes needed in thecity over the next 20 years.

When complete, the Ashton Greenscheme will include a wide range offamily houses, including rental and low-er-cost affordable homes, as well asemployment land for new jobs, newschools, community and health facilities,

retail and public transportimprovements. A third ofthe site will be kept asgreen space.

The site will be wellserved by buses from anearly stage, say the Coun-cil, and travel planning forresidents, schools andworkplaces could includeschemes such as carclubs.

Leicester City MayorPeter Soulsby said: “It’sgreat news that a housingdeveloper has been se-cured for this section ofland, following a lot ofinfrastructure work by the city council toopen up Ashton Green to prospectivedevelopers.

“Creating 100 new homes will cer-tainly help meet the need for housing inthe city, and also gets development ofthe site off on the right footing. I lookforward to the council working withMorris Homes to help bring their plansto life.”

Regional managing director at MorrisHomes, Adam Knight, added: "We have astrong history of building quality homesin Leicester, and award-winning proper-ties that boast cost-saving sustainablefeatures, and we are proud to be thefirst housebuilder to start work on thislandmark scheme.

"The emission-reducing features willhelp reduce energy bill costs for buyers,and the design of the properties willreflect the contemporary, sustainablehomes available across our portfolio."

Birstall Parish Council, and manylocal residents, have expressed concernabout the impact the development willhave on traffic on Greengate Lane.

Birstall Parish Council Chair AnnMarshall said: "It has ben a long timecoming but this development is going tobe absolutely huge. We are being closedin on all sides in Birstall by develop-ment, we are really surrounded.

"The traffic that comes down the A6is unbelievable, and people coimg downGreengate Lane from Ashton Green willbe joining that.

"These developments on all sidesmake it increasingly difficult for us toremain a community. As everywheremelds into everywhere else we are all

joined together with no distinction be-tween places - we are losing our senseof community."

In 2010 a traffic impact assessmentproduced by the City Council said thatmeasures to deter traffic from entering

Greengate Lane would result in “nomaterial impact on Greengate Lane withthe traffic from Ashton Green”.

The City Council have proposed thefollowing traffic mitigation measures for

100 NEW homes will be built at Ashton Green thisyear, the first of 3000 that are planned for a ma-jor new housing development at the LeicesterCity end of Greengate Lane.

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news for families and the community asa whole. The next stage is for the De-partment for Education to send advisorsto support the schools in deciding howto get the best value for money from thegrant and a plan will then be put inplace to make sure that the work is theleast disruptive possible to teaching andlearning."

Continued from page 1

First new housing at Ashton Green

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Greengate Lane:• one-way signal controlled shuttle

working at the railway bridge. Thebridge is owned and maintained by theGCR. Traffic lights will control traffic oneither side of the bridge, alternating thedirection of traffic: east/west thenwest/east.

The City Council says: “the very na-ture of introducing traffic signals mayincrease journey times along GreengateLane. However the signals are unlikely toresult in significant build up of queuesand on balance it is considered that theywill act as an effective traffic calming

measure, ultimately reducing the attractivenessof Greengate Lane for general traffic whilst athe same time increasing its attractiveness forpedestrians and cyclists.”

• speed humps• a shared footway/cycleway from Leicester

Road to beyond the bridge. One option con-sidered is utilising the verge as far as thejunction of Woodgate Drive before cyclistsrejoin the carriageway.

The City Council are also proposing speedhumps on Leicester Road between AshtonGreen and Thurcaston, and a ‘gateway entryfeature’ for traffic approaching Ashton Greenfrom the north that will reduce the speed limitto 30mph.

The Ashton Green development is part ofthe City Council’s plans to find 20,000 newhomes in the next 15-20 years. The City Coun-cil says it will offer:

• employment on 5 hectares of employmentland

• an ‘all-age school’ from 3-19 years, locat-ed at the western end of Greengate Lane ex-tending eastwards towards the GCR bridge

• safe routes for pedestrians and cyclists• good public transport links• community facilities• 49 hectares of green space• energy efficient homes with renewable

energy sources• an on-site Energy CentreMore details at

www.leicester.gov.uk/ashtongreen

A FULL meeting of Bir-stall Parish Council washeld on February 9.

PC Dave Jaeckels reported on arecent increase of thefts from mo-tor vehicles in the village. He saidhe had researched where thecrimes had taken place, and exact-ly half were in areas where streetlights were turned off at night andhalf where they were left on.

Antisocial behaviour had recent-ly become a priority because of agroup of young people on SibsonRoad, Wanlip Lane and WhilesLane.

Four young people have beenidentified and visited by the Policeand Charnwood’s Community SafetyTeam. Acceptable Behaviour Con-tracts have been agreed to.

A member of the public re-quested that at their next meeting,the council reconsider their deci-sion not to permit pedestrian ac-cess along the new track inMeadow Lane playing fields.

Cllr David Gaskell reported thatthere were plans to change land

levels near the River Soar near to theCo-op sports ground in order to reduceflood risk.

He said that the quality of the designof the housing planned for the Broad-nook Garden suburb was exemplary andthat additional housing is needed, butonly if it is better designed and deliveredthen Hallam Fields. There were concernsabout extra traffic on the A6, he said

He reported that the proposed Wanlipbypass was no longer considered neces-sary and had been “kicked into touch”,and that he had been actively involved inattempts to get the Post Office to open abranch at Hallam Fields.

Cllr Iain Bentley reported that theredundant bus shelter on the Triangleroundabout would be removed beforethe end of April by its owner, but notresited anywhere in the village.

The Council agreed on the wordingof an application form for grant aid tobe made available to local clubs andorganisations.

It was reported that notification fromCharnwood about Listed Building Con-sent was needed before the plans toinstall a commemorative clock above theentrance of the Village Hall could beprogressed.

The operators of the Skylink busservice have written to the Council say-ing they will not provide a stop onLoughborough Road near Red Hill Circlebecause it would have an adverse effecton journey times and punctuality.

Following a request from a resident,a grit bin will be installed on BriargateDrive.

Plans for the new community hall atHallam Fields require the approval ofthe Palmer Tomkinson Trust before aplanning application can be submitted.The money allocated for the £350,000hall is from Section 106 developer con-tributions and can only be spent on thehall.

Parish Council notes

RESIDENTS IN Charnwood are beingencouraged to help the recyclingeffort by not using black bin bagsin their green recycling bins.

Charnwood Borough Council’scollection crews need to be able tosee the recyclable materials in thebins to ensure that there are onlyitems that can be recycled.

If recyclable materials are placedin black bin bags the crews cannotcheck them and unfortunately will notbe able to take the bin away.

A Borough Council spokesmansaid: “We recommend residents sim-ply put their recyclable items loose inthe recycling bin. Thank you for help-ing Charnwood recycle.”

If people are struggling to fit alltheir recycling in the bins, they canorder an additional bin free of [email protected] ortelephone 01509 634563.

If you are uncertain at all of whatcan and can’t go in your green recy-cling bin, visit:www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/green_recycling_bin

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1944 Fred was in the third wave oftroops to jump down from their boatsand make their way up Sword beach,near Caen, all the while under enemyfire.

Interviewed by the Birstall Post in2005, Fred said: “I didn’t feel frightenedbecause we were all so keyed up, I hadmy friends with me and I had been sickon the boat and was desperate to get offit!

“The Commandos and Marines werein the first wave and they had taken a lotof enemy machine gun positions but thebeaches were still being shelled. Ijumped from my boatbut was up to my neckin water with all my kiton and I couldn’t swim.As I got on to thebeach an enemy aircraftflew over and droppeda bomb, but I tookcover behind a knockedout flail tank whichtook the blast. I lookedon as our ships shotdown the plane.”

Fred stayed with theAllied invasion force asit moved east throughFrance and Germanybefore finally reachingBerlin from where hewas demobbed in 1946.

Fred was first mar-ried to Connie withwhom he had Marleneand Robert. In the early60s he moved to Wan-lip and married Dor-othy and over the next46 years made a majorcontribution to villagelife.

Each February Fredand Dorothy would sow

seeds that would benurtured for a fund-raising plant stall atthe annual May fair.This and other fund-raising schemes sawthousands raised forWanlip Church and theHall.

Many villages willremember Fred asFather Christmas eachChristmas Eve. Evergenerous with his timeand hospitality, he will

be long remembered as one of Wan-lip’s characters.

Fred died following a short illnessand the funeral was on December 12,2014 at Loughborough Crematorium.Pics: (left) Fred en route to Berlin in1944 and (below) on Sword beach in2005

WANLIP’S FRED Sharpe hasdied, aged 96.

Born in Rothley, he worked in theLeicestershire shoe industry becoming a‘clicker’, a skilled job that involved cut-ting out the correct quality of leather foreach part of a shoe.

He was called up in 1939 and onJune 5, 1944 set sail from Portsmouthfor the D Day landings, part of the larg-est invasion force in history that liberat-ed Europe and helped to end the war.

On the morning of D Day, June 6,

AN ARCHITECT commis-sioned by Birstall ParishCouncil has drawn upplans for the new Commu-nity Hall at Hallam Fields.

Before a planning application canbe submitted the plans need approvalfrom the Palmer Tomkinson Trust .

