Birstall Post (348) July 2012

JULY 2012 No. 348

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

STREET PARTIES inBirstall broughtneighbours andfriends together tocelebrate theQueen’s DiamondJubilee.

More than 100 peopleenjoyed the street party inCastlegate Avenue, wheretables groaned under theweight of the party foodmade by the residents,much of it in strikingred, white and blue.

Richard Kilbysaid: “It was areally friendlyoccasion, we had asing-song and eve-ryone really enjoyedit. I think thatsince the partyeveryone seemsa little bit moresociable.”

GwendolinAvenue was closedto traffic so morethan 200 people couldenjoy the streetparty. Organis-er Donna

Sunny smiles at Jubilee parties

BirstallpoolclosedBIRSTALL POOL has beenclosed after one of its boil-ers failed.

The pool will be closed permanentlyas Longslade College, who own and runit, say the cost of re-opening the pool tocurrent safety standards would be atleast £250,000

A spokesman for the college’s gov-erning body said: “Governors have ex-pressed concerns over the income andexpenditure for the pool. In commonwith many school swimming pools, thepool at Longslade has run at a loss overthe last five years. An estimated annualloss is £15,000 per year. Despite effi-ciency savings being made, for exampleenergy conservation, the repair and

Continued on page 6

Continued onpage 2

Pic: Roy Gilbert

Pic: Nicole Powell with Lotto

Pic: Monty Singh with Diyan (1) and Riyan (3) on Johnson Road

New glasses for as little as £39

20% off glasses for the over 60’s*

Wide range of designer frames

2 for 1

all-in-one prices

*

*

9 The Nook, AnsteyTel: 0116 234 0434

655 Loughborough Road, BirstallTel: 0116 267 7855

www.opticareoptician.co.uk

* conditions apply, ask for details

OUR PRICE PROMISE!

Retinal Photography

Complete SpectaclesFREE on NHS voucher

Celebrating20 years ofLANCASTER

LANDSCAPESBLOCK PAVING SPECIALISTS

Drives • Patios • PathsGarden DesignCrazy Paving

SlabbingFencing

Lawns CutHedges Cut

TurfingSlabs & Walls Cleaned

40 Spinney Rise, Birstall2673767 or 07979 851976

Slating • Tiling • FeltingAsphalt Roofs • Single PlyFascias • Soffits • Guttering

Building 20, Mill Lane, Syston Mills,Syston, Leicester LE7 1NS

Tel: 0116 260 5400Fax: 0116 260 [email protected]

COUNTYROOFING

ElectricianRegistered part P

Fuse board upgradesGarage/Shed suppliesGarden/Security lightingExtensions • RewiresAdditional sockets/lightsLandlord certificates • P.A.T. testingAll work guaranteed

MectricElectrical Services

Jon BradshawHill Rise, Birstall, Leicester

0116 2108591 or 0780 8259437

Call Nowfor aFreeQuotation

Available

in a choice

of colours

A-Rated as

Standard

A BIRSTALL firm thatspecialises in qualityconservatory, windowand door installationscontinues to innovateand is still growing.

Byron and Mandy Manning ofCurzon Avenue run Conservatoryand Window Concepts Ltd. Theyare now entering their fourthdecade serving not only thelocal area but as far afield asLondon, Kent and Cornwall –mostly from the word of mouthrecommendation of their satis-fied customers.

Byron said: “Our success isdue to the fact that we will notcompromise on quality.”

Their latest new productionis an innovative retractablescreen that unobtrusively fitsyour window or door frame. Itallows full ventilation and freshair circulation, keeps out insectsand remains out of sight untilneeded.

For more details about re-tractable screens, conservato-ries, windows or doors contactCWC on 2674205.

www.cwcinfo.co.ukwww.cwcscreens.co.uk

Qualityfirmkeepsgrowing

JUL 2012THE BIRSTALL POST2

Anastassiades said: “The atmosphere wasfantastic, buzzing with community spirit asfriends and neighbours came together.

“Everyone was commenting on how greatit was, comparing it to street parties of thepast and saying how we had all now madefriends with people that we have lived withfor many years, but not actually got to knowthem before now.”

