Well me hearties and shiver me timbers!! A large group of land-lubbers from North Kilworth were held captive by a band of Pirates from Penzance on Saturday 25th June when they happened to be in the vicinity of Kilworth House Theatre. It was lucky that they were all ‘orphans’ and weren’t just at

December 2011

North Kilworth News

North Kilworth News Sponsored by North

Kilworth Parish Council Phone: 01858 880432

judith.hardwick@btinternet.com nickhardwick @btinternet.com

Christmas Spirit!

With little over 3 weeks to go to the big day how are you

preparing for the impending festive season? With calm and

control, or perhaps an increasing feeling of dread when one

realises the multitude of tasks ahead whilst preparing for the

event. So much to do, so little time to achieve it in!

Love it or loathe it, we seem to have little choice but to be

sucked in by the season of goodwill. It is as if we are adrift at

sea being drawn towards a gigantic whirlpool and waiting

inevitably to be swallowed up. Most of us, though, shrug our

shoulders and decide to embrace the Christmas spirit; maybe

reluctantly, but we seem happy to be swept along in a tide of

euphoria. Peace and goodwill to all! Well if Ebenezer

Scrooge could be persuaded to change his ways after a

visitation from the 3 ghosts there must be hope for the most

hardened Christmas cynic.

Santa Claus will certainly be full of that spirit as he sets off

on his global marathon accompanied by Dasher, Dancer,

Prancer etc- I’ll leave you to name the other 6 reindeers.

Festive cheer can do strange things to us. Consider the British

and German soldiers who at midnight on Christmas Eve 1914

lay down their weapons, climbed out of their respective

trenches, shook hands and passed on the compliments of the

season. Carols were sung, presents exchanged and even a

game of football played. I bet we lost the penalty shoot-out!

The truce lasted a few days, but inevitably hostilities resumed

with well documented results.

For those of you determined to let that festive atmosphere

pass you by- bah humbug- you will no doubt admire a certain

Oliver Cromwell who in 1647 banned all seasonal jollities.

He considered that having a good party on what was

supposed to be a holy day to be immoral and you would be

arrested if caught celebrating. Without doubt the whole of

North Kilworth would be spending Christmas in the vicinity

of Welford Rd. if such laws still prevailed!

When Christmas trees became fashionable through Queen

Victoria’s husband Prince Albert, they were

decorated with candles. You can imagine what a

19th century health and safety organisation would

have made of that! In bygone days decorations

were put up on Christmas Eve and not before.

These days it seems to start in mid-

November! A compromise between the two

seems to be the sensible answer. Red and green are the traditional decoration

colours. Christians believe that green

represents the continuance of life through

the winter and eternal life through Jesus

whilst red symbolizes the blood that he shed

at his crucifixion. I write this only to remind

us that it is after all a religious festival lest

we forget amidst all the revelry.

There seems to be an annual obsession as to

whether there will be a white Christmas.

Will it add to the atmosphere? Apparently

not. The definition of one is of a single

snowflake falling on the roof of the London

Weather Centre! Snowploughs needn’t

become twitchy and anyway Christmas and

snow do not appear to be natural bedfellows

over the years. Famous last words?

Anyway, as I wrote, that festive spirit is

going to hit you right between the eyes

sometime soon so don’t fight it and have

yourselves a very merry Christmas as the

song goes with a new year hopefully full of

promise. Nick

IN THIS ISSUE:

Diary Page

Say Hello to—

Church services

Tree planting-CIC

WI

Reading group

Press announcements

WEA

Your letters

Memory corner

Bowls Club News

Neighbourhood watch

Cook in Kilworth

Husbands Bosworth

Surgery -PPG

49ers

Swinford Wind Farm

Affordable Housing

Vista Carol Concert

FOSTA-St Andrew’s

Thanks to Rona

Purdham for our front-

page feature

photograph.

SMITH TIMBER & DIY

NOW STOCKING CHRISTMAS

TREES

FREE DELIVERY TO LOCAL VILLAGES ANY SIZE OF TREE CAN BE ORDERED Smith Timber & DIY, Misterton Way,

Lutterworth 01455 550194

KILWORTH HOUSE THEATRE As in previous years I’ve been able to make a village booking for the 2012 summer production prior to tickets being put on general sale in January. I have provisionally booked 100 tickets from row F upwards in the centre aisle for the 2012 production of 'Me And My Girl' on Sat 30th June 8.00pm. Tickets are £30 each. No payment or firm commitment will be needed until the middle of January but I do need to have provisional numbers by Dec 15

thso that Kilworth

House Theatre can re allocate the tickets if we do not require them. We have been allocated 2 complimentary tickets worth £60 and as usual this money will be donated the Village Hall. Please e mail me asap or before Dec 15th if you require tickets.

Julie Fish (juliefish56@aol.com)

Car Key Burglaries. Leics Constabulary has received reports of burglaries where

car keys and cars have been stolen. Vehicles taken include several BMW 1 series, a

Jeep Cherokee and a Saab 93. Patrols have been increased in the areas affected by

the incidents & officers would like to hear from anyone who knows who is

committing these offences or where the cars are being taken to once they have been

stolen.They are also keen to hear from anyone who sees any suspicious activity in

their area, particularly around higher value cars parked on driveways.

Officers are advising people to keep their premises secure at all times, lock all windows and doors and ensure all keys are kept out of sight and in a secure place.

Defrosting vehicles. Lat year Mkt Harborough & Lutterworth experienced an

increase in the theft of cars from drive ways whilst they were de-frosting whilst the car keys were left in them early in the morning. As the cold dark winter mornings

approach do not to leave your car unattended de-frosting with the car keys still

in it. A recent media release from the main insurance companies has stated that they are unikely in these circumstances to pay out insurance claims if a vehicle is stolen

whilst de-frosting.

E-petition on metal thefts. Reports on television and in papers tell us there has been

a staggering increase in the number of metal thefts in the last year. Please sign an

online e-petition, which would cause a parliamentary debate on the subject of

moving towards a cashless business model for scrap metal dealers. You can sign the

petition here: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/406 Many of these crimes

would stop overnight if there was no ready market for their ill-gotten gains. Ninety

per cent of transactions in scrap metal yards are by cash. Record-keeping is non-

existant and no questions are asked. Existing legislation is very weak and goes back

to the Scrap Metal Dealers Act of 1964. Maximum fines are very low. A cashless

model would be another step on the route to effective legislation. BBC programme wants to hear from you. Doorstep crime linked with distraction

burglary is one of the most despised crimes dealt with by the police. The majority of

victims are females over the age of 80, who live alone, and frequently the stolen property is of low resale but high sentimental value. Many victims lose their life

savings and the detrimental effect on their health is shocking. They will not go out

and become isolated in their own homes. The average life expectancy of the victim

of distraction burglary is 9 months. Gloria Hunniford and the BBC are planning a

programme to highlight this nasty crime and are looking to hear from victims and

also wish to hear from those who have dealt with these criminals effectively. If you

are interested in being involved please contact Gloria on

gloria@objectiveproductions.com or write to Gloria Hunniford, Doorstep Crime

Team, Objective Productions, 3rd Floor, Riverside Building, County Hall,

Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7PB.

Criminals on the web lurking to scam shoppers this Christmas With over half the

UK adult population now shopping online, forecasters predict pre-Christmas web

sales will peak at £23.2m between 12-1pm on 'Mega Monday' (6th Dec) . Police

analysts advise this frenetic activity also raises the risk of buyers losing money to criminals. Shoppers should be aware that behind some flashy websites, canny

criminals are looking to cash-in on the December online spree. Anonymous fraudsters

can set up legitimate-looking websites to sell either counterfeit goods or no goods at all. Extra care should be taken when purchasing popular Christmas gifts online. The

top five to feature in online shopping and auction fraud: Smart Phones; Digital

Cameras; Designer goods including jewellery and branded boots; Laptops and notebooks and Video game systems. To view simple safety tips to avoid becoming a

victim go to www,leicestershirenhw.com. Visit Action Fraud for daily prevention tips

in the run up to Christmas, join NFA's Facebook page or follow us on Twitter

@leicsnhw

Tax Rebate Scam Suspicions have been raised by Neighbourhood

Watch colleagues when an e-male purporting to be from HMRC regarding a tax

refund was received.3 things to look out with this scam email: The e-mail address at

the top of the document. customs@hmrc.gov.uk is not a recognised email address

site for online tax affairs; It asks you to download a form to reclaim your tax

rebate. This simply asks for your complete Bank details and credit card

numbers!!;Nowhere does it quote your tax reference number.At no time should you

give your Bank details or credit card numbers to anyone even if they say they are

from you bank or card suppliers, if they are who they say they are they will have all

your information already Charity’s identity stolen.Trading Standards is warning householders about a bogus

charity clothing collection circulating Leicestershire, which is falsely using the name

of an established children’s charity.‘Sparks’, the children’s medical research charity, has received several calls from Leicestershire residents enquiring as to whether the

collections are genuine, and has passed the details to Leicestershire Trading Standard Crime Down 13.3%. Leicestershire Police achieves second Crime Down 13.3%. Leicestershire Police achieves second Crime Down 13.3%. Leicestershire Police achieves second Crime Down 13.3%. Leicestershire Police achieves second highest crime reduction in England & Wales!highest crime reduction in England & Wales!highest crime reduction in England & Wales!highest crime reduction in England & Wales!