The £350,000 building will containa hall, meeting room and kitchen. Thefunding was negotiated as part of aSection 106 agreement associated withHallam Fields, and the money canonly be used for this purpose.

Monthly updates on the progress ofthe project will be given at BirstallParish Council’s monthly meetings.

D-Day veteran dies aged 96

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THE RATBY Co-operativeBrass Band are set to hosttheir annual Musik Festevent at Groby CommunityCollege on April 24/25.

The weekend will feature perform-ances from all bands in the Ratby Or-ganisation, as well as Enderby WindBand, Soar Valley Music Centre BigBand, Groby College Group, Wigston

Enterprise Band, Heart of England Cho-rus, Lutterworth Town Band and N’ukesUkulele Band. This musical extravaganzapromises to showcase a great variety ofLeicestershire talent.

Children can attend the festival forfree with tickets for either the Friday orSaturday evening costing £8 for adultsand £7 for concessions. There are alsofull weekend tickets available at £12.

Contact Malcolm Pounder on 01162386749 or any Ratby Band membersfor tickets. For more information aboutthe Ratby Brass Band Organisation, visitwww.ratbyband.com

BIRSTALL’S MP StephenDorrell visited Birstall Medi-cal Centre in February totalk about the future of theNHS.

Mr Dorrell, the Secretary of State forHealth from 1995-1997, listened topoints put to him by the chairman ofPatient Participation Groups from thearea.

They reported that there was a lot ofpressure on GP services, more staff wereneeded on the front line, there is ashortage of GPs and nurses, and thatpatients are afraid that the NHS is incrisis and are anxious about their imme-diate care needs.

Mr Dorrell said that the NHS needsstructural reform and not more moneybeing put into existing structures. NHSServices need to be better integrated and

include social care and the emphasisshould be on treating people at home,and not in hospital.

NHS Services are already provided bya mixture of public and private, so what,what matters is what works, he said.

Mr Dorrell said he was optimisticabout the future of the NHS as all themain political parties largely agreed tothe future direction of the NHS, a direc-tion of travel that had been pursued forthe last 10 years and is set to continue.

Pic: Stephen Dorrell MP speaking at Birstall Medical Centre

THE WHITE Horse's annual charity Duck Race will this yearbe held on Monday May 4.

All the proceeds from thispopular event on the Whiles Laneriverbank will be donated to theParent Teacher Associations(PTA) of River-side and High-cliffe PrimarySchools. Since theinaugural DuckRace in 2009,£20,000 hasbeen raised forlocal charitiesand communityorganisations.

Charlotte Foyform the White Horse said:" Weare pleased that bothschools are involvedin the funds raisedfrom the Duck Race,it will benefit so manyof Birstall’s children".

The PTA's willjointly run all stalls,games and activitiesthat take placethroughout the dayand will share equallythe money raised.

Speaking on behalfof the Highcliffe PTA,Reshma Kukadia said:"The school is proudto be working along-side the PTA of River-side School and ourshare of funds raisedwill be put towardsmultiple schoolprojects including theschool library, sportsequipment and the

music department ".Carole Gutteridge of the Riverside

PTA echoed Reshma's sentiments. "AtRiverside we are currently raising fundsto provide a wooden bespoke climbingfort for the children" she said. "A smallgroup of parents, staff and friends workvery hard fundraising to support the

school and the help andsupport from the WhiteHorse and the Birstallcommunity will help themaccomplish our fundrais-ing goals."

There will be moredetailed information in thelocal press in the comingmonths. Ducks will beavailable to purchase fromthe White Horse and both

schools from the April 1, 2015.

NHS concerns raised with MPRatbyband

Village gets set for duck race

The April issue ofTHE BIRSTALL POST

will be published on Apr 4.The copy deadline is Mar 20.


A LOCAL fundraising groupthat supports cancer servic-es has been awarded charitystatus.

Founded in 1998, Birstall BreastAwareness Group (BAG’s), has organ-ised dozens of community events andraised tens of thousands of pounds.

Money raised has been spent sup-porting cancer care including the TimeOut support group at Wanlip Village Halland the purchase of a bladder scannerfor University Hospitals Leicester

OUR PICTURES show visitors to Bir-stall library on National library day inFebruary.

There were craft sessions and anintroduction to the library service’s freedigital e-Resources.

Sienna Earle (9) enjoyed making ahedgehog from paper. “It was easy, Imade six” she said.Pic: (top) Claire Lines, Sally Pople, Sienna Earle(9), Jade Pople, Kelis Earle (5) & Jen Tiisler

Spokeswoman Liz Darlison said: “Be-ing recognised as a charity has manybenefits in terms of the governance ofthe organisation and tax benefits forthose donating to us. The BAG’s hope tosee the charity’s work in Birstall and thesurrounding area go from strength tostrength.

“If anyone would like to hold anevent to support the charity in any way,if you would like us to talk to a groupor meeting about our work or anythingrelated to cancer or if you have anyideas about initiatives you would like tosee your local charity support please docontact the BAG’s Board of Trustees byemail – [email protected] orwrite to us c/o Peter Astill & Co, HannahParade, Stonehill Avenue, Birstall,Leicester LE4 4JE

“Thank you for your ongoing sup-port.”

LOCAL GROUPS are beinginvited to apply for grantfunding from Birstall Par-ish Council.

The Parish Council has budgeted£2400 for the financial year, to helpsupport local clubs, groups and chari-ties.

Parish Council Chair Ann Marshallsaid: “The Parish Council has setaside a small pot of £2400 so thatnon-profit making parish based com-munity groups can apply for grants.

“A simple application form is avail-able on the parish council website orfrom the council office, this will bewidely publicised and one group hasalready indicated an interest.”

www.birstallparishcouncil.org.uk

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It is almost four years since Birstallelected Iain Bentley, Surinder Shergill,Stuart Jones and I to represent the peopleof Birstall at Charnwood Borough Council.Tragically Stuart died but the three of ushave carried on fighting your causes.

Well over one hundred of you will re-member ( because you have used the facil-ity) that we started holding monthly

surgeries in the old Council Offices onSibson Road on the last Saturday of eachmonth. One of the first complaints wereceived concerned excessive noise ema-nating from The Trees public house onStonehill Avenue. After months of remon-strating with the owners and after manybroken promises on their part, we had thepub closed. On the site now is a smallhousing development.

We have handled many, many com-plaints about Charnwood borough housingstock. These mostly concerned repairs. Itsoon became apparent that the designatedrepairer was not up to standard. Webrought this to the attention of the officersat Charnwood Borough Council whochanged the repairer and now our com-plaint rates have dropped substantially.

On one of our visits to the RiversdaleCourt Residential Home, we recognizedthat residents were having difficulties stor-ing their disability scooters. We chasedround and managed to find funding topurchase and erect such a store, completewith power points, the first in the Borough.Since then we have managed to acquireover £2.0 million pounds to have thehome completely refurbished. It has al-ways been a lovely home, in a lovely settingbut once these refurbishments are com-plete it will be magnificent.

When Iain Bentley successfully stood asthe County Councillor for Birstall, the cen-tre point of his campaign was to fight for anew primary school for Hallam Fields.

Surinder and I have continued to strivewith Iain and we have been assured thatwe will soon have another school. Thequestion is whether it will be to the east orthe west side of the A6, i.e. will it be onthe Stonehill campus or will it be on Hal-lam Fields. We are fighting for HallamFields but it is nice to know that our ef-forts have been rewarded and we are goingto get another primary school for Birstall.

The developers and planners have iden-tified a site for extra houses, north of Bir-stall. Using the current legislation, it soonbecame apparent that it was futile to try tostop it and in any event, the quality of thehouses on that development are better thanusual, so we decided to object only to thetraffic arrangements. We are proud to statethat, because of our efforts we have man-aged to stop the proposed Wanlip bypass.We listened to the objections of the peopleof Wanlip, as well the views of BirstallParish Council and the residents of WanlipLane. We took those concerns to the plan-ners and we were obviously listened tobecause the plan has now been dropped.

We are continuing to object to the pro-posed arrangements for the additionaltraffic from this development which wouldtravel along the A6. That is unless seriousalterations are made to the present roadsystem to mitigate the potential problems.The planners are aware of our objectionsand we will re-iterate them when the planscome up for public examination as well asbefore the planning committee. We aresure that this will be the best course ofaction and we know that the Parish Coun-cil has similar objections which they willair.

We have recently been joined by RenataJones, who replaces as our candidate forthe Birstall Wanlip ward, the much missedStuart Jones (no relation). She will bringwith her a wealth of experience in thebusiness world and will work closely withSurinder. They will make a ‘ dynamic duo’on the west side of the A6 and Wanlip andwill work closely with Iain and I on theWatermead side .

There would appear to be two types ofpeople in politics; the ‘ gunners’-i.e. thosewho are gunner to do this and gunner dothat and the ‘ dunnits’ i.e. those who havedone it. We like to think that the BirstallConservatives have done it and our recordtends to prove it. With your continuedsupport, we will continue to do it, takingup the issues you identify to us. However,it is impossible for us to visit you all inyour homes but we are always availableeither by email, phone or letter.

Cllr David Gaskell

a book under a bench - Fifty Shades ofGrey, quite well worn. My good ladyexplained what it was all about. I neverknew there was so much interest inblack and white photography. She saidnot to bother reading it, as it won't belong before the film comes on the telly.