When not tucking in to all the deliciousfood, children played games, soaked eachother in the stocks and took part in a deco-rate the crown competition.

Donna added: “I am so happy that wecelebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in atraditional way with the best friends andneighbours I could wish for.”

Residents on Johnson Road got to burn offtheir party food with a tug of war, an egg andspoon race and a sack race. Paul Lakin said:“It was a great event with lots of fantasticfood and drink consumed and shared by thewhole street on the best day of the Bankholiday!

“People met their neighbours, it gave areal sense of community and we are now justthinking about an excuse for another one.”

Nine year old Fraser Clarke of Woodgateenjoyed his street party, and had made afigure of the Queen from cardboard and bal-loons. He said: “It’s been a good day, thebest thing was the pizza and making thecrowns. I think the Queen is nice.”

THE NUMBER of journeystaken from Birstall parkand ride must increase by400 per cent if the serviceis to break even.

The £5.25million, 1000 spacefacility has been used for 57,625 jour-neys since it opened in July 2011.This equates to 5760 journeys amonth when 28,050 are needed forthe service, which is combined withEnderby park and ride, to break even.

8,500 journeys a month are madefrom the Enderby site, which cost£9.2million. The combined servicecost £577,000 to run in 2011/12 andthe estimated cost for 2012/13 is£486,000.

The service is run jointly by theCity and County Councils. It runs Mon-day to Saturday, 7am to 7pm every 15minutes. Day tickets are £3, a sixmonth ticket is £250 and a 12 monthticket is £470.

Passengers with an older person’spass travel free after 9.30pm. It wasrevealed in May, following a Freedomof Information request, that 31.5% ofall journeys in the 12 months endingMarch 31, 2012 were made by pas-sengers with an older person’s pass.

Park &ridelosingmoney

Pic: the street party on Castlegate Avenue Pic: dancing on Kedlestone Avenue

Continued from page 1

JUL 2012THE BIRSTALL POST 3

Pic: Neil Taskerand Carlos Stamford (1)

Pic: Fraser Clarke (9)with the Queenhe made

Pic: the street party on Gwendolin Avenue

Pic: ShirleyHammond

Pic: Grace Clarke (6)on Woodgate Drive holding a painting

she drew of the QueenPic: the delicious food on Gwendolin Avenue

Pic: Brenda Cobb(left) & Lynn Apse

Pic: the street party onJohnson Road

DA Roofing& Building

Tiling • Slating • RepointingGuttering • Fascias • Soffits

ALL WORK GUARANTEED • NO VAT

Tel: 0116 2675904Mob: 07789 116726

Over 25 Years Experience

60 Hill Rise, Birstall

P. MOOREMOTOR REPAIRS

Welding to MOT standardsMOT &

MechanicalRepairs

ServicingAll Work Guaranteed at Competitive Rates

2671600Mob: 0796 7544730

No VAT Charge

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS• Re-wires • Fuse Board Upgrades• Extra Sockets & Lighting• New Builds & Extensions• Inspection & Testing• Garden & Security Lighting• Electric Showers• Burglar Alarm SpecialistALL WORK GUARANTEEDFor a FREE quote:M: 07970 893250T: 0116 2303166Saxon Drive, Rothley,Leicestershire LE7 7SRwww.krelectrical.com [email protected]


maintenance costs have increased yearon year. The reason for this is that theboilers and the unit which ensures theproper functioning of the pool, the Myn-erga unit, are beyond their expectedlifespan.

“One of the boilers did not pass itsannual service earlier this month andcannot be used. With this and the poten-tial replacement of the Mynerga air unit,approximate replacement costs to en-sure the pool is safe and usable, as wellas to a standard which is equivalent toother public swimming pools wouldrequire a minimum of £250,000.

“The college cannot move moneyfrom the school budget to support therunning of the pool, its running costsmust be met from the community budg-et. In addition the building which housesthe swimming pool is coming to the endof its useful life,

“The majority of usage is from swim-ming lessons, private hire and affiliatedsocieties and despite the best efforts ofboth members of our local communityand the community team here at thecollege public swimming does not ac-count for a large percentage of the in-come.”