Crime Down 13.3% - Leicestershire

Police achieves second highest

crime reduction in England and Wales

Crime Down 13.3% - Leicestershire Police

in England and Wales

Crime Down 13.3% - Leicestershire Police achieves second highest crime

reduction in England and Wales

Page 2 Neighbourhood Watch/Crime Reports

The Local Beat Team Sgt 2908 Steve Bunn PC 500 Andy Smalley WPC 4640 Vicki Barge RURAL Countryside Liaison Officer PC 1010 Chris Hill PCSO 6636 Ray Wells PCSO 6569 Peter Willson PCSO PCSO 6573 Steve Adams Voicemail Service: 0116 2485675

YOUR LETTERS

Hi Judith.

I just wanted to share my experience of Halloween with the readers.

Last year we lived in Lutterworth and my then 3 year old made his 1st Pumpkin, which

was stolen that evening and left my Son heartbroken! Having moved to North Kilworth

last November I didn't expect to have yet another bad Halloween experience.

I stupidly decided to hang out my Son's full size skeleton which he has had for a few years.

It is made of really strong card and I hung it in our lean too.

When we got up this morning some thoughtless child has decided to tear off its leg (this

would not have been easy) and to make matters worse take it so I cannot even repair it...

Yet again after Halloween I have a really upset little boy sobbing asking me why I put it

out. Needless to say we will NOT be encouraging trick or treaters next year if this is the

thanks we get!! If someone wanted to pop it back through our letter box so we can repair

it we would be pleased. Regards Donna Elmcroft Rd 01858 880745

My Movember" ended on Friday 11th

November and I am proud to say that I have raised £105 for the Movember Foundation, the Prostate Cancer Charity and the Institute of Cancer Research.... which is fantastic!! "A massive thank you to all those that have donated". Ian Bartlett The picture on left shows Ian with his

moustache. Very well done Ian.

Meditation, Yoga, Stretch Flex Classes Thank you to all who have supported my

classes in 2011. We have raised £110 so far for Macmillan Cancer Support. Classes start again in the New Year...look forward to

seeing you there!

Om Shanti, Sue Winstanley

Hi Jude, I guess you are working on the newsletter? I heard a story this morning from

the Aga service engineer which you might want to think about.

They have experienced several instances of oil robberies involving robbers who first

follow oil delivery tankers noting where there are full tanks which are accessible from

the road they return a few days later with a van and trailer marked with ‘oil service’

stickers, they watch for the home owners to leave the house then drill a hole in the oil

tank and drain the oil into containers and load them onto the truck/trailer. They look

like service engineers and the markings and stickers tend to make locals think they are

legitimate when they are anything but..................this trick works with plastic tanks

only, they ignore metal ones.

Dear Editors, I would like to record my thanks to the organisers of the recent Firework Party. It takes a lot to pull together an event like this, and I believe testament to its success was the huge numbers who turned up on the night. The fireworks, lasting around 40 mins, were a joy, and I am sure all were as impressed as I was. I sincerely hope that the Organisers reached their target money for their charity on the night, and hope they will make this an annual North Kilworth event. Congratulations and thanks.

Regards, Chris Knight

PRESS RELEASES Here’s a chance to recycle old, broken or unwanted electrical items! Harborough District Council is holding three electrical recycling drop-in events at the Market Hall in Market Harborough in the run up to Christmas. See this link for more. http://www.harborough.gov.uk/site/scripts/news_article.php?newsID=301 Green-thinking district hits recycling top 10.Harborough District Council has been officially named as one of the top 10 best recyclers in England and has been ranked as the tenth best recycler in the country, with a recycling rate of 58.1 per cent – the percentage of waste recycled instead of going to landfill. Harborough District Council already has the best recycling rate in Leicestershire, but this is the first time the district has been officially named in the top ten for recycling nationally out of more than 350 local authorities.HDC which is responsible for recycling and waste in the district, has put the success down to innovation and service changes when required. It also promotes recycling initiatives through engagement with residents and education work in schools. Praise was given to the council’s recycling and waste contractor Focsa and residents were thanked for their overwhelming enthusiasm for recycling.The council is currently working on a waste strategy review to look at proposals to introduce a ‘co-mingled’ collection service, which would allow residents to recycle using a single bin, rather than the current method of separating items into different boxes. This would see the introduction of domestic plastics recycling. Survey will create ‘snapshot’ of the town Businesses in Mkt Harborough are being invited to take part in a survey to build up a picture of the town and potentially attract funding for projects. The Benchmarking Project is being carried out by Harborough Improvement Team (HIT) with support by Mkt Harborough Chamber of Trade, Action for Market Towns, and LCC. The aim of the project is to gather information about the town, such as the different types of retailers, footfall through the town, car parking use, business confidence, and town centre user views. Residents have recently been asked to fill in the survey, but now it’s the turn of businesses.It is quick and simple to fill in and asks businesses to provide their ratings and views on various aspects of doing business in Market Harborough town centre. The project is taking place in a number of market towns across the country.To take part on the survey visit http://tiny.cc/marketharboroughbusiness For further information, or to request a hard copy of the survey, contact Chris Sewart at HIT on 01858 821392 or email c.sewart@harborough.gov.uk Delight as planning strategy gets thumbs up. Harborough District Council’s Core Strategy – which will map out the amount and type of housing and development up to 2028 – has been declared as ‘sound’ by a Government inspector. It means, once adopted, the document can become a blueprint for future development in the district.The Government inspector concluded, after a public examination, that the council has sufficient ‘evidence’ to support the document and can demonstrate it can be delivered. Planners said they are delighted with the outcome and that it is testament to the hard work put into it by the council, as well as the public, whose feedback has helped shape the document. Some revisions were made to the Core Strategy following recommendations in the inspector’s report based on points raised and discussed during the public examination. These amendments can be viewed in the final report and appendixes at www.harborough.gov.uk/corestrategy

HART celebrates 10 years of cracking down on retail crime This year has seen HART (Harborough Against Retail Theft) celebrate it’s 10th

anniversary. The scheme commenced operation in 2001 as a joint initiative by the retailers in Mkt Harborough town centre, Police and the

Local Authority. When Police questioned offenders about why they had targeted stores in Mkt Harborough, the thieves pointed to the fact

that the area did not have a radio linked exclusion scheme in operation.In response to this identified gap, the founder members worked hard

to build the scheme up to be a success with the support of local stores. In the first year of operation, the rate of retail crime halved. Shop

theft is often perceived as a victimless crime, which is not the case. When retail companies lose money through stock loss, that short fall can be supplemented by increasing the price of products to the consumer. As such, we all loose out. If anyone is interested in finding out more

about the scheme, please contact the HART Co-Ordinator on 01858 821213 or via e.andrew@harborough.gov.uk

Press Releases Page 3

F&W Plumbing & Heating Services Ltd 22 Elmcroft Road, North Kilworth, Lutterworth, LE176HX

Phone 0116 2779101 Fax 01858881173

Mobile 07866741261

e-mail jayspanner@btinternet.com

Web Site: www.fandwservices.co.uk

FOR ALL YOUR PLUMBING & HEATING NEEDS LOOK NO FURTHER

WE SPECIALISE IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS; BATHROOM DESIGN AND INSTALLATION, INCLUDING ALL

ELECTRICAL & PLASTERING ALTERATION, & MODIFICATIONS TO WALLS.

DRAINAGE TO SUIT NEW LAYOUTS WALL AND FLOOR TILING LANDLORD SAFETY CERTIFICATES

KITCHEN INSTALLTIONS FREE ESTIMATES HOT WATER SYSTEMS ALL WORK GUARANTEED

GAS AND OIL FIRED HEATING BOILER REPLACEMENTS

North Kilworth Sports Club

***NEW OPENING TIMES*** From Wednesday 14th December, the Sports Club bar will be open: Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays : 6pm – 11pm Saturdays & Sundays 12pm – 11pm

Everyone welcome – members & non-members. The Sports Club is available to hire for functions –

please call 01858 880123 for further information.

THE BOSWORTH SURGERY PATIENT SURVEY 2011/2012 www.husbandsbosworthsurgery.co.uk

Developed with our Patient Participation Group

You Speak

We Listen

We are always looking to advance

our service delivery and would

welcome your opinion on our practice

and the services we offer. We would

therefore like to invite registered

patients to take part in our new

Patient Survey.

The survey is accessible to complete

online or ask at reception for a paper

copy. Please complete by 31st

December, 2011.