Only a few weeks to go and it will beApril when the season starts. Then wewill really get rocking and rolling! Any-one interested in bowling please contactmy good friend John on 2675947.

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YOUR SAY...

The Birstall Post welcomes your viewsand opinions on any subject. Letters, whichmust include your name and address,(though not necessarily for publication)can be posted to: The Birstall Post, Unit109, Greenacres, The Sidings, LeicesterLE4 3BR, or handed in at Birstall libraryor email: [email protected]

Our club has weathered the wintervery well. Bowls is not just a game.Joining a bowls club has a big socialside. Me and my good lady have alwayssaid, "If we did not enjoy the social, wewould not play the game."

Well, over the winter we have hadplenty of social. Coffee mornings, gamesevenings and events around Halloween,New Year, and a Valentine's candle litsupper. All of these were very well at-tended with fantastic food at unbelieva-ble prices. We do have outsideentertainers which we enjoy but mostthings are just by the members, for themembers and it is amazing what a fewfriends getting together can do. I takemy hat off to them all.

There has been some good weatherrecently and the sap is starting to rise.They say a young man's fancy turns tolove but that was a long time ago andthese days we have other things to getexcited about. I was tidying the ladieschanging rooms the other day and found

Is it any wonder that the electorate isdespondent over national politics whenthe Charnwood Conservative Constituencyselects a Westminster city councillor tostand for election!

Mr Argar will contest the seat that isbeing vacated by Stephen Dorrell afterhis revelation that he will stand down atthe May election.

Mr Hanif Asmal, the Charnwood Con-servative Association Chairman, says thatMr Argar has not been "parachuted in"to contest a 15000 Tory majority. How-ever, Mr Argar is a candidate who doesnot know Charnwood, has probablynever been here, and presumably, hasno connection with the Borough!

He will also succeed Mr Dorrell whohas taken a job, whilst still being anM.P., with K P M G, a company whichhas everything to do with the privatisa-tion of the N H S.

It is no wonder at all that people aredespondent, especially younger people,who have 'turned off' from voting forpoliticians who do not care who repre-sents local democracy!

William Hill - Birstall

Well there you have it fellow miffedbus users, the new and improved (gigglegiggle) bus timetable issued by Centre-bus is not worth the paper it is writtenon. They consider a bus that is due at8.05 is not late until it arrives at 8.10!Sorry but in my (and fellow travellers)book it is. As previously advised by methe next Centrebus to get us into townanywhere near 9 o'clock is the 8.29 22Aon Sibson Road. If we on the gatesneed to catch it, then we have to start towalk down by 8.10. We cannot affordto wait until after then.

My comments re their GPS checking,it seems as dodgy as their bus timetable,they don't match my spreadsheet I amkeeping. I wonder what as a companythey do if an employee was constantlylate, I don't think they would be so un-derstanding as they seem to think myemployers should be, due to buses turn-ing up late!

I don't expect to see any newer buseson our route, they simply don't careabout customer service on the 22Broute.

Having checked with the council,Centrebus receive a subsidy on the 7.05from Birstall and 7.40 and 18.20 fromLeicester. Therefore is anyone other thanthe 8.05B have problems with them,please contact the County Council, theywill be pleased to hear from you.

There was no mention from thecouncil of a subsidy on Saturdays!

You will have noted from Ms Mistry's

Four years

Bowls

Despondent

Timetable

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reply to my complaint that Centrebusoperate the Birstall buses on a commer-cial basis, so must be making a profit asthey would soon stop the route if theywere not. Therefore, if there are anyrepresentative's from other bus compa-nies reading this take note, If you cansupply a bus on time then we on thegates would love you to run them. Wethink it is lack of competition that al-lows Centrebus to get away with poorservice.

Sue Hitchcock, extremely miffedbus user.

the adventure.Dr D A C McNeil

Women’s World Dayof PrayerSt Theresa’s Roman CatholicChurch, Front St, BirstallFriday March 6Beginning with lunch at 12noonfollowed by a PowerPoint presen-tation on the Bahamas and culmi-nating in a service at 1.45pmapproximately and ending atabout 2.45pm

CharnwoodOrchestraThe Banks of Green Willow ConcertAll Saints Parish Church, Lough-boroughSaturday March 21 at 7.30pmA programme of music by Butter-worth, Howells, Duparc, &Vaughan WilliamsDedicated to the memory of thefallenConcert followed by overnightpeace vigilTickets £10 (£9 con)07718 153 117www.charnwoodorchestra.org.uk

Birstall & DistrictArt SocietyTuesday March 10 at 7pmYou are invited to join us at thePalmer Tomkinson Centre atLongslade College, LE4 4GH towatch renowned artist Tim Fisherasnd good friend of Birstall ArtSociety giving a demonstration ofwatercolour/pen & ink painting,the subject is Staithes Landscape’.

Demonstration to end at 9pm.Members £1, Guests £3. Free raf-fle. Ample parking and wheelchairaccess.

Mountsorrel Methodist Churchpresents the 14th series ofSunday Night @ Eight

Organ RecitalsSunday March 15 at 8pmEric ChanStudent at Ratcliffe CollegeSunday April 19 at 8pmRoxanne SummerfieldAssistant Organist at St James theGreater, LeicesterSunday May 17 at 8pmFather Simon Lumby, St Aidans,New ParksSunday June 21 at 8pmRon Berry, Organist, St Lukes,ThurnbyAdmission freeDonations for church’s develop-ment fundBuffet from 7.30pm

Birstall Ladies Bowling Club

Coffee MorningSaturday March 2110am-12noonCakes, books, tombola, raffle etcat Birstall Methodist Church, Wan-lip Lane, BirstallAll welcome

Councillor SurgeryLast Sat of every month10am to 12noon10 Sibson Road, Old Council OfficeTalk to your District & CountyCouncillorsto discuss any issue of local con-cern

A thank you letter to Birstall Quiltersfor all the work they did to help ourLeicester Branch of Parkinsons. I lookedafter my dear husband Peter for 14years with this illness and hope the fu-ture will bring a cure.

Our group and committee and choirare all working for this so thanking youagain for your support.

Mrs Pam Hulme

Yet again I feel I must assault yourcolumns because of the ignorance (orselfishness) of car drivers at the trafficlights at the Bentley Road junction withthe Loughborough Road.

For those who either have not readthe highway code – which is requiredbefore a driving licence will be issued –or have forgotten (or are too old forthese new-fangled changes) it is permis-sible to use a bus lane ONLY when thecontinuous white line which defines thelane becomes a dashed line at the lights.It will no doubt come as a surprise tosome readers that this is NOT the caseon the south-bound lane of Loughbor-ough Road at that point. Yet when Ilooked out of my upstairs window thismorning I saw no less than five privatevehicles in that lane, held at the lights.These were joined by a taxi and a bus asI watched. When the lights finallychanged in their favour, three vehiclesturned left, the next two drove straighton and the last two and the bus werecaught by the lights.

When I came out of my drive despitethe proximity of the lights I always crossthe bus lane before I proceed to thejunction (guess who would be mostlikely to be caught if I did otherwise). Atthis rate I shall not be able to get out ofmy drive.

As a last thought – one of those pro-fessional-looking cyclists recently usedthe bus lane, and set off when the lightsfor the main road changed, despite thefact that those for the bus lane were stillon red. He was lucky to have survived

Good luck Simon Sansome with yourforthcoming campaign to become anMP. Thank you for acknowledging thelack of facilities on the Hallam Fieldsdevelopment, for which the residents arestill waiting.

The proposed school and communitycentre appear to be wrapped in redtape, which hopefully will be removedwithin the next ten years. The shops andcentral hub? Well, let us see what hap-pens.

The population of Hallam Fields hasgrown over the last nine years and peo-ple live there by choice. Is there really aneed for ‘Community Workers’ to en-hance the spiritual lives of Hallam fieldsresidents? Community workers repre-senting St James the Great (Birstall) andOur Lady and St Nicholas (Wanlip)churches have been appointed to intro-duce the Christian ethos to HallamFields.

To proudly announce this in theBirstall Post (Feb 2015) is divisive anddemeaning to the hardworking people ofHallam Fields, who come from all walksof life.

If people wish to follow an ideal orseek spiritual assistance, they all havethe capability to obtain this for them-selves as they see fit.

In these current times of global un-rest, faith, tolerance and understandingof other people’s culture and diversity isessential.