Birstall Pool was built in the early1960’s. In 1983 a campaign began to

fund improvements to the pool, whichhad a damaged roof and a failing airheater, moss and algae growing on thewalls and a damaged pool lining. In1984, a £217,000 programme of im-provements was agreed, provided byCharnwood Borough Council, the SportsCouncil and the County Council.

The pool provided swimming lessonsfor children and adults, aqua aerobics,baby swimming sessions and lifesavingcourses. There were 12 members ofstaff.

Lesley Moore from the group TheFriends of Birstall Pool said: “We knewthat if the boiler ever broke down thatthe pool could not finance the cost of anew one. It is very sad to lose the swim-ming pool especially if you have noother forms of transport to get to theleisure centres nearby. The fact is thepool was losing money and no-one isgoing to fund a new boiler if the poolcan’t earn enough money to pay foritself.

“If Birstall and the surrounding vil-

lages had supported the pool more byattending it then who knows if it couldhave paid its own way. It’s hard for aschool pool to compete against the lei-sure centres and what they offer.”

Parent Lyn Van Ristell’s child hadswimming lessons at the pool. She said:“I was bitterly disappointed and sad-dened to receive a letter today fromLongslade notifying me that the pool hasclosed effective from June 12. My childonly had a lesson the previous day whena notice was displayed to say that theboiler had broken down and that thepool would be closed until further no-tice.

“A village the size of Birstall needs aswimming pool for children and adults.Riverside and Highcliffe have small shal-low pools for babies and young chil-dren. The nearest public swimming poolwill now be in Mountsorrel and ofcourse, transport, car or bus, will beneeded to travel there.

“Birstall pool is a fantastic asset toBirstall and the swimming teachers ex-ceptional. Over many years my familyhas supported Birstall Pool – havingweekly lessons for my children, and alsowhen I too was a child, I took part infundraising activities such as sponsoredswims to raise funds for the swimmingpool. Can nothing be done to save ourswimming pool? Could the LeicestershireCounty Council or even local parishcouncil or local schools contributefunds to purchase and install a newboiler and keep the pool open?”

Matthew Sharp runs the Birstall Col-lege of Diving and has been using thepool since 2009, paying an annual fee of£2500. He one worked as a lifeguard atthe pool.

He said: “We have received no com-munication from the College regardingthe future of the pool, this is despiteemailing the College to get clarificationand the fact that we have outstandingbookings. Hire of the pool is a consider-able expense to us and over the yearswe have paid thousands of pounds inhire charges, to be just ignored and notinformed of the current situation is of-fensive and I feel very unprofessional.We have customers that are half waythrough their course and others whohave booked, luckily we have managedto make alternative arrangements so ourbusiness is no longer directly affected bythe current closure.

“Over the years it has been apparentthat Birstall swimming pool is an under-used resource, however I do feel thatLongslade Community College has neverreally supported the staff at the pool inpromoting its use. Most of the collegestaff and pupils are unaware that there isa dive school or that the pool conductsLifeguard training. Both of these couldhelp a young person find employment.There has also been a lack of consulta-tion with the local community regardingthe pool’s future. It is an asset to thecommunity and should not be lost. Froma personal point of view I urge peopleto speak out and try to save the pool forthe community.”

Birstall County Councillor Roger Wil-son said: “My first reaction when hear-ing the news was horror. It isdisappointing, if the boiler need replac-ing can’t they appeal to Charnwood, theCounty Council or the Parish Council forhelp? It should be remembered that thepool was built by public subscriptionand given to the college for it to lookafter.”

Pic: Birstall Pool in 1983

Continued from page 1

Tel: 01455 632372Mobile: 07773973181

www.learn2swimwithnigel.co.uk

LEARN 2 SWIMat RiversideSchool, Birstall

I am a qualified Teacher, Coach and Tutorof swimming, with over 20 yrs of experi-ence. I teach 4yr olds up to advancedswimmers. I coach for City of Leicesterswimming club, their "Senior talentsquad"See my website for more information…

SERVICING & REPAIRSto all makes of vehicle• Cambelts fitted• Specialist in Engine