THE BOSWORTH SURGERY

COMPUTER SYSTEM CHANGE

From the middle of February the Practice will be upgrading to a new computer system. As a result there may be a few disruptions during this period. We would be grateful for your patience during this time and please accept our apologies for any inconvenience that this might cause. www.husbandsbosworthsurgery.co.uk

MEMORY CORNER

Village Hall, Memorial Green and Western Cottages. Any idea of the years? Notice how the Close on

the Memorial Green is back to it’s former glory after recent renovations.

Page 4 Memory Corner/ Safari Supper / 49ers

THE LONE GARDEN RANGER GARDEN MAINTENANCE & GENERAL OUTSIDE HELP

BASED IN NORTH KILWORTH CATERING FOR ALL YOUR GARDEN MAINTENANCE

REQUIREMENTS INCLUDING: MOWING, WEEDING, DIGGING, HEDGE TRIMMING, FENCE & SHED PAINTING, PLANTING & GARDEN

TIDIES> CALL STUART ON 01858 880041

Mobile 07828 064460 www.thelonegardenranger.co.uk

Notes from the Parish Council Meeting held on 17th October 2011 Page 5 Page 4 Memory Corner/ Swinford Wind Farm/ Millennium Green Trust

NORTH KILWORTH MILLENNIUM GREEN TRUST

100 Club: Congratulations to the following recent winners; in October, Nick and Sue Otter (£50) and Mike Allman (£25), and in November, Maria Renshaw (£50) and Manfred and Chris Morris (£25). The next draw is the big one, £500 in December, so you will need to join before mid December if you want to be included; please contact Francis Mordaunt (880624) or Sue Dunford (881371) or any of the Trustees.

Festive Christmas Party Festive Christmas Party Festive Christmas Party Festive Christmas Party

Kilworth Springs would like to invite you to celebrate

the Christmas season in style with our festive Christmas

party.

We are holding select nights of festivities to usher in the Christmas

period

with a delightful 3-course Christmas menu created by our team of

talented chefs. Christmas disco to follow.

We have limited availability so book noWe have limited availability so book noWe have limited availability so book noWe have limited availability so book now to guarantee a tablew to guarantee a tablew to guarantee a tablew to guarantee a table

Friday 2nd – Fully Booked

Saturday 3rd – Fully Booked

Friday 9th – Fully Booked

Saturday 10th – Fully Booked

Friday 16th – Availability

Saturday 17th – Availability

3-course meal (including disco) £25 per person£25 per person£25 per person£25 per person

We cater for parties of 4-80 ; Other dates are available for exclusive events

Contact our team on 01858Contact our team on 01858Contact our team on 01858Contact our team on 01858 575 082 or Visit our website at 575 082 or Visit our website at 575 082 or Visit our website at 575 082 or Visit our website at

www.kilworthsprings.co.ukwww.kilworthsprings.co.ukwww.kilworthsprings.co.ukwww.kilworthsprings.co.uk

Kilworth Springs G.C. Sth Kilworth Road, North Kilworth, Leics LE17

6HJ (t): 01858 575 082 (e): Admin@KilworthSprings.co.uk

Resident Engineer Ian Thomas introduces himself: -He is an engineer by trade & has worked on projects all over the world. He has been working with wind farms since 2002. The last few months he has been at the Glyndebourne Opera House where a single turbine is being erected to produce enough clean, renewable energy to power the opera house throughout a year. -Ian says that he is trying hard to keep everyone informed, using mostly communication & listening skills & occasionally a little bit of his charm. -There is a lot of satisfaction overcoming engineering & environmental challenges of the sites that Ian works on. Luckily the Swinford site is a straightforward project & the biggest challenges will be to keep local communities informed of development with the project. Ian has an ‘Open-door’ policy and anyone is welcome to drop in and see him or contact him and he’ll do his best to address their concerns. Chill-out bus gives young residents the opportunity to have their say on the Community Fund. It has already visited Walcote, Swinford and South Kilworth. Contact; Sian Ponting at sian@vasl.org.uk,

tel: 07576021144 or follow on facebook . Community Fund. Over 100 people attended the Information day on 22nd September. 200+ comments were received and 250 people had their say. Feedback reports will outline the key points raised and explain the next steps. The full newsletter can be seen on the village website; www.northkilworth.com or visit www.swinfordwindfarm.com

Notes from the Swinford Wind

Energy Project Newsletter

Present: Councillors Green, Hardwick, Knight, Lawrence (Chair) and Sandercock, Brian Smith, Parish Clerk and Ward Member Bosworth Ward HDC together with 3 members of the public.

QUESTION TIME FOR PARISHIONERS -A parishioner raised the matter of the ownership of the Village Hall Car Park. It was agreed that the Clerk would look through the records he has to see if a definitive view could be established and report back to the next meeting. There was also additionally a need to consult the Village Hall Committee. - A question was raised regarding the possibility of persons downsizing to take advantage of the proposed affordable housing availability. The Clerk indicated that in most registered social landlords had policies in place to prevent this happening.

PLANNING MATTERS -11/01261/FUL: Erection of a dwelling: 3 High Street North Kilworth Leicestershire . Application refused by Harborough District Council. Additionally as a result of this refusal a Tree Preservation Order was placed on a walnut tree in the north eastern corner of the application site. -11/01120/FUL: Erection of 77 metre high wind turbine and associated infrastructure: Land to the rear of Sparrow Lodge Pincet Lane North Kilworth. Application refused by H DC -The Chairman placed on record the thanks of the Parish Council to Anne Hampson and Barry Houghton for their efforts in dealing with the latest tree applications.

FINANCIAL MATTERS The Clerk informed the meeting that as of close of business on 2nd November 2011 the current account stood at £13692.72 of which £3929.37 was available for funding heritage based projects. The reserve account stood at £6466.14.

VILLAGE STRUCTURE/LOCAL ISSUES -The Clerk reported that the Speed indicating device had been repaired and had been returned to him for re erection. . -Councillor Green reported that the salt bin had been replaced but it was unsatisfactory in the fact that the bin had been dumped and filled leaving the bin in a distorted state with the lid not fitting. The Clerk was requested to contact County Highways to ensure that the bin was installed in a proper manner. -The Parish Council that there was a considerable amount of dog fouling on the Village Green and that Dave Thomas had agreed to rod the pipe to the Little Washpit at the flow had reduced to a trickle.

ITEMS HELD OVER FROM MEETING OF 17 OCTOBER 2011 -Floodlit Play Area Car Park: Councillor Lawrence reported that he had met Penny Hannant and raised the question of payment for wear and tear of the car park adjacent to the Floodlit Play Area. It would appear that the matter needs to be raised at the next

Governors meeting and Councillor Lawrence agreed to raise the subject. -Play Area Exit Points. The Clerk indicated that HDC would be arranging for a safety inspection to be made in the near future and that a need for additional exit points would be considered in the light of the submitted report when it arrives. -Asset Register The Clerk indicated that the following assets were owned by the Parish Council: Bus Shelter outside White Lion; 7 Seats (Various Locations);2 Noticeboards (One outside Post Office, the other on wall of Village Hall);The War Memorial on the Village Green; Play Equipment in Dag Lane Play Area: Land at Back Street (Bowls Club); Land at South Kilworth Road (Floodlit Play Area) ; Land at Dag Lane Play Area);Land at the Bogs -Letter from Mrs R Root The Clerk read out a letter that had been received by the Chairman from Mrs Root regarding points raised by the Parish Council’s action in trying to provide affordable housing within the parish. The matters raised were discussed by the Council and the Clerk was instructed to draft reply to the letter for approval by the Chairman. -Maintenance Work at The Bogs; Garden Wall to provide an estimate for the recommended alterations to the weir to provide better drainage to the area.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROVISION The Chairman reported that there had been a meeting on 4th November at Ivy House with him, Peter Jones, Richard Windley and Councillor Green to discuss way forward. A further meeting would be held on 16th December at 10.00 am. PARISH PLAN It was reported that there had been a recent meeting of the Parish Plan Sub Committee which had made good progress. Councillor Lawrence proposed that the next meeting subject to confirmation would be held on 1st December at 7.30 pm in the Parish Rooms. The Clerk agreed to contact Stephen Pointer who is the Planning Policy Officer at HDC to see if he would attend the next meeting.

ALL WEATHER PLAY AREA The Clerk reported that he had been handed £107.00 by Julie Fish in respect of income from the Play Area which would be banked as soon as possible. At the close of business on 10th Octoober 2011 the amount of money held in the Current Account was £6160.00 and the amount held in the Reserve Account on 30th September 2011 was £19790.77. The next meeting of the Parish Council will take place on 14th November 2011 in the Belgrave Village Hall Church Street at 7.45 pm.

Notes from the Parish Council Meeting on 15th November Page 5

Put Your Best Foot Forward:the Launch

of ‘Further Afield’ Walks in Harborough In addition to our regular short walks over easy

terrain, the Healthy Harborough Walks

programme is offering a brand new, monthly,

more challenging 'Further Afield' walk on

Tuesdays from 1pm. These walks are ideal for

walkers who enjoy longer, rural walks and last

approx 2 hours, covering about five miles.