Birstall Resident, name & ad-dress supplied

Noticeboardall details printed free

Thanks

Highway code

Hallam Fields



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Birstall RunningClubMeet Monday & Friday nights,6.20 for 6.30pm runBirstall School Lane playing fields– showers & toilets availableWednesday night beginners groupat Birstall Legion 7pmSpeed work sessions also availa-ble on Wednesdays for thosewanting to improveContact Deryk on [email protected] or Bob 07927346640Website: www.birstallrc.org.uk

Guided tour of theHouses ofParliamentMonday March 16Coach leaves 7.30amReturns early eveningFrom outside Aroma Spice, SibsonRoad, BirstallNest door to Birstall Garden Cen-trePlease contact Mary Allan on 01162673941or David Gaskell 0116 2674746Just a few seats still available,just £25 per seat

Birstall RoyalBritish Legion7th Warren Dewitt (M/V)14th Paula Burrows (F/V)21st Tammy (F/V)28th Retro (DUO)Dancing every Saturday night withlive entertainmentBingo, Free beer raffle and notforgetting Open the BoxEvery Tuesday night Bingo start-ing at 9.15pmQuiz nights Sunday 8th and 29thMarch starting at 9pmAcoustic night Sunday 22nd Marchat 8pmFood available every Saturday 12-2pmWakes catered forNew outside seating areaWi-Fi available

Birstall FlowerClubMarch 25th 2015, 7.15pmBirstall Village HallDemonstration by Linda Smith -“Amazing Places”Visitors welcome - £5Queries to Sylvia: 0116 2674206or Mary Linnett: 0116 2672247•Highcliffe AmateurTheatrical SocietySpring Play Come along and see HATS Springplay, a comedy farce you are sureto enjoy and that will leave youlaughing.

“Cheerleaders”a comedy by Dorothy Cooke, pro-duced in association with

comedyplays.co.uk.Set in Dave Thornton’s disgust-ingly untidy flat, Cheerleaderstells the story of Dave and hisneighbours Ken and Norm andtheir involvement with the localamateur football team. In an at-tempt to boost support for theteam they consider auditioningsome cheerleaders but confusionfollows as Dave also needs a charlady to clean up his flat so he canpersuade his girlfriend Sharon tomove in with him. Norm gets thewrong end of the stick and thingsgo from bad to worse for Dave andSharon. Further trouble lies aheadin Act 2 when Sharon’s amorousmother arrives and sets her sightson Norm.Dates: Thursday 14th, Friday 15thand Saturday 16th of MayTime: 7.15 p.m. (doors open at6.45 p.m.)Venue: Highcliffe Primary School,Greengate Lane, Birstall, Leices-tershire LE4 3DL.Tickets: £6.00 adults, £5.00 con-cession.Discount for group bookings.Contact details: 0116 2209594, or0116 2128757. [email protected]’t delay, book today.

Birstall & DistrictLocal HistorySocietyThe next meeting of the Society isto be held on Thursday 12thMarch 2015 in the Birstall VillageHall, Birstall Road, Birstall, LeicsLE4 4DH.The subject of the talk is "TheirName Liveth Forevermore" andthe speaker will be Brian Johnson.The talk will commence at 7.30pmand all visitors are very welcometo join us.Parking will be available for carson the Birstall Playing Fieldsthrough the School Lane entrance.

Richard III & theBattle of BosworthA talk by Richard KnoxFor the Friends of Charnwood For-estAt Woodhouse Eaves Village Hallon Monday March 16 at 7.30pmRichard Knox has been involved inLeicestershire archaeology for 24years, working in a number of dif-ferent roles for LeicestershireCounty Council. He first becameinvolved at Bosworth BattlefieldHeritage Centre in 2005, whenwork started on a survey to findthe actual battlefield and he ledthe reinterpretation of the Herit-age Centre on Ambion Hill. He iscurrently engaged, with col-leagues, in organising the Coun-ty’s elements of King Richard’sreinterment in March.All are welcome.Further information--Peter Ber-tram 01162100572 orwww.focf.org.uk

Saturday 14th March 201510.00am - 1.00pmat Birstall Methodist Church

Mini-Market&Table Top Sale(tables @ £10 each)(contact 0116 2672606)Good-as-New Clothes, Home madecakes, Preserves, Plants, Books,Crafts, Tombola, Refreshments

Girlguiding Birstall's

Spring FairSaturday 21st March11am to 2pmBirstall Guide HQ, Johnson Road.Stalls, cakes, raffle and lightlunches. Meet the Easter Bunny.Come along and find out moreabout Guiding in Birstall.

Film PresentationsFrom Thurcaston & Cropston Par-ish Council"The Hundred Foot Journey" Fri-day March 13 (124 mins)This uplifting comedy drama, star-

ring Helen Mirren, charts the bat-tle of wits between tworestaurateurs in a close-knitFrench village. Circumstances ne-cessitate Papa Kadam, with hisIndian family, setting up his busi-ness across the road from the eat-ing establishment of MadameMallory (Helen Mirren). Theyeventually learn to see eye to eyeover the simmering saucepans andas they lovingly stir their thicksauces, our mouths water."Mr Turner" Friday April 10 (149mins)Timothy Spall actually learnt topaint to play the complicatedcharacter, JMW Turner. Spall cer-tainly deserved the British Inde-pendent Film Award nominationfor Best Actor. There was also anomination for a BAFTA in Cine-matography. Turner spent years inLondon with his beloved fatherbut he led an unusual life. He hada relationship with a Margatelandlady, while his impressionistworks of art caused wrath at theRoyal Academy of Art. We see inthis beautiful film how Turner cre-ated his masterpieces."The Grand Budapest Hotel" will

If you have an NVQ Level 3qualification in Child Care or theequivalent and a real interest in theserious business of childplay, wehave two vacancies and we wouldvery much like to hear from you.

During Term Time Birstall Playgroup for Children withSpecial Needs provides play sessions on Monday andFriday mornings in Birstall Methodist Church Centre.

We believe that every child• needs to grow in confidence and gain a sense of their

achievements• needs to learn tools to help them communicate their

choices and ideas• should enjoy being who they are and have fun!

We are proud to be a BBC Children in Need project and alsoproud of our 40 year history!Our team of Volunteer Helpers are the linchpin of our suc-cess and we have high expectations of our paid staff whosupport them.

Assistant Playgroup Leader:8.30 am to 12 noon Monday and Friday, during Term Time Rate of pay: £9.22 per hour.Playgroup Worker:8.30 am to 12 noon Monday and Friday during Term Time Rate of pay: £7.20 per hour.A limited number of hours are available in school holidaysfor maintenance and administrative tasks

For more information please ring:Deborah Hoggar 0116 2606309email: [email protected]

We look forward to hearing from you. Closing date 14th March


be shown on Friday May 8th.Thurcaston and Cropston ParishCouncil will be showing thesefilms at Thurcaston Memorial Hall.Starting at 7.30pm, tickets cost£5 and concessions are £4.50.There will be refreshments and alucky prize draw. Advanced ticketscan be purchased via the parishoffice - 0116 236 7626 or at thedoor

200 Club winnersFebruary 20151st John Todd2nd Cynthia Chapman3rd Thelma Lane4th Jennifer Field

Recently Separated?Divorced some time?At whatever stage following thebreakup of a long term relation-ship.This Workshop helps people tobetter understand what they aregoing through and provides sup-port from others in the same situ-ation.As a past participant I can thor-oughly recommend this course asa means to grow, rediscoveringyourself as an independent being,in a supportive and sociablegroup. See our national websitewww.drw.org.uk. Or book with:Val 011622101702, Liz079932748249 or Sue075541229106 Tuesday evenings starting on14th April

A BIRSTALL music studiohas helped a Loughboroughmother record a charity CD.

David Moore is a producer andsound engineer and runs Studio3Zero,based in Birstall. He helped create a CDof songs written by Charlotte Grabowski(27) that she wrote for her three yearold son, Billy.

Billy had a cardiac arrest when hewas 13 months old at the family homein Loughborough. A paramedic saved hislife by shocking his heart with a defibril-lator and Billy recovered at Glenfieldhospital. Charlotte was supportedthroughout by the Heart Link charity andhas recorded the CD with her dad Rob

Francis – proceeds from saleswill go to Heart Link.

David said: “The CD is acombination of lullabies andchildren’s songs that Charlie has written,based on songs that she used to playand sing to Billy at night. They came tothe studio at the end of the year andworked along with myself both singingand playing to create a fantastic collec-tion of children’s songs.”

David has also produced a CD forLeicester Amika choir and has worked

on a CD for a vocalistraising funds for the Rainbows Chil-dren’s Hospice. “It’s very rewarding towork with musicians to help such goodcauses” said David.

Charlotte’s CD costs £5 and is availa-ble from

[email protected]

CD recorded inBirstall studio

METAL THIEVES stripped160 sq ft of lead from theroof of Wanlip Church inNovember.

Tarpaulins were later placed overthe roof to prevent serious water dam-age to the church interior.

Leicestershire Police say three menfrom the West Midlands have beenarrested following lead thefts from fiveother county churches includingCotesbach, Husbands Bosworth andWigston.

Anyone who sees any suspiciousactivity near the church should con-tact the Police, John Ward 07885669707 or Vince Jupp 07840 855030.



Wanliplead theft

Pic: (l-r) Rob Grabowski,David Moore &Charlotte Grabowski

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Come and play on our six courts, try out coaching, meas-ure the speed of your serve, jump on the bouncy castle,have some refreshments and meet our friendly members.The club offers social and competitive opportunities for allas well as coaching for juniors and adults.

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The new “gateway” signs have beenplaced at nine places on main roadsleading into Charnwood by the boroughcouncil. They feature a picture of OldJohn Tower at Bradgate Park.

Councillor Hillary Fryer, CabinetMember for Cleansing and Open Spaces,said: “The new road signs give a reallywarm welcome to Charnwood and fea-ture one of the borough’s most well-

known sights. I am delighted to seethem being put up.”