Management faultfinding

• All electrical work &wiring faults undertaken

• ABS, Airbags, EMS, Keys Coded

FOR A FAST & FRIENDLY SERVICE CALL

K.M. VEHICLE SERVICES2677401 Mob 07843 253963

Unit 8, 59 Sibson Rd, Birstall (rear of Posy Bowl)

All Major Credit & Debit Cards Accepted

MOT’sarranged

Home GrownNEW PotatoesWiljaDesireeMarfonaMaris-Bard

Fresh Fruit & Veg

Local Honey &Preserves inclMarmalade &Chutney

Horse & Pony Feeds,Goat Feeds, PoultryFeeds, RabbitFood,TOP QUALITY HAYStraw & Shavings

Manure,

WoodchipMulch,Topsoil &Compost:we can deliver bulkloads of theseitems, call or visitfor further details

DIY Liveries,Menage forHire

ORNAMENTALTREES

LOUGHBOROUGH RD, ROTHLEYTel (0116) 230 2215James 07802 915559Fred 0797 7014606

OPENING TIMESMon-Fri 9am to 6pmSat 9am to 5.30pmSun 9.30am to 5pmPlease note these times may change

during public holidays. Ring us for details.

And lotsmore!

WoodcockFarm Shop

www.thebestof.co.uk/loughborough

0116 2674355 • 07580161980

PRUNING • CROWN RAISINGSECTIONAL DISMANTLINGHEDGE REDUCTIONHEDGE TRIMMING

47 Copeland Rd, Birstall

Established 11 years

Fully insured,work to BS3998

FREE quote& advice


The City Council’s Scrutiny Commis-sion was asked by City Mayor PeterSoulsby to review his choice of threetraveller sites and to investigate if anyalternative sites were suitable.

The commission, chaired by Cllr SueWaddington, presented its report onJune 14 and recommends that theGreengate Lane and Red Hill Way sitesbe provided but not the Beaumont Waysite, located close to Beaumont LeysPolice Station and Tesco.

Cllr Waddington said: “Both [Red HillWay and Greengate Lane] are of theright size, are well screened and are nottoo close to residential streets.

“I do not consider the area at Beau-mont Way to be suitable. It is much toosmall and exposed and would be diffi-cult, if not impossible to screen.”

The Commission has recommended anew site on Hoods Close off ThurcastonRoad. It is located near to Birstall GolfClub and the Mowmacre Sports Ground,in an area often used illegally by travel-lers.

Cllr Waddington said: “I stronglyrecommend that Hoods Close off Thur-caston Road be considered as a transitsite. It is of the right size and nature tobe used as a transit site for about sixpitches, it is not near residential devel-opments, and has been a popular stop-ping off site for travellers and gypsies inthe past.”

The report also recommends that iffuture sites are required they are locatedoutside the Beaumont Leys and AbbeyWards.

• The report states that the GreengateLane site is not big enough for 10 pitch-es and recommends “about six …though there is a possibility it could beextended in the future.” The proximity ofAshton Green is “…not seen as an im-pediment to the location of the site.”

• Five of the alternative sites recom-mended by Liz Kendall MP were visitedand deemed either unavailable or un-suitable.

• The report states: “Considerationshould also be given to the fact thatsome gypsies and travellers are horseowners and will wish to keep their hors-es reasonably close at hand. It is possi-ble and usual for land to be rented fromlocal farmers for the horses, althoughhorses are also tethered at the road sidenear the Meynells Gorse site. While thenew site may not be big enough to ac-commodate horses, providing a stableon one site for use when horses are sickshould be considered.”

• The report states: “Good manage-ment of the sites is essential … attentionshould be paid to refuse collection anddisposal, the tidiness of the public areason the sites and the safety of children,including traffic calming measures onroads running into and through thesites.

The Chairman of the LE4 ActionGroup, which is campaigning against theproposals, said: “We are disappointed by

the Scrutiny Committee’s report, we continue toencourage residents to send letters of objectionto the City Council, and sign our petition. TheLE4 Action Group think it is unacceptable to addanother site into the current consultation.

“We have held a meeting with members of thegypsy/traveller community and have mutual viewsabout the City’s consultation process and also theplans they are proposing. This adds a new di-mension to our objections as we have evidencethe settled community do not want the plans togo ahead, nor do the travellers. If nobody wantthis, why would the City Council continue to tryand drive this through?”