The start location may vary each month allowing

walkers to see different locations in the Kibworth

area and surrounding villages of Saddington,

Shearsby and Arnesby. Walkers will have a

chance to stop for a tea / coffee during the walks.

‘Further Afield' walks start at 1pm on Tuesday 25

October from the public car parking, Wistow.

Access is via the Wistow Rural Centre car park.

http://www.wistow.com/rural.asp). These walks

are free to attend and are planned and organised

by our team of Walking for Health trained,

volunteer walk leaders. Further details about this

walk are now available on the ‘Further Afield’

website (www.harborough.gov.uk/furtherafield)

or by calling Sandra or Zoe (Active Together

team) at Harborough District Council on 01858

828282.

Cross Country On Saturday 12th November some enthusiastic children and their supportive parents made their way to Prestwold Hall near Barrow upon Soar to complete at the November cross country event. For many of the children it was their first opportunity to race and for all children it was a new venue. Our star runner was Abbie Hall who arriving on the last minute had to jog from the car park to the race start and finished the race 25th out of 200 year 3 girls - FANTASTIC!!! Rhianna Liscombe, William Perkins, Isabel Smith, Ella Clark, Alicia Peterson and Sam Hall also did remarkably well and we are very proud of them. All the children enjoyed their races and are keen to race next month on Saturday 3rd December. By Elizabeth Hobbs

.

Year 6 goes to old peoples home Year 6 have been going to the residential home in Husbands Bosworth every half term. We are visiting them so that we can do a biography about them. Our current literacy task is to write an autobiography and some biographies too. The next time we are visiting the care home we will have made them mince pies and we will be singing carols to them. By Jasper Kirton Fantastic festive fun It may seem stupidly early, but Christmas is only about 25 day away, and St Andrew’s are doing a huge amount of celebrations this year! We will be having our annual Christmas lunch on 14th December and the pupils just love to see their teachers in antlers and Santa hats. Also Santa will be dropping in soon, bringing some presents with him. Jack and the beanstalk pantomime will be coming to school on 19th December which will be a panto to remember for sure! But how could I forget the fantastic KS1 nativity play! Yes the younger generation have their time to really shine every year with their idea of the story of Joseph and Mary. They will perform a number of times, including on the 15th December at 10am when senior citizens are invited to listen to; carols, instruments and of course watch the nativity while tucking into our famous handmade mince pies and a comforting cup of tea. The Christingle or the service of light will be taking place in the church on 15th December, If your child has allergies we advise them not to eat the orange and sweets. Also please beware of the candles the children will be holding at the end while singing. The hymns we will be performing are; riding out across the desert, ding dong. We will sing a mixture of songs, slow and recognisable and fast and joyous. We hope to see you at these events. By Grace Lindop

P Page 6 What's happening at St Andrews Primary School

Children in need On Friday 18th November the school celebrated children in need with a non school uniform day. Hopefully every child in the school will donate £1.00, and spend some extra pennies on the day towards children in

need. There was also a special lunch time menu of fish fingers, chips, garlic bread and peas or beans. We will update you on the money we have raised next month. By Ella Clarke

Remembrance Day At 11am on 11.11.11 St Andrews school children walked to the war memorial in North Kilworth, we all stood around the war memorial. The oldest child and the youngest child in the school laid a wreath on behalf of the school. We said a prayer and sang a hymn and observed a 2 minute silence, while we thought about soldiers wounded or killed fighting in wars. By Maddy Lindop

Amur Leopard The school have been trying to adopt an Amur Leopard. To be able to adopt this animal we are asking for the children to make things out of recycled materials or make a picture out of leaves.With every entry we are asking for 50p or more. In past years we have managed to adopt

a dolphin, panda, tiger and an orang-utan. By Ella Clarke

Choir Sing at Lutterworth Light switch on On Friday 25th November, the choir group sang at the Lutterworth Lights switch on. We sang the following songs; Christmas Calypso, Rocking around the Christmas tree, Snow Song and Rudolph the red nose reindeer. We performed at 5pm..The opening act! BY Maddy Lindop

QUIZ NIGHT On the 11th November Mr Kotecha kindly offered to arrange a quiz night at 6-8.30pm. We all had fish and chips or sausage and chips for tea. We all used Mr Kotecha's brilliant pads and he and computer club set upa power point which had very, very hard questions on it. We all enjoyed it and even managed to raise £170. By Abigail Robertson

Freelance BHSAI Instructor – I have experience of teaching at all levels and disciplines and have taught beginners to advance riders for over 15 years. I have a patient, calm and professional approach ensuring you get the very best from your horse/pony. I am willing to travel within the Leicestershire/Warwickshire area. If you have any questions or would like to discuss requirements/aims please Tel: Wez 07958 228367, email wesley09@btinternet.com.

Notes of Affordable homes meeting cont:

-A point was made that if there was insufficient provision against

total need it would be better not to do anything rather than

benefit a minority.

-There were questions in relation to the impact on the already

overfull school in the village (although the majority of pupils

already come from outside the Parish)

-There were questions about the development risk of more

housing if the allocated space for allotments became derelict over

time. This would be a decision for the Parish Council as owners at a

future date and there was possible interest in a commercial

organic food growing activity which might materialise.

-Responding to a query re a Commercial shop it was confirmed

that funding is available solely for housing.

-Other 2 bedroom homes were available in the village which

should be procured as part of this project first. It was pointed out

that these properties were inside the Village envelope and thus

“unaffordable” due to the embedded land value.

-Some questioners felt that they had struggled onto the housing

ladder decades ago and could see no reason why Public funds

should be committed to ease this for the current generation.

-It was pointed out that if the Gandy site was sold externally the

whole project would fall anyway given the unique advantages of

the site. After further lively discussion on the nature of democratic

expression of will , the need for yet further surveys to reinforce a

mandate for the Parish Council was countered by those who

thought 1 year was more than adequate and the process had been

open and transparent for those interested enough in expressing

their views. The Chairman then called for a show of hands from

those present on the motion that the scheme be actively

progressed in conjunction with Nottingham HCA. This would

involve entering into negotiations with the Gandys, discussions

with Harborough DC planners re S106 conditions and selection of a

single development builder partner.A further Village meeting

would be scheduled once the Parish Council decided sufficient

information on the latter points justified an update.

On a show of hands votes cast were…..

FOR 15

- AGAINST 6

ABSTENSIONS 2

5 Parish Councillors were present.

The motion was declared carried and the Meeting closed at 2130.

Page 7

AFFORDABLE HOMES UPDATE Notes of Meeting held in Belgrave Village Hall on Oct.31st 2012

Chair- Peter Lawrence, Panel-Catherine Hewitt Nottingham; Richard Windley Leics CHA Co-ordinator; Simon Henderson Nottingham CHA Architect; Peter Jones North Kilworth The Panel provided a brief update on their role and project interest. Peter Jones then offered an update on progress thus far: -The project was initiated following a launch in Autumn 2010 at a regular liaison meeting

for Leics. Parish Councillors at Leicester County Hall

-After initial soundings a full Village survey was undertaken in late 2010. Detailed results

were reported by Richard Windley in March 2011.220 were distributed with a 30%

response rate with 52% of respondents in favour,25% opposed and 23% with no view

either way. This survey suggested a need of between 6 and 10 houses. Detailed copies of

this Report are available.

-To identify suitable sites local landowners interested in offering sites were canvassed for

expressions of interest-a cut off of April 20th

was established. 5 possible sites emerged

and subsequent Parish Councils established an all comers walkabout evaluation against a

standard scorecard. This was done on July 22nd. From this exercise Gandy’s Roses

emerged as the clear favourite against a scorecard template.

-There was then a need to identify a suitable Partner due to the specialist experience

called for to implement any project .This was undertaken by a Panel Interview of 2

interested CHAs by the Parish Council on September 30th

.From this the unanimous choice

of the Panel was of the Nottingham CHA.

The meeting on October 31st was to enable an open meeting of Villagers to hear about

the detail of the implementation phase, ask questions and to decide on how best to

proceed. The Chairman provided a Parish Council perspective which was positive based

on the identified need for such accommodation, the availability of a site, possible

exposure to requests for allotments and the longer term income benefits for the village

from any development.

Nottingham CHA Representatives offered the options for the Kilworth proposals ,

explaining methods of funding via a mix of grants, bank loans, Central Government

allocations from special funds committed to Rural Exception site cases developed solely

by Community efforts rather than via Local Government or CHA initiatives.

Contracts between the developer of the “commercial” element and the CHA in Relation

to the private development which would fund the overall site acquisition ,the CHA and

the Parish Council in relation to leases and the CHA-Parish entity and the owner of the

land. This process is known as the creation of RESs-Rural Exception Sites. Examples of

other developments similar to that proposed were shown with offers for visits to those at

Coalville. The strengths of the unique in house capability in terms of design management

at Notts CHA were also highlighted.