Road signs for the entrances toLoughborough are also planned.Pic: (l-r) Councillor Hilary Fryer, Council-lor David Gaskell, Councillor Iain Bentley,Charnwood Borough Council Leader DavidSlater, Leicestershire County Council Sen-ior Engineer Mark Palfreyman and Council-lor Serinda Shergill

NEW SIGNS featuring a well-known Charnwood landmarkhave been unveiled, with the first being erected in Birstall.

AN OFSTED inspection of Longslade College in January re-ported that the school is making "reasonable progress"towards the removal of special measures.

The inspection was the fourth moni-toring inspection since the school be-came subject to special measures inJune 2013.

Inspectors found that: "Standards arecontinuing to rise and there is a sus-tained trend of improvement...this re-flects the work that leaders in thecollege have done to improve the qualityof teaching."

Inspectors found that the gaps inprogress made by disadvantaged studentsand others in the college are narrowing.

There is now no inadequate teachingand Inspectors found that "students havepositive attitudes to learning and areexperiencing better teaching on a moreregular basis." This was also a viewexpressed by students who met Inspec-tors.

The report states: "Students in their

discussions with Inspectors confirmedthat behaviour in lessons has improvedconsiderably, so that learning can carryon without interruptions."

Longslade College expects to gainacademy status on April 1, 2015 and tomerge with Stonehill school to create theCedars Academy in September 2015, anall through 11-19 college.

AN EIGHTEEN year old student at Ratcliffe College will begiving an organ recital at Mountsorrel Methodist church onSunday March 15 at 7.30pm.

Eric Chan has been awarded an ATCLassociate diploma from the Trinity Col-lege of Music and a grade 8 distinctionlevel in the organ and piano.

Eric says: “When I first heard thesound of the piano I thought it wassimply beautiful and I couldn’t wait tostart playing. My piano teacher thenrecommended the organ which is nowmy favourite instrument to play”.

Eric has recently accepted a place atthe Royal College of Music, focussingjointly on piano and organ.

Les Longmire, who organises therecital programme each year, said: “Weare extremely privileged that Eric has

accepted our invitation to visit Mount-sorrel and we look forward to him play-ing to a full house as everyone iswelcome to attend”.

Further information is available bye.mail: [email protected] by telephone: 0116 237 6979.

Admission is free.

Longslade: standardscontinue to rise

New welcome signs

Student’s organ recital



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THE LABOUR and the Conserva-tive Party have announcedtheir candidates for the Charn-wood constituency at the MayGeneral election.

Labour’s candidate is Sean Kelly-Walsh (23). Mr Kelly-Walsh was born inBirmingham, the son of a teacher and acity council worker.

A COLLECTION of over 100coins found by a Wanlipfamily are being sold tohelp pay for repairs to thechurch roof.

Recently featured in the Wanlip VillageNews, Meirion Reynolds tells the story:

Imagine turning the soil in your gar-den and spotting something sparkling inthe frost. Ernest Shuttlewood and his sonMonty, did just that, regularly. Arrivinghere in 1920, they were tenant farmers,at both Manor Farm and Home Farm.Over the years, whilst ploughing localfields, they gathered a fascinating collec-tion of over one hundred coins.

They were thought to include Roman

coins, they certainly date from the reignof Edward IV, and include coins from asfar afield as France, Tunisia & Australia.There are several limited edition 1797‘Cartwheel’ Twopence coins, the heaviestBritish coin ever minted. That same year,when it was calculated the value of themetal far outweighed the value of tup-pence, production stopped.

We can only imagine the ‘who andhow’ of their fall into Wanlip soil andtheir relevance to the history of the vil-lage. Perhaps they were dropped by avisiting cleric, an itinerant merchant or alanded gent, perhaps by a Roman legion-naire, a soldier returning from the fieldsof Flanders or a World War II Land Girl.Worse, they may represent the hunger-making loss of the weekly wage of one of

the many ‘Ag.Lab.’ listed in the 1841Census for Wanlip. We will never know.

What we do know is that the Shuttle-wood family have decided, very gener-ously, that they would like this collectionto be sold and the proceeds to be givento the church towards the shortfall onthe insurance claim for replacing thelead stolen from the roof last November.It would be good to think that, in Junethis year, when one of Ernest Shuttle-wood’s great-grandson marries in Wanlipchurch – the roof won’t leak.

Sadly, the arrival of the metal detectorand the growing popularity of field walk-ing has diminished the rarity and mone-tary value of this collection, but if thecoins themselves could answer the ‘whoand how’ of their fall into Wanlip soil –they would be priceless!

Generalelectioncandidates

A graduate in history and politicsfrom the University of Leicester, he livesin Leicester and is the full time ExecutiveOfficer of Leicester Students Union.

The Conservative candidate is EdwardArgar (37). Mr Argar studied history atOriel College, Oxford University. He hasserved on Westminster City Council since2006 and is currently cabinet memberfor city management, transport and infra-structure.

Mr Argar is a self-employed manage-ment and communications consultant.

The Charnwood constituency is regardas one of the safest Tory seats in thecountry, with a 15,000 majority at the2010 General election

Pic: Sean Kelly-Walsh

Pic: Edward Argar

Coin collection to be sold

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Keep Your Vehicle SafeThere has been a peak in thefts from

motor vehicles over the past few months.Whether this is linked to the streetlightsbeing turned off overnight is still a mat-ter for debate but, whatever the reason,there are steps that YOU can take tomake your vehicles less vulnerable.

Surprisingly, a high number of theftsare from cars that have simply been leftunlocked. Get into the habit of physicallychecking that the doors are locked,rather than just relying on pressing the

remote control as you walk away.Opportunist thieves will look around

for easy pickings, trying doors as theywalk past. But it can take only secondsto break a car window. It does not helpmuch to hide items under coats or blan-kets on the back seat, since thieves areused to this. They will often break injust to check whether there is anythingunder them. Then, even if you have lostnothing, your car is damaged.

If you have to leave items in your car,make sure that they are completely outof sight or locked in the boot. Leavenothing on view, even if it is of littlevalue. Thieves are less likely to run therisk of being caught if the car appearsto be empty.

Your satnav is always a very temptingthing to steal, so always take it with youwhen you leave the car. But rememberalso to remove the bracket and cablesand put them out of sight. Do not forgetto wipe off the tell-tale circle left on thewindscreen by the rubber sucker. Re-move all clues to the fact that you use a

satnav.Make sure you car is

properly locked and thatthe alarm is set. Parkwhenever you can in awell-lit area or secure carpark. Tell potential thievesthat you are one step aheadof them by displaying anotice that all items ofvalue have been removed.

These notices and otheritems, such as specialscrews to protect yournumber plates, are availa-ble free of charge to mem-bers at our Advice Shop,where you can also pur-chase other security itemsat near to cost price.

It is open every thirdSaturday of the month inthe Police Office on SibsonRoad Car Park (oppositethe garden centre) between10 a.m. and 12 noon. It is

run in conjunction with the Police BeatSurgery where you can speak to a localPolice Officer, in complete confidence,about any matters that are causing youconcern.

The next date is Saturday, 21stMarch, so call in to see us for advice, afriendly chat and even a cup of tea.

Contact us at:[email protected] 0116 2676397

See our website:www.villagewatch.co.uk and sign-up forour email alerts about local crimes.

From Birstall & Wanlip NHW

Council with the results of this in duecourse.

On a positive note, we have had 2males arrested in relation to some ofthese crimes and these persons arecurrently on bail while enquiries contin-ue. The message remains however tomake sure that you are locking yourvehicle at all times and not leaving any-thing on display as in some cases vehi-cles have been broken into in order tosteal something that has been left out onview.

We have also had several vans bro-ken into in order to steal power toolswhich appear to be highly sought afterat present. If you do own a van and it ispossible to do so, please try to removeany tools when leaving it overnight orconsider security marking your toolswith your postcode so that they aremore difficult to sell on and thereforeless likely to be stolen in the first place.

Our new Problem Solving Plan look-ing at Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) in thevillage is gathering pace and we haveheld a number of joint meetings with theCouncil, local schools and other agen-cies to discuss the best way to tacklethis issue. A number of local youths whohave been highlighted as the main ring-leaders will be receiving joint visits fromthe Police and Council in due coursewith a view to placing them on the firsttier of the ASB process.

Please can I urge all residents toremain vigilant at all times and reportany behaviour deemed to be suspiciousto either the Police or your local NHWco-ordinator.

PC 1759 Dave Jaeckels, PCSO’s6611 Mark Butler, 6048 Adam Loy-dall and 6391 Fiona Lacey.

L05 – Birstall OfficeLeicestershire Police

http://www.leics.police.ukTel: 101 or 0116 2677355 (Please

note this is an advice line only – Pleaseuse 101 to report crime).

NHW news& crime report

Crime Report : Birstall &Wanlip, January 2015

Assaults 6, burglary dwelling 5, bur-glary non-dwelling 3, damage 4, damageto motor vehicle 1, robbery 1, theft 7,theft cycle 1, theft from motor vehicle17, theft of motor vehicle 1, theft fromstore 6

AS YOU can see from theabove figures, recordedcrime has unfortunately in-creased quite considerablythis month, with a total of52 crimes in January, upfrom 40 in December.