Residents can give their views as part of theongoing consultation process which ends on July13. For details go towww.leicester.gov.uk/gypsyandtravellersites

www.Le4.moonfruit.com

A CITY Council committee has recommended that an authorisedgypsy and traveller site on Greengate Lane be given the go-ahead.

A FULL meeting of Birstall ParishCouncil was held on June 11.

It was reported that English Herit-age will designate Birstall War Memo-rial as a listed monument. They havedeclined to list the Forge on BirstallRoad because the building was movedfrom its original location and hasbeen substantially altered.

A proposal to create a communityorchard on an allotment plot onMeadow Lane is being progressed byBirstall Allotment Society and theParish Council.

A street on Hallam Fields has beennamed after a former parish council-lor: Kevin Wood Close.

It was agreed that Parish council-lors visit homes at Hallam Fields toascertain any problems and issuesresidents have.

The Parish Council will run a ‘bestallotment plot’ competition in August,with prizes for the best plot on eachof the village’s three sites and an over-all winner. The plots will be judged byan independent panel.

ParishCouncilnotes

THE COUNTY Council has paid out£4,295 in compensation since2003, as a result of accidents in-volving the rise and fall poweredbollards that control vehicle accessto Watermead Country Park’s carpark.

There have been 11 insuranceclaims since 2003. The largest singleaward was £3076 for an accident onMay 16, 2010.

Traveller sites: GreengateLane deemed suitable

Pic: aerial photo shows location of Hoods Close

Pricey bollards

We are currently registeringnew NHS & Private patients

If you would like to

join our friendly practice,

please phone us on

0844 3879877to make an appointment

or come & visit us:

534A Loughborough Rd, Birstall, Leicester LE4 3EG

email us at [email protected]

Early morning, late evening and Saturdaymorning appointments available


Charnwood Borough Council hasidentified the site north of the A46 andwest of the A6 between Birstall andRothley as an option for development. Itis preparing its Core Strategy, part of itsLocal Plan, which will set out the strate-gic policies for the Borough in respectof housing and employment land for thenext 15 years.

The proposed location north of Bir-stall is within the Parish of Wanlip. Thesite of the Hallam Fields developmentwas originally within the parish of Wan-lip but the Parish boundary was movedbefore development started – HallamFields is now in Birstall.

Birstall Parish Council Chairman PatCleere said: “It will be a sad day if whenheading north out of Birstall we crossthe A46 and are confronted by morehouses rather than the green countrysidewe have at present.

“In Charnwood Council’s own wordsfrom their Core Strategy SupplementaryConsultation document relating to effectson environmental objectives, ‘there arelikely to be significant negative effectsupon vibrancy and vitality of settlements,air quality and soil resources.’

“Unfortunately, Birstall, although inthe county, is considered part of a Prin-cipal Urban Area (Leicester City) forstrategic planning purposes and there-fore ripe for an urban extension to thenorth as the city is allowed to spreadoutwards. Whether this would be part ofWanlip, Rothley or Birstall or a separatevillage entirely if it went ahead is notclear.

“There are other options howeverand nothing has been decided yet.”

Charnwood has a requirement tobuild 17,380 new homes between 2006and 2028.

The Council has already given per-mission to, or completed, 7,671 of thattotal and officers have previously recom-mended a further 6,250 homes to beprovided in two Sustainable Urban Ex-tensions (SUEs). These are located inHamilton and west of Loughborough.

SUEs will be planned neighbourhoodsthat incorporate local facilities and pro-vide local shops, employment opportuni-

ties, community facilities, open spaceand schools.

That still leaves 3,459 properties toplan for.

2143 are proposed for the PrincipalUrban Area north of Leicester and theCouncil is presenting five options.

• growth north of Birstall – 2000homes

• growth north of Birstall and northof Glenfield – 1500 homes in Birstalland 500 in Glenfield

• growth north of Glenfield and southand east of Syston – 2000 homes

• growth south and east of Syston –2000 homes

• do not meet the housing require-ment

These five options are expected to beincluded in the Council’s Draft CoreStrategy document, published in Septem-ber 2012. At this stage the public willhave the opportunity to comment. TheCore Strategy will be adopted in Decem-ber 2013.

www.charnwood.gov.uk/cssupplementary

A SITE north of Birstall has been identified as suitable forup to 2000 new homes.