In terms of economics the balance between payment for the commercial development

land, acquisition cost, build cost and grants was covered. The intention was to produce a

ground rent for the Village freehold with a 125 year lease after which houses and land

would revert to the village. Crude calculations suggest a figure of several thousands of

pounds per year for allocation by the Parish Council.

The meeting was then opened up for questions and the following points highlighted……..

-Some attendees expressed concern at the poor communications of both the meeting

and the scheme in general. This was rebutted given the whole village leaflet drop, e mail

circulation of the update document to those on the e mail link and the posters placed

around various sites by the Chairman. The 12 month process was also repeated.

-Some attendees expressed concern that a 30% response rate to the January survey with

52% 0f those forming the basis of the scheme going forward did not offer a particularly

strong mandate for such a significant project. Others suggested that this was a higher

than typical response rate and if there was such a groundswell against they would be

expected to attend the Meeting

-There were questions on the acceptance criteria for tenancies and whether this would

truly benefit villagers. The Section 106 terms agreed with Harborough would cover this

point and experience in other villages suggested that provided the scoping of numbers of

houses was accurate most tenancies were invariable local with turnover rates of 10% or

less. The definition of the conditions was a process involving village nominees .

-There was a query on access by downsizing Pensioners. It was pointed out that since

funding involved Public money there were likely to be affordability criteria applied to

Tenant applications.

-There were questions on whether any partial equity contributions should be permitted

given the above point. This was a matter for the “management Board” but in other cases

some limited equity was an effective route to enable progress onto the housing ladder

i) was insufficient provision against

Page 9

Page 8 Message from the Rev’d Canon Chris Oxley Page 8

Join the Celebration! Paula and I have just moved into Swinford Rectory, still surrounded by packing cases, so the chance to write this article is a welcome break! You might expect a clergyman to bang on about the commercialisation and the loss of the real meaning of Christmas, but here is one who enjoys any excuse for a good party and a celebration! It can happen that the run-up to Christmas provokes the dread of having to spend time shut in with family members whom we manage to avoid for the rest of the year and of having to spend as much on our kids’ presents as the neighbours; so something has definitely gone wrong when anxiety replaces celebration. When divorce petitions soar after the Christmas holidays, something’s amiss! Religion is often described as our search for God, as if the initiative starts with us and God just sits around waiting to be found. Christmas actually tips all that upside down! Christians are people with really something to celebrate: that God has come to us. Whatever else Christmas is about, it’s about God coming to us and actually becoming one of us: the baby in the manger who then later as an adult is nailed to a Cross is God and who would then, in His risen glory, breathe His Spirit upon us, reaching out in love to us, sharing our humanity in order to heal it. And look how it all happened! A teenage girl’s plans got changed big-time, and with that the world would never be the same again. Mary of Nazareth in all her simplicity and poverty was prepared, by God’s grace, to open her life up to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and we know the rest of the story. She became God-bearer, Mother of God… her joyful obedience to God’s will and her welcome of the Good News of Jesus into her life meant that all the promises of God could be fulfilled, in her and through her. She would walk the way of joy, sorrow and glory… the visit of the shepherds, her vigil at the execution of her Son, and then a fresh infilling and anointing of the same Holy Spirit, when with all the other friends of Jesus, they were together on the day of Pentecost. We don’t just “know the rest of the story”… we are invited to become part of that story. God longs to pour out the same Holy Spirit upon us as on Mary of Nazareth and to welcome Jesus into our lives: her example forbids us to plead that our simplicity and poverty disqualify us from receiving that gift. As individual Christians and as local churches, our vocation is to be God-bearers in the communities where we live and work. I look forward to sharing with you in this amazing calling, and with you, and with Mary of Nazareth, to offer our testimony: “The Lord has done great things for me; holy is His Name!” A happy Christmas and a blessèd New Year! Chris

FROM THE REGISTERS Baptisms: Jacob Robert Pratt Sunday 13th November Ashby Magna

Husbands Bosworth Methodist Chapel Brian Kennard 01858 462889

Our services for December are: (all at 6.30pm)

4th Mrs. Jeanne Moore 11th Mr. Michael Mays 18th Rev. Peter Green - Carols & The Lord's

Supper We are not having a Christmas Day service, but instead will be meeting at 4pm on

Christmas Eve for our Christmas worship celebration.

ST ANDREW’S FLOWER ROTA 15.01. 12 Mrs J. M. Guilfoyle

A big thank – you to everyone who has helped to decorate the church throughout the year.

The new rota will be available in early January.

Many thanks, Jo Guilfoyle

NORTH KILWORTH READING GROUP The next meeting of the N.K.RG. will be on Thursday, 26th JANUARY, 2012 , 8.00pm at The Post House. The first book of the new year is “The Stranger’s Child” by Alan Hollinghurst . This book is described as a “masterful take on the country house novel, sleek, seductive and sly” It tells a particular story of a life and legacy of a war – slain Georgian poet - a good holiday read maybe. BUGGY SERVICES at GILMORTON

Buggy Service is a short, informal service for all pre-school children and their parents and carers. We sing songs, hear stories and play, and then there is time for juice and tea/coffee - all before school pick-up time. Buggy services will take place at All Saints' Church, Gilmorton at 2.30pm on the following Thursdays: 8 December ;12 January;26 January;9 Feb All welcome!

Vista Christmas Carol Concert Get Christmas started with a glorious evening of carols at Leicester Cathedral, December 3

rd. Featuring the critically acclaimed Leicester

Philharmonic and Kaine Gospel Choirs, the service will no doubt get you in the Christmas spirit. The service is being held as part of festive celebrations by local sight loss charity, Vista. Well known carols will be sung including Once in Royal David’s City, O Little Town of Bethlehem, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear and, of course, Silent Night, to enable those with a visual impairment to sing along. The intimate, candlelit atmosphere offered by Leicester Cathedral is quite magical – a great way to start the Christmas season whilst raising money for a good cause at the same time! We hope you will join us for what promises to be a wonderful evening of entertainment. Tickets are just £12 (£8 for concessions, family tickets available) to attend this breathtaking arrangement of music and voices. Tickets can be ordered in advance and will also be available on the door. Refreshments will be provided including the obligatory mince pie! Doors open at 7pm with the service commencing at 7.30pm. Conductor – Richard Dacey: Solos by Treble William Fowler: Organist – Mark Prescot To find out more about this event or to book tickets please contact Anand Bhatt on 0116 249 8807 or e-mail anand.bhatt@vistablind.org.uk.

Sunday 4th Dec. Second Sunday of Advent (Purple) Isaiah 40.1-11 Mark 1.1-8

8.30 am North Kilworth Holy Communion (BCP) Revd Jane Kennedy 9.30 am Stanford-on-Avon and S.Kilworth at

Stanford Patronal Holy Communion (CW)

Revd Canon Chris Oxley

11.00 am Gilmorton Holy Communion (CW) Revd Emma Davies 11.15 am Catthorpe Holy Communion (CW) Revd Canon Chris Oxley 11.15 am Misterton Morning Prayer Keith Wilding 3.00 pm Kimcote Church and Walton Baptist Chapel

at Walton Village Hall Toy Service with puppets Revd Emma Davies/Revd Jane

Kennedy 6.00 pm Swinford Christingle Revd Canon Chris Oxley Tuesday 6th December 2.45 pm North Kilworth Holy Communion (CW) with school students Revd Emma Davies Sunday 11th December The Third Sunday of Advent (Purple) Isaiah 61.1-4, 8-11 John 1.6-8, 19-28

8.30 am Kimcote Holy Communion (BCP) Revd Emma Davies 9.30 am Ashby Magna Holy Communion (CW) Revd Jane Kennedy 9.45 am South Kilworth Family Christingle Service Beth Rogers 11.00 am Gilmorton Family Service Revd Emma Davies/Su Marfell 11.15 am Misterton Holy Communion (CW) Revd Canon Chris Oxley 4.00 pm Peatling Parva Christingle Revd Emma Davies 6.00 pm Swinford Holy Communion (CW) Revd Canon Chris Oxley Tuesday 13th December 9.30 am South Kilworth Holy Communion (BCP) Revd Canon Chris Oxley Sunday 18th December The Fourth Sunday of Advent Romans 16.25-27 Luke 1.26-38

8.30 am Gilmorton Holy Communion (CW) Revd Emma Davies 9.45 am South Kilworth Holy Communion (BCP) Revd Canon Chris Oxley 11.00 am Peatling Parva Holy Communion (BCP) Revd Emma Davies 4.00 pm Ashby Magna Carol Service Revd Jane Kennedy 6.00 pm North Kilworth Lessons and Carols Keith Wilding 6.00 pm Shawell and Swinford at Shawell Lessons and Carols by Candlelight Revd Canon Chris Oxley 6.30 pm Kimcote Nine Lessons and Carols Revd Emma Davies 7.00 pm Catthorpe Carols by Candlelight Revd Jane Kennedy Wednesday 21st December 7.30 pm Swinford Nine Lessons and Carols Revd Canon Chris Oxley Saturday 24th December Christmas Eve (White) Isaiah 52.7-10 John 1.1-14