The main reason for this is due to anincrease in Theft from Motor Vehicleoffences, of which we have had 17 inJanuary. We are obviously very con-cerned about this and have respondedby doing leaflet drops in the areas thathave been affected, as well as by askingfor extra patrols in Birstall and Wanlipduring the night, which is when the vastmajority of these crimes have occurred.Furthermore, I have asked one of ourcrime analysts to look at the data to seewhether the rise in theft from motorvehicle offences coincides with the streetlights being switched off, and I will besending a report to Leicestershire County

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CHILDREN AT Birstall Meth-odist church used old copiesof newspapers to maketheir own - but with onlygood news.

‘Wouldn’t it be lovely toopen a newspaper whichonly had good news articlesand photographs?” saidPeter Molesdale from MessyChurch.

“Well we decided todesign just such a newspa-per at one of our sessionsin January. With the help ofJerry Jackson from the Bir-stall Post, who gave us some back cop-ies of the Birstall Post, we got thechildren to read through the papers andchoose only items of good news!”

Then they cut out and pasted theminto their own version of a Good Newsnewspaper. It was a very enjoyable after-noon when we talked about receivingand giving good news to people andhow we are uplifted when we hear aboutpositive things happening.”Pic: (top) Rhys Weeks, Leah Blowerand Lily Wall

Are you tracing your familyroots and have you found some-one from Belgrave who was killedin action during the Great War? Anew book, published by ‘Friendsof Belgrave Cemetery Group’ mayprovide just the information youare looking for.

‘World War I Servicemen –Belgrave Cemetery’ is a 120 pagebook that contains details of 109servicemen, either buried or com-memorated in Belgrave Cemetery.

The book is illustrated and in-cludes facsimiles of servicemen’swills, their census and servicerecords, together with details of anymedals or decorations awarded.These and a number of photographsdonated by the families of the menremembered in this book provide awindow on the First World War forthe casual reader, and will proveuseful to the enthusiast wanting to buildup a picture of the lives and deaths ofthose who paid the ultimate price acentury ago.

Some of the servicemen are remem-bered on family headstones in the ceme-tery. Others never came home and theirnames are commemorated abroad, butall of them are recorded.

WWI Servicemen – Belgrave Ceme-tery, edited by Joy May and RobertHorner is published by Friends of Bel-grave Cemetery Group. Copies, price£15 + postage are available from: MrsJoy May, 0116 3678068 or [email protected], Birstall Library andBirstall Garden & Leisure Centre.

DO YOU have family members who lost their lives duringthe First World War and are buried in Belgrave Cemetery?

World War I servicemenburied in cemetery

Findinggoodnews

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WORK ON a project to re-duce flood risk on BirstallRoad is expected to startthis summer.

The Environment Agency and Leices-ter City Council are working together toreduce flood risk to approximately4,700 properties within Leicester in a£8million project.

The project has identified severalareas in the city where improvements toflood flow routes can be made that willreduce potential flood levels and there-fore reduce flood risk. These ‘convey-ance’ improvements include the removalof areas of high ground, the de-silting ofbridge arches and the construction ofnew flood culverts.

As part of this project wider infra-

structure improvements will be deliveredsuch as new cycle routes and footpaths,resolving erosion issues and the creationof areas of wetland habitat.

The work is being delivered in threephases. The first phase started duringSeptember 2014 and involved the clear-ance of the Great Central Way bridgearches at Aylestone Meadows. The firstphase of works has reduced flood riskfor approximately 250 properties.

The second phase of works will in-clude works at both Abbey Meadowsplaying fields and the Co-op sports clubon Birstall Road. It should start in sum-mer 2015 and is likely to continue forapproximately 6 months.

At Abbey Meadows playing fields, nextto the former John Ellis School in northLeicester, the work will involve loweringareas of high ground within the flood

plain, creation of a new wetland to storefloodwater and an area of communitywoodland.

The Environment Agency (EA) arecurrently in discussion with the Co-opsports club on Birstall Road about low-ering the football pitch that is locatedclose to the River Soar on an area ofhigh ground. This pitch will be recon-structed away from the river, improvingthe capacity of the floodplain and reduc-ing flood risk to a significant number ofhomes. On completion of the works thesports club will have the same numberof football pitches available for use butwill benefit from improved access duringperiods of flooding, say the EA. Thissecond phase of works will reduce floodrisk to approximately 2,000 properties.

An EA spokesman said: "We are try-ing to contain the work at both sites tominimise the disruption. However thesports club will be unable to use thesports pitches for the summer and theAbbey Meadows playing fields will alsobe closed for the duration of the con-struction works and while the new grassseed becomes established."

The third phase of works is lookingto install new flood relief culverts closeto Thurcaston and Loughborough Roadbridges. This phase of works is stillbeing designed and is likely to be deliv-ered during 2017 once the design iscompleted and the required statutoryconsents, such as planning permission,are achieved.

You can find further informationabout the scheme at the schemes web-sitehttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/leicester-flood-risk-management-scheme/leicester-flood-risk-management-scheme

WANLIP PARISH meeting haselected a new Chairman.

Dr Claire Myles succeeds PaulineHarrison, who has retired.

CHARNWOOD AND Loughbor-ough Police merged in Febru-ary, as part of a cost cuttingdrive by Leicestershire Police.

Charnwood Police were based at SystonPolice Station, covering Mountsorrel, Roth-ley, Birstall, Sileby, Cotes, Barrow-upon-Soar, Anstey, Syston, Woodhouse Eaves,Wymeswold and Prestwold.

The areas will now be looked afterfrom Loughborough Police Station andSyston Police station will close.

The force’s 15 Local Policing Units havebeen reduced to eight NeighbourhoodPolicing Areas (NPA).

From Monday February 9, beat officerswill be known as Dedicated Neighbour-hood Officers. A police spokesman said:“Offices working in this new role, alongwith Police Community Support Officers,will be patrolling streets and dealing withissues relating to public protection, com-munity engagement and antisocial behav-iour.

“They will no longer routinely carry outduties such as crime investigation, plannedarrests and attending incidents – these willnow be dealt with by other specialistunits.”

The Police say less than 25 per cent ofa neighbourhood officer’s time is spentworking on ‘Core Community’ activitiesand that by shifting these duties to otherareas of the force it will free up their timeto work more closely with local communi-ties.

Non-emergency calls that require apolice response will be dealt with by a newManaged Appointment Unit. This will ena-ble the public to book an appointment tosee an officer at a convenient time andlocation, usually on the same day that theincident has occurred.

The changes will result in £10million ofsavings. £20million has been removedfrom the budget in the last four years byreducing operating costs.

Leicestershire Police Chief ConstableSimon Cole said: “The transformation isthe latest in a series of ongoing changes inresponse to reducing budgets and chang-ing public expectation and demand.

“This new way of working will allow theteams based in our communities to dedi-cate their time to working closely withneighbourhoods and partners to resolveissues at a local level.”

A new Commander, Inspector TraceyWilletts, will take over the running ofLoughborough and Charnwood.

Changestopolicing

Project to reduce flood risk

Pic: TheEnvironment

Agency’sdraft

proposal

Newchairman


WITH 36 ladies attendingthe Birstall & Wanlip WImeeting on February 2 wefound ourselves short ofchairs! We are obviouslybecoming very popular.

After a particularly lusty performanceof Jerusalem Dorothy Gregory was pre-sented with a card and flowers to markher 60 years as a WI member. She toldus how as a young wife in London hermother in law introduced her to the‘Institute’.

GIVE KIDS the chance tolearn a little history andfolklore and you wouldn’tbe surprised to get a fewgrumbles and groans.

On the other hand, give them Vikingsand longboats and it’s a whole newadventure, says Scout Leader Ged Ses-sions.

“When presented with the challenge,Birstall Cubs took on the mantle, makingtheir own shields, swords and axes.Couple that with a little training for bat-tle and building a Viking Longboat, fol-lowed by a ceremonial Valhalla burning,and you have the making of a very excit-ing history lesson” said Ged.

So it was that the Cubs knuckleddown over a couple of weeks and creat-ed their own weapons and headgear,which they coloured and decoratedthemselves. At the same time they madea Viking longboat complete with mast,shields and oars, as well as a dragons

head and tail.Ged said: “The scene was set, so all

we needed now was a suitable venue.Johns Lee Wood, the district campsitebeckoned.

“Being Cub Scouts we didn’t want tomake it too easy for them so we set offon foot and hiked 7.5 miles via Thurcas-ton and Bradgate park, stopping onroute for a much needed hot chocolatebefore heading on to ourfinal destination. Withcompass and map theCubs learnt many newskills along the way, earn-ing themselves morebadges to add to theiruniforms.

“On reaching ourovernight campsite it wasall hands on deck torebuild the Viking long-boat ready for the cere-monial burning.

“It took all of theCubs to carry the boat

down to the lake (ok it was the camp-fire circle in reality), chanting out arhythm to move in unison, where it wasceremonially put to the torch in trueValhalla style.

“A camp of “adventure” enjoyed byCubs and leaders, in this, the year ofAdventure, within the Scouting move-ment.”