HALLAMFIELDS

PARK& RIDE

A46

A6TOROTHLEY

PROPOSEDDEVELOPMENTSITE

ELDERLY PEOPLE shared their memo-ries with Stonehill pupils when theyvisited the school for a Jubilee party.

The guests enjoyed tea and cake, aquiz and a musical performance bystudents.

House Manag-er at Abbeyfield,Jenny Fitzgeraldsaid: “It has beenfantastic, thestudents havebeen very wel-coming.” BrianLord said: “It’sbeen very wellorganised, thechildren havebeen wonderfuland very attentiveto us.”Pics (from top):Guests meet stu-dents in the li-brary; LanaFeatherstone in aUnion Jack hat; JoeLewis talks to SyviaThomson; Stone-hill’s headteacherAlan Monks chatsto guests

Planners identifylocal sitefor development

The August issue ofTHE BIRSTALL POST

will be published on Aug 3.The copy deadline is July 20.

Memoriesshared atschoolevent


So Birstall now has no swimmingpool, ever felt like the poor relation inCharnwood? Syston, Mountsorrel andQuorn are all well served. This in theyear of the Olympics promoting activelives and sport, Charnwood at the centreof it with Team GB preparing at Lough-borough Uni (who have a lovely 50mOlympic pool !)

My daughter attended Birstall swim-ming club and has come on leaps andbounds in her class and is distressed atthe news along with others we know. Noswimming lessons, no life saving etc willone day probably cost a life one dayunless some cash can be found.

I have to say though in terms of get-ting general swimmers to use the pool tohelp fund it was hardly an inviting pros-pect having to walk down the intimidat-ing alley on a dark winter night from thedesignated car park at Longslade, andthat point of view from a middle aged

bloke never mind a lone female. I thinkthe developer(s) of Hallam fields havingfailed to build a school or any facilitiesyet could be approached for funding forthis important COMMUNITY facility, ormaybe the generosity of the PalmerTomkinson family could once againhelp, it seems such a shame that onceagain Birstall will be the poor relation inthe borough.

Adrian Barnacle

the ambulance and staying with myselfand Tony during this difficult time. I amsorry that I do not know your name butyou were a blessing that day. To anyoneelse who was there, a heartfelt thankyou.

A final thank you to everyone whomade a donation in lieu of flowers. Atotal of £500 was raised and this hasalready been given to the charity Wishes4 Kids.

Joan Sage & family

Birstall’s growing population. (I amamazed how many locals were not evenaware that we had a pool!) Let’s hopesomething can be done to save it, maybethe developers of Hallam fields could bepersuaded to help out.

I would like to take this opportunityto express my gratitude and best wishesto the dedicated staff at the pool andfriends that I have made there. I wishthem all the best for the future. Hopeful-ly see you soon!

Ed.G.Trzoska

YOUR SAY...

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

A massive thank you from BirstallMethodist Women’s Group to all thosewho dropped into our coffee morningon a damp drizzly Saturday May 19. Weraised £434 for Our Space Charity.

Margaret Briggs

I would like readers to know that theBirstall Pool has closed. It is a sad lossto the community.

I would like to give a big thank youto all the lifeguards and staff who helpto keep the pool running and for theirbeing helpful and friendly to all.

Thank you to the swimmers whoattended the friends of Birstall swimmingpool especially Margaret/Jean/Lisa(Thurcaston) and Christine for helpingwith the stalls to raise money for thepool.

Last thank you goes to Jane and Lyn-sey at Longslade and Jerry (Birstall Post)for publishing my letters and adverts forthe pool

From a regular swimmer at BirstallPool.

Lesley Moore

Joan Sage & family would like tothank everyone for all the cards andflowers after Tony’s sudden death. Iwould like to especially thank the ladywho helped on the day by phoning for

Well done to everyone who arrangedand helped at the Gwendolyn AvenueJubilee Street Party.