3.00 pm Gilmorton Nativity Service Revd Emma Davies 3.00 pm North Kilworth Crib Service Revd Jane Kennedy 4.00 pm Swinford Crib Service Revd Canon Chris Oxley 6.00 pm Misterton Lessons and Carols Keith Wilding/Revd Canon Chris Oxley 11.30 pm North Kilworth Holy Communion (CW) Revd Jane Kennedy 11.30 pm Swinford Holy Communion (CW) Revd Canon Chris Oxley 11.30 pm Ashby Magna & Gilmorton at Ashby Magna Holy Communion (CW) Revd Emma Davies Sunday 25th December Christmas Day (White) Isaiah 9.2-7 Luke 2.8-20

9.00 am Kimcote Holy Communion (BCP) Revd Emma Davies 9.30 am Stanford on Avon Holy Communion (CW) Revd Canon Chris Oxley 10.00 am South Kilworth Family Service Beth Rogers 10.30 am Peatling Parva Holy Communion (CW) Revd Emma Davies 11.15 am Shawell Holy Communion (CW) Revd Canon Chris Oxley 11.15 am Catthorpe Holy Communion (CW) Revd Jane Kennedy Sunday 1st January The First Sunday of Christmas (White) tba

10.30 am South Kilworth Avon Swift Group Service Holy Communion (CW) for New Year’s Day

Revd Canon Chris Oxley Revd Jane Kennedy Revd Emma Davies

Sunday 8th Jan Baptism of Christ (White) Acts 19.1-7 ist Sunday of Epiphany Mark 1.4-11

9.30 am Kimcote Christingle Service Revd Emma Davies 9.30 am Ashby Magna Holy Communion (CW) Revd Jane Kennedy 9.45 am South Kilworth Family Service Beth Rogers 11.00 am Gilmorton Family Service Revd Emma Davies/Su Marfell 11.15 am Misterton Holy Communion (CW) Revd Canon Chris Oxley 6.00 pm Swinford Holy Communion (CW) Revd Canon Chris Oxley 6.00 pm Peatling Parva Evensong Keith Wilding Tuesday 10th January 9.30 am South Kilworth Holy Communion (BCP) Revd Canon Chris Oxley Sunday 15th January The Second Sunday of Epiphany (White) 1 Samuel 3.1-10 John 1.43-51

8.30 am Gilmorton Holy Communion (CW) Revd Jane Kennedy 9.30 am North Kilworth Village Communion (CW) Revd Emma Davies 10.45 am Walton Baptist Chapel and

Kimcote at Walton Baptist Chapel

United Service for Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Revd Emma Davies

9.45 am South Kilworth Holy Communion (BCP) Revd Canon Chris Oxley 11.00 am Peatling Parva Holy Communion (BCP) Revd Jane Kennedy 11.15 am Shawell Holy Communion (CW) Revd Canon Chris Oxley 6.00 pm Swinford Evensong Keith Wilding Sunday 22nd January The Third Sunday of Epiphany (White) tba

10.30 am Gilmorton Avon Swift Group Service Holy Communion (CW)

Revd Emma Davies/Revd Jane Kennedy Preacher: Revd Canon Chris Oxley

Continued on page 10

Services for December 2011 & January 2012 Page 9 Page 9 Page 9

Sunday 29th January Presentation of Christ in the Temple (White) Malachi 3.1-5 (Candlemas) Luke 2.22-40 8.30 am Kimcote Holy Communion (BCP) Revd Emma Davies 9.30 am North & South Kilworth at North

Kilworth Holy Communion (BCP) Revd Canon Chris Oxley

11.00 am Ashby Magna Family Service Revd Jane Kennedy 4.00 pm Gilmorton Evensong Revd Emma Davies 6.00 pm Swinford Holy Communion (CW) Revd Canon Chris Oxley

All enquiries regarding Church matters should be directed to:- Revd Canon Chris Oxley, The Rectory, Kilworth Road, Swinford, Telephone: 01788 860445

Revd Emma Davies, The Vicarage, 5 Church Lane, Gilmorton, Telephone: 01455 556573 Revd Jane Kennedy, 17 Cromwell Close, Walcote, Lutterworth, Telephone: 01455 554065

SAY HELLO TO….MICK & JANE FAULKNER, DYLAN & TOFFEE2Last month’s celebrities were Smith and Jones. This month we include Dylan; not Bob Dylan with the guitar, but Dylan from Dag

L ane and his dog Toffee2 - more of them later.

First, let’s have a look at a very

local character. Mick Faulkner has

travelled widely, yet lived most of his life in the villages around

Lutterworth. Mick is a keen bowler,

a past president of the bowls club,

and it was his links with the bowls fraternity - including his brother

Pete and son Paul - that led him to

NK 16 years ago. For the past three

years Mick has been a Kilworth

Challenge committee member, where

he has used his passion for making

things out of wood and metal to fabricate the props that make

contestants’ lives difficult. He’s

keen on motorbikes, and has been a

mechanic for a British Superbike winner and an Isle of Man TT rider.

His grandfather was a blacksmith,

so maybe his genes led to his love of

making things and solving mechanical problems – and to his plant

maintenance business.

Jane was born in Cheshire, went to

university in Sunderland, and then

started work in advertising and

marketing. 20 years ago she

started work in the marketing

department at The Open University

(OU), and she is still commuting

daily to Milton Keynes. I asked her

why she should put herself through

a one hour each way commute.

“Because I’ve always enjoyed my

job.” said Jane “I get such a kick

from seeing hundreds of people

start with little or no qualifications

then graduate with an honours

degree.” Jane is a keen runner,

fund raising for charities like the

RNLI and running most lunchtimes.

She has her own MBA from the OU,

based on a study of the OU Business School. On Boxing Day

the OU launches a big recruitment

campaign that Jane has been

involved in, so keep your eyes open for a chance to enrol.

Jane is a committee member for

both the Floodlit Sports Assoc.

(who organise the Safari Supper)

and the Millenium Green.

Jane and Mick married on

Christmas Eve 1999. Their many shared interests include the

Kilworth Challenge where they

marshalled for many years and

competed in a mixed team (a bit obvious that). They met as novice

scuba divers at Lutterworth Sub

Aqua Club, and became expert as

they toured the world visiting places like the Great Barrier Reef

and the Maldives – where a 3 metre

manta ray offered one of the

highlights of their diving career.

They love skiing, touring with their

caravan, walking, and above all the

outdoors. They consider themselves

lucky to live in NK with all the

facilities that we have and what

Jane and Mick call “heart and soul.”

It’s a wonder they have time for

anything else, but they do. He’s

Dylan.

Dylan is their 13-year-old nephew

who was prised from foster care in

Liverpool by Jane and Mick over 16

very difficult months. They drove

up and down the M6 to allow Dylan

to spend weekends with them, and

had to flog through endless

procedures to convince the

authorities that they were fit and proper people to look after a child

with Asperger’s Syndrome. (Just in

case you know little about this

condition, it has many different forms. People with Aspergers can

be extremely talented, but they do

have problems when communicating

in social groups. Bill Gates has the

condition.) Dylan, for instance, likes

to say it exactly how it is. So I

asked him how long he’s lived with Jane and Mick. The answer was “I

came here on the 5th August 2008.”

He’s right, of course, but it is a

slightly different approach. Many of you could say ‘Hello’ to Dylan

walking his dog Toffee2 – who

arrived on the 14th October 2010!

They had a hog roast to celebrate Dylan’s arrival, and a Thanksgiving for the gift of a child ceremony in

the church. Dylan is a grade 4

drummer, plays the glockenspiel,

enjoys basketball, the Air Force

Cadets and many of his school

subjects.

Jane and Mick would be quite

happy to say ‘Hello’ to anybody

wishing to learn from their

experiences in the adoption,

fostering and care system.

mtf@plantmaintenancefsnet.co.uk /

j.faulkner@open.ac.uk DB

Page 10 Services cont:/ Say Hello To…………….. Page 9

WWhhaattss oonn iinn NNoorrtthh KKiillwwoorrtthh PPaaggee 1111

FUTURE EVENTS. March 3rd 2012 Safari Supper

Sept 2nd 2012: Al Fresco Meal

Jan 24th: Reading Group-8pm Venue TBA

June 30th Kilworth House Theatre

December 2011

Mons: Yoga- 7pm Sports Club

Weds: Stretch&Flex-12.15pm,Yoga 7pm Village Hall

Sat 3rd: Christmas Quiz- Village Hall- 7.30pm

Sun 4th: Holy Communion-St Andrew’s Church, 8.30am

Tues 6th: Holy Communion-St Andrew’s Church,2.45pm

Tues.6th- Patient Participation Group-HB Surgery- 7pm

Thurs.8th: Mobile Library-Dag Lane-1.30pm

Thurs.8th: WI Christmas Party in the village hall.