Our speaker Lisajane Gooden, Re-gional Legacy Manager for Cancer Re-search UK talked about their work andher own and her family’s experienceswith cancer. We learnt of the greatprogress being made in cancer treat-ment and that 50% of cancer drugs aredeveloped by the charity despite receiv-ing no Government funding. During thetalk we conducted a simple but fascinat-ing experiment of extracting DNA fromstrawberries.

Two of our members will be attend-ing the Centennial WI meeting at theAlbert Hall and we discussed a summertrip to Stratford on Avon.

We are holding a Crafting and Chat-ting afternoon at Maxilyn Geary’s houseto further progress our crafting skills.

Rosalie Morling won the competition“A Valentine Memento".

Our next meeting is on March 2when Claire Orbell will be trying to helpus ‘Keep Young and Beeyoutiful” and thecompetition will be Your Best BeautyTip.

From Birstall & Wanlip WI

A BRIARGATE Drive resi-dent has successfully ap-plied for a grit bin.

It is expected that the bin will beinstalled by Leicestershire CountyCouncil in the summer. It is the firstof two bins budgeted for by BirstallParish Council in the 2015/16 finan-cial year.

The procedure to request a bincan be found on the Parish Councilwebsite:

www.birstallparishcouncil.org.uk

UNWANTED FOREIGN currency canbe donated to support the RoyalNational Institute for the BlindContact: F Savidge, 18 Rose TreeAvenue, Birstall

WI news

Pic: WI member Dorothy Gregory

Gritbin

Currency

Birstall Cubs’ Viking adventurePics: Cubs equipped as Vikings & (below)

the burning of the longboat

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At work in the communityEven though the end of February saw

the beginning of Lent – not usually re-garded as the most exciting time of year– some very interesting events have beentaking place in our churches, of St.James at Birstall and Our Lady and St.Nicholas at Wanlip.

On the 15th February the parish wasdelighted to welcome to Birstall thenewly appointed church worker forHallam Fields, Stephen March and hiswife Sharon at the services in bothchurches. With very good humour theyallowed themselves to be quizzed abouttheir previous experiences and how theyhoped to get to know their new neigh-bours and find out about their needs.We all wish them well in the comingmonths.Something for everyone

March always brings the hope andexpectation that Spring is on its way,and the promise of Easter ( Easter Sun-day is on April 4th). This year the an-nual Women’s Day of Prayer – a day,when women around the world areinvited to come together to pray for adifferent country each year – is on Fri-day 6th March. The service takes placeat St. Theresa’s church and has beendevised by the women of the Bahamas.It starts with a simple shared lunch, at12 noon, and a talk about the country,followed by the joint service at 1.30pm.Tickets for the lunch can be obtained ateach of the churches, but anyone is freeto attend the service.

The Men’s Group meet on Sunday 1stMarch at the British Legion at 7.45pmwhen Stephen March will be sharing hisexperiences of working with churches inFrance and Britain over the last 25years.

From Beryl McHugh, BirstallParish Church

Birstall Methodist Minister appointedto be Chair of District

Rev’d Rachel Parkinson, MethodistMinister at Birstall Methodist Church hasbeen appointed as Chair of the Wolver-hampton and Shrewsbury District. Thebest comparison with the Anglican com-munity would be that of being appointeda bishop. Whilst the regular worshippersat Birstall will be very sorry to seeRachel leave us they are delighted (butnot surprised) at this prestigious ap-pointment. Rachel does not take up thisnew role until September 2016.

All Methodist Ministers fulfil an itiner-ant role and ‘moving on’ is very much apart of their calling to the PresbyteralMinistry.Mini Market in March

Don’t miss the Mini-Market and Ta-ble-Top-Sale at the Methodist Church,Wanlip Lane, on Saturday March 14.There will be stalls for Good-as-Newclothing & accessories, home-madecakes, preserves, plants, crafts, books &Tombola. Starting at 10am the CoffeeShop will be open throughout. The mini-market will close at 1pm. Proceeds willgo to church funds to provide a ‘float’for the 2015 Christmas Festival.Easter film & Services

At the beginning of Holy Week, Sun-day March 29 a film will be shown atBirstall Methodist Church starting at6pm. The film is a black comedy with a‘whodunnit’ which stars Brendan Glee-son as the Irish Priest based in CountySligo who learns he is about to bekilled. Behind the grille, a shadowyparishioner explains that he was abusedas a child and is hell-bent on revenge.Father James, as a representative of thechurch, has been selected to take thefall; the good priest parachuted in todeputise for the bad.

From Birstall Methodist Church

Indian Work ReportIn mid-January, we were able to

arrange an unexpected extra visitingspeaker, Roop Chopra, who provided uswith a challenging yet encouraging mes-sage in the morning’s service. We thenmet again in the afternoon for a time offellowship and to hear about Christianwork in NW India. There the drugproblem is a major issue, leading tomuch violent crime. Christians havebeen working with the drug addicts andmany have been helped, finding God’sWord to be a blessing. We gave thanksto God for His work in this area. As theBible says: “Therefore, as we have op-portunity, let us do good to all.” (Gala-tians 6, v.10)Easter Meetings (1)

During March we shall be consider-ing the meaning and significance ofJesus Christ’s Cross on Good Friday inthe first part of a two-part series ofspecial meetings on Easter. We willseek to answer such questions as: Whatis the historical evidence for this event?What are meant by such terms as ‘medi-ator’, ‘redeemer’, ‘reconciler’ and ‘sub-stitutionary sacrifice’? What has thisevent to say to us and why should weregard it as important? If you wouldlike to attend, then please contact thenumber given below. These meetings areopen to all, whatever denomination orreligion or none, and are free of charge.Services

You are warmly invited to join us forour Sunday services, which are held inthe Community Room at Highcliffe Pri-mary School, Greengate Lane (LE4 3DL),starting at 10.45am On Good Friday,April 3, we shall be joining otherchurches at Holywell Church, BerkeleyRoad, Loughborough, (LE11 3SJ) at7.45pm when the preacher will be HughCollier from Great Ellingham, Norfolk.

Further informationPlease ring 0116 2214883.From Anne Taylor, Birstall In-

dependent Baptist Church

BIRSTALL VILLAGE CricketClub are preparing for thenew season.

We have gained some new players tothe club and have also welcomed backsome old members.

The 1st XI are looking forward to thechallenges they will face this season withtheir promotion to Division 4. Jon Gay-don will again take on the challenge of1st XI team captain with AshleyCoulthard supporting as 2nd XI teamcaptain.

BVCC has made the exciting decisionto make this a huge season in regards topushing the club forward through mak-ing improvements to the clubhouse andfacilities, getting involved in communityinitiatives and rebuilding our Junior clubset up. We encourage any members ofcommunity who would like to speak tous about getting involved in these or anyother avenues of support for our club.

Our cricket nets have begun and wetrain every Wednesday evening from8-9pm at the ECB training nets at Lough-borough University. Any further informa-tion about this please contact JonGaydon on 07717533690.Birstall Village Cricket Club:

Presentation night / Pre season gettogether

Birstall Village Social Club, SaturdayMarch 21, 7pm start

£5 per person including a curry.Please contact Jon Gaydon on

07717533690 to secure your attendanceFrom Joshua Saye, Birstall Vil-

lage Cricket Club

CricketCorner

News from the churches

Help us in our work helpingothers less fortunate than

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All gifts and donations gladlyaccepted at the

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AS BADMINTON continues to en-joy a post Olympic and Com-monwealth Games boost inpopularity Melton Old Grammar-ians Badminton Club (OGs) areopening up their facilities toboth new and returning playersvia an Open Night.

OGs are based at Long Field Academyin Melton and are holding the OpenNight on Thursday March 5 from 8 to10pm.

The club will provide rackets andshuttlecocks as well as coaching at theOpen Night and all visitors need to en-sure is that they have suitable footwear.The Open Night builds on the pro-gramme of optional coaching for bothadults and juniors which OGs offer tothe local community.

Anyone interested in attending one ormore of the Open Nights and requiringfurther information should contact theClub Secretary Christine Stanley on01664 565292 or by email [email protected]

http://www.meltonogbc.co.uk

Badmintonopennight


It is estimated that every year, 50million visits to the GP are made forminor ailments such as coughs andcolds, mild eczema, and athlete's foot. Byvisiting your pharmacy instead, you couldsave yourself time and trouble.

• Self-careKeeping a well stocked medicine cabi-

net at home can help you treat manyminor ailments. Colds, coughs, indiges-tion and many other minor complaintscan all be treated with medicines thatare available over the counter.

Your pharmacist can advise on whatyou might find useful to keep in yourmedicine cabinet. Always follow the in-structions on the medicine label andconsult your doctor if the illness contin-ues or becomes more severe.

Around 80% of all care in the UK isself care. The majority of people feelcomfortable managing everyday minorailments like coughs and colds them-selves; particularly when they feel confi-dent in recognising the symptoms andhave successfully treated using an over-the-counter (OTC) medicine before.

On average, people in the UK experi-ence nearly four symptoms every fort-night, the three commonest being feelingtired/run down, headaches and joint painand most of these are managed in thecommunity without people seeking pro-fessional healthcare.What happens when people give upon self-care?

Despite people’s willingness to initiallyself-treat, there are still 57 million GPconsultations a year for minor ailmentsat a total cost to the NHS of £2 billion,which takes up, on average, an hour aday for every GP.