It brought back memories for uswhen our children were young at theSilver Jubilee Street Parties.

Thank you, we had a great time atyour street party.

Jean, Brenda & Doreen

I would like to congratulate DaphneStephenson on the wonderful amount ofmoney she has given to Wishes 4 Kidsand also for the help, thoughtfulness andlove she has given to me.

Sheila Stradling

As a regular user of the Birstallswimming pool at Longslade College Iam dismayed and angry at the recentdecision to close this valuable facility, dolocal residents and pool users not get asay in this matter?

The pool was closed on the Tuesday12th of June until further notice due toa boiler fault, by Monday the 18th ofJune the college website announced thereluctant decision to close the pool hadbeen taken as it appears the costs asso-ciated with the repairs and upkeep ofthe pool were too great.

Given the speed at which the 'reluc-tant' decision was taken it would seemlikely that this latest incident with theboiler was the convenient excuse re-quired to close this facility and savesome money. The pool has clearly suf-fered from a lack of investment for sometime and is (was) probably due for ageneral refurbishment.

It seems absurd that in the year thatthis country is hosting the Olympics at acost of several billion pounds of taxpayer’s money that funding cannot befound to keep this local facility open.This must be the often quoted 'OlympicsLegacy'. How does this help local peopleget in shape having been encouraged bywatching the Olympics?

There appears to be funding availablefor the recent extension to the collegeand the proposed traveller sites in thisarea not forgetting the massive subsidiesfor the recently constructed park & ridefacility which is of questionable benefitto local residents.

I used to walk to the Birstall pool, Iwill now have to use the bus or car totravel to the nearest similar facilities inLeicester, Syston or Mountsorrel addingto local pollution and congestion, how isyour carbon footprint? Does anybodycare? Probably not, keep calm and carryon!

Given adequate funding this excellentfacility could be refurbished and proper-ly advertised would be of great benefit to

Myself, my wife Elsa and our familyexpress our sincere gratitude to RevRachel Parkinson for leading the serviceat my mother, Edna Virgin’s funeral,held at The Deepings Methodist Churchon Friday June 1. We also wish to in-clude the supporters from Birstall Meth-odist Church for your kindness inattending the service, and additionally allthe messages of support received frommam’s many friends and companions inBirstall.

Thank you.Alan Virgin

Poor relation

Thanks

Pool

Thanks

Thanks

Congratulations

Pool

Thanks

Providing All Domestic & CommercialPlastering Services including

Rendering and Dry Lining.

Need a Plasterer?

With more than 25 years experience ofsmall and large scale projects

All work is quality assured and referencesfrom customers are readily available

Call for aFREE quote

Richard PhillipsonProfessional & Qualified Plasterer

Tel: 07984 135 933Orchard Road, Birstall, Leicester. LE4 4GA

Professional oven cleaning• 100% biodegradable materials • Local, friendly service

• We also clean hobs, microwaves, extractors & even BBQs!

[email protected]


Film PresentationsFrom Thurcaston & Cropston Parish

Council

‘The Artist’Friday September 14 (100 mins)

This romantic comedy won five Oscarsincluding Best Actor award for Jeandu Jardin. It also gained twelveBAFTA nominations. Being tender,romantic and incredibly funny, in

black and white silence, this film de-scribes the rise and fall of a dashingactor against the backdrop of tumul-

tuous change in Hollywood.

‘The Help’Friday October 5

Based on the novel by Kathryn Stock-ett, this film explores the touchingrelationship between two black

maids in 1960s Mississippi. In an eraof social upheaval and racial tension,

there are very funny performancesand scenes of heartfelt emotion. As

this film progresses, we can see our-selves or someone we know, within

each of the characters.‘War House’ Friday November 9

Thurcaston & Cropston Parish Councilwill be showing these films at Thur-caston Memorial Hall. Starting at

7.30pm, tickets cost £4.50 and con-cessions are £4. The price includes

refreshments and a lucky prize draw.Advance tickets can be purchased viathe parish office, 0116 2367626 or

bought at the door.• • •

Syston Town Juniors FCGirls Football Academy

Girls Like Football Too!Wanted!