Thurs 8th; Bingo- Sports Club: Eyes down at 8pm

Fri 9th: SASSA X-mas Fayre-

Tues. 13th: Parish Council Meeting- Village Hall 7.45pm

Wed.14th Mobile Library- White Lion-2.40pm

Thurs 15th: KSI Nativity Play- St Andrew’s School

Thurs.15th; Christingle

Sun.18th:Lessons,carols & Bells:St Andrew’s Church 6pm

Mon 19th: Jack & The Beanstalk-St Andrew’s School

Thurs.22nd: Mobile Library-Dag Lane-1.30pm

Sat 24th: Crib Service:St Andrew’s Church, 3pm

Sat 24th: Holy Communion-St Andrew’s Church,11.30pm

Wed.28th Mobile Library- White Lion-2.40pm

Fri.30th:Completed Patient Survey Forms to HB Surgery

January 2012

Thurs.5th: Mobile Library-Dag Lane-1.30pm

Wed.11th: Mobile Library-White Lion-2.40pm

Sun 15th: Holy Communion-St Andrew’s Church, 9.30am

Thurs.19th: Mobile Library-Dag Lane-1.30pm

Wed.25th: Mobile Library-White Lion-2.40pm

Sun 29th: Holy Communion-St Andrew’s Church, 9.30am

NORTH KILWORTH WI North Kilworth WI meets on the 3rd Thursday of each month in the Village hall, at 7.30pm. New members and guests are always very welcome. For information contact: Christine Hewes: eandchewes@tiscali.co.uk/ 880036 Gaye Duncombe: gduncombe@gmail.com/ 880650 WI news- the AGM was held on 17th November followed by a shared supper. Christine Hewes was declared president for a further year. Next years programme looks very interesting with Mark Gilding from Gilding auction house, Whites florists and even a trip to the Bra factory! We meet in the village hall on the 3rd Thursday in the month at 7.30pm, you can come as a visitor for £3 or a years membership for £31.50p.If you cannot wait for next year we are holding our Christmas party in the village hall on Thursday the 8th December at 7.30pm if you wish to come please phone Christine or Gaye on 880036 or 880650

HUSBANDS BOSWORTH WEA

BELGRAVE VILLAGE HALL NORTH KILWORTH, LE17 6EZ

SPRING TERM 2012 If you are feeling jaded after Christmas and New Year, come and join us for some historical stimulation!

This term Professor Newman will be examining England in the 17th Century. A course of 10 lectures (90 minutes

each) begins on Wednesday January 18th at 10.15 (10am for coffee & biscuits) in the Belgrave Memorial Hall LE17

6EZ. FEE £50.25 For further details phone Sally Sherratt on 01858

571064 or email sally.sherratt@live.com.

Two People Dine from only Two People Dine from only Two People Dine from only Two People Dine from only

£12!£12!£12!£12! Wednesday Winter Warmer NightWednesday Winter Warmer NightWednesday Winter Warmer NightWednesday Winter Warmer Night

A celebration of the great British Beef Industry oOo

Come and join us on WEDNESDAY evening for delicious home made food, served in front of our roaring restaurant fires – guaranteed to warm

you up this Winter! MENU

Locally sourced 8oz Rump Steak, served with Hand cut Chips, Vine Tomatoes & Garnish Steak and Ale Suet Topped Pie with Creamy Mashed Potato and Roasted Vegetables Chef’s hearty Irish Beef Stew served with

Dumplings and crusty Bread 100% Steak Burger served in a homemade Bun

with hand cut chips. A choice of Stilton or Cheddar Topping.

Vegetarian or Fish Dish available on request (v) oOo

Extras all £1.95 Stilton Sauce, Peppercorn Sauce, Onion Rings,

Garlic Bread, Mushrooms, House Salad Add a delicious homemade starter or dessert for

only £2.95!!!

Page 12 Poetry Corner SMILE & MAKE SOMEONE WONDER WHAT YOU’VE BEEN UP TO!!

When I was in my younger days, I weighed a few pounds less, I needn't hold my tummy in to wear a belted dress. But now that I am older, I've set my body free; There's comfort of elastic Where once my waist would be. Inventor of high-heeled shoes My feet have not forgiven; I used to wear a six, Now I wear a seven.

And how about those blasted tights -- They're sized by weight, you see, So how come when I put them on The crotch is at my knee? I need to wear these glasses As the print's been getting smaller; And it wasn't very long ago I know that I was taller. Though my hair has turned to grey and my skin no longer fits, On the inside, I'm the same old me, the outside's changed a bit.

But, on a positive note...

I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on,

and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle these

three things:

a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss

them when they're gone from your life.

I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same as making a 'life.' I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life just being a doormat.

You need to throw something back. I've learned that to decide something with an open heart, you usually make the right decision. I've learned that when I have pain, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that you should reach out and touch someone. People love a hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

So please show this to five wonderful women, or men, today. If you do, you may boost another woman's self-esteem.

If you do not ...the elastic will break and your knickers will fall down around your ankles.

Many thanks to Beryl Cook who I’m sure won’t mind us ‘borrowing’ her fantastic artwork!

Things to do in December and January.SNIBSTON Transform Inside & Out – Light & sound Show- Fri 2nd & Sat 3rd Dec. Beam engine steaming- Sat 10th Dec. Christmas craft Fayre- Sat 10th & Sun 11th Dec. Holly wreath Workshop- Sun 11th Dec. Paranormal Night- Fri 13th Jan. The Blind Fiddler- Home Entertainment 1806-2012- Sat 14th Jan- Sun 11th March www.snibston.com BOSWORTH Guided walk- Mon 26th Dec For details: www.bosworthbattlefield.com HARBOROUGH MUSEUM Late Night Shopping- Fri 2nd. Another kind of Christmas- Sat 10th& Sat 16th. Fashion through the Ages Show- Sat 14th Jan. The Hallaton Helmet- Meet the Experts- Sat 28th jan: Revealing the Hallaton Helmet Sat 28th January- Sat 7th July www.leics.gov.uk/HarboroughMuseum DONNINGTON_LE_HEATH MANOR HOUSE Galliarda Early Music Concert-Fri 2nd Dec: Christmas at the Medieval manor- Sun 4th: Just Desserts- Thurs 15th: www.leics.gov.uk/Donnington RECORD OFFICE WIGSTON MAGNA The Census in the 21st Century- Tues 17th Jan- Wed 29th Feb. www.leics.gov.uk/RecordOffice BEAUMANOR HALL Pirate Murder Mystery Evening with Dinner- Fri 2nd Dec. World war 2 Murder Mystery Evening with Dinner- Thurs 15th. 01509 890119 COUNTRY PARKS: Conservation volunteer day; Beacon Hill Country park- Sun 11th Dec / Sun 8th Jan; Tel: 0116 305 7939, Email: chris.conway@leics.gov.uk

For more information see Leicestershire Events Guide or go to www.leics.gov.uk/EVENTS

Fosta- St Andrew’s / 49ers Page 13

Rugby Road, South Kilworth, LE17 6DN

Traditional Village Pub Serving Home Cooked food

Fresh wet Grimsby Fish Eat in or Take Away Any Day!

Served in homemade beer batter.

Home Cooked Sunday Roast

Choice of two Meats, fresh Veg and

Homemade Yorkshire Pudding! Bookings Advisable

Food Served: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sat

12-2.30pm, and then from 6-9.00pm Sundays 12-4pm only

No food Wednesday

Recommended in CAMRA Good Pub

Guide Sky Sports & ESPN • All major cards accepted

01858 575416

49’ers club Congratulations to the latest winners:

Peter Jones, Tracy Allen, Alan & Rita Mercer-Jones, Sue & Nick

Otter, Jacob Morgan, Jack Duncan, Claire Williams, Phil Alcock

We have a couple of numbers free if you’d like to join in the club?

The 49’ers is a fundraising lottery with winners chosen from the

National Lottery Bonus Ball. Each week £35 is paid out to a lucky

winner. To join it just costs you £1 a week which is paid by

quarterly, half-yearly or annual subscription. The money raised

goes towards our village hall. Contact Sue Winstanley 881798 or

email sue.yoga@btinternet.com

St.Andrew’s Looks to the Future: A message from the

Parochial Church Council (PCC)

Without dwelling on the long and important history of our

church over the years (it was founded in the 13th. Century), we are sure that the vast majority of people in our community

would like to ensure its continuing presence in the village. Both

building and institution mean different things. For some of us

it is a place to worship, for others a beautiful location for christenings, weddings and funerals, for others a necessity

for Remembrance Sunday, or for Christmas carols, or for the

school services each term.

Whatever else, it is a beautiful historical building, full of stories and memories and the village would be a much poorer

place without it.

The reason for this article is that in recent years the income

of our village church has decreased to such an extent that we

cannot meet our general costs. We need over £20,000 a year

just to meet salaries, utility bills, insurance and normal

maintenance; this year we will be about £6,000 short. Unless a

solution can be found the PCC will have to scale down its

activities and operations, and the building and grounds will

slowly fall into disrepair.

Early in the New Year, we will be launching ‘Friends of St.