Research shows that people oftenabandon self care earlier than they needto, typically seeking the advice of a doc-tor within a period of 4-7 days. Themain reasons for this are:

• Lack of confidence in understandingthe normal progress of symptoms (e.g. acold can last up to 14 days)

• The perceived severity and durationof symptoms

• Reassurance that nothing more seri-ous is wrong

• A prescription to ‘cure’ the illness,even though the same medicine may beavailable over-the-counter

• Your Local PharmacistPharmacists offer professional free

health advice at any time - you don'tneed an appointment. From coughs andcolds to aches and pains, they can giveyou expert help on everyday illnesses.They can answer questions about pre-scribed and over-the-counter medicines.Your local pharmacist can also advise onhealthy eating.

Pharmacists can also advise on healtheating, obesity and giving up smoking.Some pharmacists have private areaswhere you can talk in confidence. Theymay suggest you visit your GP for moreserious symptoms. It is possible to pur-chase many medicines from the chemistwithout a prescription.

NHS 111 serviceCall 111 when it's less urgent than

999. You can call 111 when you needmedical help fast but it’s not a 999emergency. NHS 111 is a fast and easyway to get the right help, whatever thetime.

NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day,365 days a year. Calls are free fromlandlines and mobile phones.When to use it

You should use the NHS 111 service ifyou urgently need medical help or advicebut it's not a life-threatening situation.

Call 111 if:you need medical help fast but it's not

a 999 emergencyyou think you need to go to A&E or

need another NHS urgent care serviceyou don't know who to call or you

don't have a GP to callyou need health information or reas-

surance about what to do nextFor less urgent health needs, contact

your GP or local pharmacist in the usualway.

If a health professional has given youa specific phone number to call whenyou are concerned about your condition,continue to use that number.

For immediate, life-threatening emer-gencies, continue to call 999.How does it work?

The NHS 111 service is staffed by ateam of fully trained advisers, supportedby experienced nurses and paramedics.They will ask you questions to assessyour symptoms, then give you the health-care advice you need or direct youstraightaway to the local service that canhelp you best. That could be A&E, anout-of-hours doctor, an urgent care cen-tre or a walk-in centre, a communitynurse, an emergency dentist or a late-opening chemist.

Where possible, the NHS 111 teamwill book you an appointment or transferyou directly to the people you need tospeak to.

If NHS 111 advisers think you needan ambulance, they will immediatelyarrange for one to be sent to you.

Calls to 111 are recorded. All callsand the records created are maintainedsecurely, and will only be shared withothers directly involved with your care.

• Your GPGP practices are normally the first

point of call for ongoing illnesses orinjuries when self care has not relievedthe symptoms.

General Practitioners (doctors) canprovide a wide range of family healthservices. Practice nurses and Health CareAssistants often work alongside the GPsto help support patients’ everyday health.

The types of health services providedby GP practices include:

• Diagnosis and treatment of all medi-cal problems

• Planned care of all long term ill-nesses such as heart disease, epilepsy,diabetes

• Treatment of minor injuries• Prescriptions and repeat prescrip-

tions for medicines• Preventive immunisations• Travel vaccinations• Contraceptive and sexual health

advice• Mental health and emotional wellbe-

ing• Advice on any health problems or

concerns• Advice and guidance on healthy

lifestyle choices and localgroups/services

• Advice on, and referrals to, otherhealth and social services

• NHS Walk-In CentresNHS Walk-In Centres offer convenient

access to a range of NHS services forpatients based in England only. You canreceive treatment for many ailmentsincluding:

• infection and rashes,• fractures and lacerations,• emergency contraception and ad-

vice,• stomach upsets,• cuts and bruises, or• burns and strains.NHS Walk In Centres treat around 3m

patients a year and have proved to be asuccessful complementary service totraditional GP and A&E services. Somecentres offer access to doctors as well asnurses. However, they are not designedfor treating long-term conditions or im-mediately life-threatening problems.

Accident & Emergency (A&E)Major A&E departments assess and

treat patients who have serious injuriesor illnesses. Generally, you should visitA&E or call 999 for emergencies, suchas:

• loss of consciousness,• pain that is not relieved by simple

analgesia,• acute confused state,• persistent, severe chest pain, or• breathing difficulties.If you're injured or seriously ill, you

should go, or be taken, to A&E. If anambulance is needed you can call 999,the emergency phone number in the UK.You can also dial 112, which is theequivalent for the European Union.

Major A&E departments offer access365 days a year and usually open 24hours a day. Be aware that not all hospi-tals have an A&E department.

SSAFA Care CIC Health &Walk In Centre

Telephone: 0116 242 9450Address: The Merlyn Vaz Health &

Social Care Centre, 1 Spinney Hill Road,Leicester, Leicestershire, LE5 3GH

Open: 8am -745pm, 7 days a weekNo appointment needed

Loughborough HospitalUrgent Care CentreTelephone: 01509 611600Address: Hospital Way, Loughborough,

Leicestershire, LE11 5JYOpen: 24/7

Leicester Urgent Care CentreTelephone: 0300 303 1573Address: Infirmary Close, Leicester,

LE1 5WWOpen: 24/7

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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/15/0281/2: 12 Fieldgate Crescent –erection of single storey extension andcanopy to rear with various other altera-tions to dwelling

P/15/0264/2: Birstall Parish Council,Council Offices, Birstall Road – installa-tion of clock to front of building (ListedBuilding Consent)

P/15/0272/2: 6 Station Road – raising

of roof, formation of 1st floor and exten-sions to front, sides & rear of buildingto form two storey dwelling

P/15/0261/2: 30 Sycamore Road –erection of a single storey extension toside of dwelling

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THE BIRSTALL POSTYOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

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Half of us will develop cancer...Recent headlines have made alarming

news for those who live in fear of can-cer. The reports have outlined that by2020 half of us will develop cancer inour lifetime. Birstall BAG's would like toexplore these headlines in a little moredetail and offer a little more hope andpositivity.

The new figures, analysing existingdata, found that the propor-tion of people in the UK whowill get cancer in their lifehas increased by more thana third over the past 20years. In 1992, around onein three people (32%) whodied that year had beendiagnosed with cancer at somepoint in their life. By 2010, this hadrisen to more than four in 10 (44%).And the proportion will continue to riseto be almost one in two (47%)1 by2020.

Today, more than one in three (35%)of those people who die having had acancer diagnosis will now die from othercauses. This is up from one in five(21%) 20 years ago. By 2020 this willimprove further to almost four in 10people (38%).

This means the number of peoplewho get cancer but die from anothercause has doubled over the past 20years. In 1992, around 45,000 cancerpatients died from other causes; by 2010this increased to around 90,000. The

most common other causes of deathaside from cancer are as follows: one infive (20%) die from ischaemic heartdisease; another one in five (20%) diefrom respiratory disease; and aroundone in eight (12%) die from cerebrovas-cular disease such as stroke.

The growth in the number of peoplegetting cancer is due to overall improve-

ment in life expectancy (i.e. as thepopulation ages the inci-dence of cancer rises). Thereduction in the propor-tion of those diagnosedwho die of their cancer isbecause of a greater focuson early diagnosis, advanc-es in cancer treatments and

better cancer care.

The extraordinary ad-vances and developmentsin treatment that we areseeing was very well ex-plained in a recent BBCPanorama documentary."Can You Cure My Cancer"was first screened on Feb-ruary 11th at 9pm. It isavailable on Iplayer andthe BAG's would urge youto watch it if you haveaccess.

The documentary reports on the can-cer patients who are pioneering a newgeneration of drug treatments. Patientsgiven just months to live are keeping thedisease at bay for years; for some thereis even talk of a cure. Huge advances ingenetics are transforming our under-standing of the disease and how to com-bat it. Panorama was givenunprecedented access to trials at theRoyal Marsden and Institute of CancerResearch and talked to patients old andyoung as well as their families and medi-cal teams.

The program really did give excellentinsight and explanations into theprogress being made and clarified whythere is this current 'air of optimism' incancer care.

Although on a smaller scale the Uni-versity Hospitals of Leicester has a simi-

lar cancer clinical trials unit to the RoyalMarsden one focused on in the docu-mentary. The Hope Clinical Trials unit isbased at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.The Unit is a partnership between theUniversity of Leicester, University Hospi-tals of Leicester and a local charitycalled Hope Against Cancer. The unitopened in 2012 and it is the first of itstype based outside of London. With themotto “Where there's Hope, there's Life”to date HOPE Against cancer has raisedover £3 million which has funded 31research projects into many cancersincluding bladder, ovarian, prostate,melanoma, liver, bowel, leukaemia,colorectal and breast cancer togetherwith nursing fellowships relating to pa-tient care.

For more information on HOPE con-tact them direct on:- Telephone:- 01162700101 or email: [email protected] website is www.hfcr.org

For more information on “Half of uswill develop cancer” – see MacmillanCancer Support websitewww.macmillan.org.uk or contact theirhelpline on 0808 808 00 00

There is also a local Cancer Informa-tion Centre you can contact based at theLeicester Royal Infirmary Phone: 0116258 6189

email: [email protected]

Birstall BAG’s cancer corner

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