Andrews’ (FOSTA) which will set about raising money for the

maintenance and running costs of the Church in different

ways. You could become a “FOSTA” parent by giving a regular donation. As the Church is a charity these payments can be

gift aided to add to their value to the Church. The initial

target will be to raise an additional £10,000. We believe that

the church should help bring people together in community so we shall also continue to organise fundraising events such as

regular village meals – the successful ‘Lunch on the Lawn’ and

‘Harvest Supper’ are recent examples.

The full FOSTA initiative will be announced in February’s NK

News. In the meantime please think about what you are able

to commit to in 2012. We wish you a happy Christmas and a

peaceful New Year.

Bowls Club News The annual presentation evening was held in the Sports Club on Saturday 12th November and attended by 50 members and friends. Jack Duncan opened the evening by welcoming all members and in particular Life members Charles Franklin and John Crabtree. Jack thanked all who had had a hand in organising the evening from catering arranged by Ivor and done by Sharon, the seating by Chris McCarthy, the raffle by Vic Hancock and the purchase of trophies and engraving by Competition Secretary Tom Renshaw. The meal was preceded by grace said by life member Gerry Lee. The Club President Tony Brown assisted by Lisa made the presentations and began with the trophies won by the Club. The club retained the Entwistle trophy which is a two match contest against our close neighbours South

Kilworth and the cup was presented to Captain Mark Wilkes. This was followed by the presentation of two trophies- the Market Harborough 1st Division league championship and the knock out Sam Springer cup. President Tony handed these to Captain Jeff McCarthy, who in turn called up the 12 man team to receive bottles of wine. Tony then presented the Club championship trophies as follows. Handicap- Vic Hancock: 3 Wood Singles- Tom Renshaw: 2 Wood Singles- Joe Renshaw: Mens Pairs- Tom Renshaw and Mark Westaway The infamous washing up trophy, The Marigold, was jointly won by Terry Clayton and Mal Tanser: The one day singles- The Taffy Trophy was won by Joe Renshaw: The Phil Blundell singles was won by Mal Storer: The most improved player voted for by sober bar committee staff was presented to Mark Westaway: The Club Singles Championship was won by Vic Hancock. Saturday joint Captain Peter Faulkner said a few words about the Saturday matches

stating that the winning record was the best performance in the Club’s history with a 14 win record out of 17 matches. He singled out Arthur Renshaw as his player of the year. Peter was followed by B team and mid-week Captain Mark Wilkes who thanked all players who had reached 4th in the 2nd Division and had had a successful mid-week season. He also thanked Pat Knight and Ivor for the mid-week suppers. He nominated Ian Lymberry as his player of the year. The President Tony then entertained the members with a selection of jokes which went down well. Big reminder to all members- the Xmas raffle and bingo evening will be held in the Club House on Saturday 10th December(7 for 7.30), FIRST PRIZE £100: PLEASE COME ALONG AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS.

JackDuncan

Page 14 Bowls Club News

As a thank you for

your custom this year and to support our charity of

the year the Cook Club is having some festive food on…….

Wednesday December 7 from 7:30pm

Come a join us for a glass of wine and sample some different Christmas dishes - recipes available if you want

to try to cook them over the festive period (sorry no cooking)

Suggested donation of £10 for Home-Start

R.S.V.P if you are joining me - by email or 01858 575832 (by December 1 please)

If you can’t come I do hope you will come back in 2012 to cook with me

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Tina

PS: Stuck for Christmas shopping ideas

My gift vouchers make great presents and they can be used for any course and are valid

for a year Cookday vouchers are still on offer at £85

(normal price for 2012 > £100)

See our New 2012 courses on

www.cookinkilworth.co.uk Tina@cookinkilworth.co.uk 01858 575832

GARDEN WALL Barn dried logs for sale

Phone Andy & Lyn

01858 881467

A huge thank you to everyone who came to the Millennium Green on Saturday the 26th November to

plant a tree, and made it such a great day. Well over a hundred villagers enjoyed some fantastic

autumnal weather to plant a legacy with trees on the first day of National Tree week. Over 250 trees

were planted on the Green, or taken away to plant in gardens or areas around the village. A great mix of

trees from sweet chestnut, oaks, birch, ash, beach, holly, walnut, dogwood and hazel to a range of fruit

trees from damson, plums, cherry, gages, apple and pear were available, and thank you to the Woodland

Trust for the advice on trees. Village Power CIC decided on the trees to source which were funded by

the Big Lottery Peoples Millions, and thanks also to Next for providing the T shirts. The Village Power

CIC Team would also like to pass on our sincere thanks to Rosemary Gandy, for all her hard work

sourcing and help organise plant such superb trees.

A really great day!

Do look out in the New Year for a questionnaire from the CIC seeking views on

what you would like to see as our future projects.

Village Power CIC’s first project has been to provide solar panels for 3 community buildings and

help enhance the local environment and capture carbon by planting trees. Saturday the 26th

provided a great start to the tree planting and the solar project is now ready to get going with

solar panels being fitted to St Andrew’s school, the Village Hall and the Sports Club, by

Sunswitch at the beginning of December 2011. Sunswitch have been a fantastic company to work

with during all the proposed changes to the Feed in Tariffs and we look forward to having the

panels fitted in time for all the 3 buildings to be registered to benefit from the higher rate

tarrif. (www.sunswitch.co.uk or call on 01908 442233)

CIC TREE PLANTING & VILLAGE LUNCH Page 15

Village Power are also delighted that Greenability a local company (and many of you may know Simon Williams, Director, from functions around the village) are also willing to give customers in North Kilworth a 5% discount on solar panels and donate a referral fee to Village Power CIC to invest in future village projects. For more information on greenability products - www.greenability.co.uk or call free 0808 1087575

CHARITY BONFIRE & FIREWORKS in NORTH KILWORTH A magnificent £1777.06 was raised plus a further donation of £250 from Refurbishment Ltd. All of the proceeds were sent to LOROS following a fantastic evening. Thanks to everyone involved for all the hard work and ‘fingers crossed’ it becomes a regular village event.

Please send entries to The Spinney, 3 Dag Lane by

Friday 30th December There will be a prize for the

first entry pulled out of the bag with all answers

correct!! Last year the successful entry won

‘Afternoon Tea for Two at Kilworth House’ Thank-

you

Page 16 THE CHRISTMAS QUIZ

1. What is the name of Grinch’s dog in the movie’ How the Grinch stole Christmas?

a) Pete, b) Sam, c) Ruth, d) Max 2. Which Christmas movie has been played more than any other? A) A Christmas Story, b) Home Alone, c) Frosty the Snowman, d) It’s a Wonderful Life

3. Which department store created ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’? a) Dillards, b) Montgomery-Ward, c) Macy’s, d) JC Penny’s. 4. The Christmas Cracker was invented by? A)Tom Smith, b) John Doenut, c) Mark

Daniels, d) Peter Smith.

5. Who decided that the date for Christmas would be December 25th? a) Pope John Paul, b)Pope Julius, c) Emperor Constantine, d)Pope Clement V 6. What do Ukrainians traditionally put on their Christmas Trees for good luck? a) candles b) a bird’s nest, c) A spider’s web, d) a goose feather 7. What Christmas plant is Viscum? a) Mistletoe, b) Holly, c) Ivy, d) Sage 8. What Christmas food is made from Marsh-whorts? a) stuffing, b) sweet potatoes, c) marshmallows, d) cranberry sauce. 9. Which ocean is Christmas Island in? a) Pacific, b) Atlantic, c) Indian, d)Arctic 10. In which author’s novel is it “ always Winter but never Christmas”? a) C.S.Lewis, b) John Masefield, c) Jacob marley, d) Sherlock Holmes

The following are easy cryptic clues to food found around the house at Christmas. 11, Crazy!

12. Make a pig of yourself when you find them!

13. Vision for cockneys.

14. Type that goes on your head!

15. Opposite a French stick.

16. Appointments!

From the World of Pantomime!

17. What is the name of Cinderella and the Ugly Sisters’ Father?

18. Who is Princess Marcella?

19. What is Jack’s Mother called in Jack & the beanstalk?

20. In which Panto would you find the character King Rat?

21. From which side of the stage do the ‘goodies’ usually appear?

22. Which Panto was created in 1902 for the comedian Dan Leno?

23. Who told Dick Whittington to turn again?

24. Who had appeared in Panto for 38 consecutive years until

2007 when he won TV’s 2I’m a celebrity…….”?

SASSA Christmas Fayre On Friday 9th December SASSA will be holding their

Christmas Fayre. There will be stalls, Santa's Grotto,

refreshments and an amazing raffle with over 30 prizes!

Please feel free to come alone between 3.30 and 5.00pm,

and bring friends and family!

We hope the Christmas Fayre will be even better than

last year.

HOPE YOU CAN COME Maddy Lindop

We wish all our readers

a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY,

HEALTHY NEW YEAR. Nick & Jude The next NK News will be in February 2012. Please

send all copy to us by 20th January. Thank-you.