Girls of all ages and ability interested

in playing footballPlease come along to STJFC FREE

girls football academyWhere? Memorial Playing fields,

(Donkey Park), Necton Street, Sys-ton, Leicester LE7 8HF

When? Every Saturday during footballseason

From 10am to 11.30amCommences Saturday July 7

Please come along on the day or con-tact: Samantha (Sam) Chambers,STJFC (Chairperson) Mobile 0777

6291355 Email:[email protected]

Richard Gunn (STJFC Girls AcademyCoach)

Mobile 07884117116Email: R [email protected]

• • •

Ladies Pamper EveningSaturday July 7

6-9.30pmGet ready for summer and come

along for an evening of fun, shoppingand beauty

at St Gregory’s Catholic Church Hall,Sileby

Large variety of stalls, including Tan-ning, Ella Pure, Cakes, Body Shop atHome, Belle Gifts & Accessories,

Neal’s Yard, mini beauty treatments,Jewellery, scarves and many more…Tickets £5 includes a complimentarywelcome drink of sparkling wine or

soft drinkand WIN a £50 Ragdale Hall voucher

in the evening’s raffleFor tickets please contact Catherine

07951656941 or Maria07875979058

Or email us [email protected] support of the MS Society

• • •Birstall Royal British Legion

July 7: Aron Fender (M/V)July 14: Sweet Definity (F/DUO)

July 21: Max (M/V)July 28: Karen West (F/V)

Dancing every Sat night with live en-tertainment

Bingo Free beer raffle and not forget-ting Open the Box

Every Tues night Bingo starting at9.15pm

Quiz nights Sunday July 8 & 29 start-ing at 9pm

Acoustic night Sunday July 15Rock & Roll nights Wed July 4 & 18

Food availableevery Saturday, 12-2pm

Wakes catered forA big thank you to everyone who at-tended and all those who gave theirtime to make our Jubilee Day a great

success• • •

St Theresa’s YouthGroup Summer

TripsA number of coach trips suitable foryoung people and families will be

running between Monday August 20and Friday August 24 to Waterworld,Drayton Manor Park, Skegness, Alton

Towers and Twycross ZooPrices will include transport

For more details please ring Mark on2203628

• • •

Baroque Concerton Saturday July 7 at 7.30pm

at Rothley Parish Church(St Mary and St John)

Medea Bindewald, harpsichord, playsmusic by Jacques Duphly

Admission free, donations welcome• • •

Greening BirstallGroup

Public MeetingThursday July 5, 7.30pm

Birstall Methodist Church Hall, WanlipLane

Find out more about energy savingactions and how they can be utilisedin Birstall to help combat climatechange and make financial savings

• • •

Open Church forTea and Cakes

at St Leonard’s Church, SwithlandLE12 8TJ

Sat & Sun July 14 & 15, 2- 4.30pmDonations in aid of church funds

• • •

Car Boot SaleTo include a cake sale

In aid of St Theresa’s Church FundsSaturday July 28

in Church car park, Front St, BirstallBooters to arrive at 8am

£5 per car (keeping profits ofcourse)

open to buyers 9am – 2 pmEntrance fee – 50p per adult

Now is the time to start clearing allyour unwanted items and bring in

some extra cashRemember ‘One Man’s Junk is Anoth-

er Man’s Treasure’• • •

Birstall GalaSaturday June 30, 12noon-10pm

Sunday, July 1, 11am-10pmSchool Lane playing field

Stalls, music, displays, fun fair ridesSunday evening, concert & firework

displayAdmission £1

Noticeboardall details printed free

FOOT MEDICS (UK Ltd)

R Palahey, Registered Podiatrist/Chiropodist BSC (Hons) Podiatry MChS SRCh

80 Sibson Rd, Birstall

Keeping youmobile & comfortablewww.footmedics.co.uk • (0116) 2675527

Gait Analysis & Musculoskeletal assessments Nail surgery using local anaesthesia

Acupuncture • Verrucae Treatments Bespoke Orthoses • High Quality Chiropody

Diab

etic/

Arth

ritic

Foot

care

Foot Health Checks • Footwear Advice

Now usingOrganic,SwissBotanicalProducts

PrescriptionFootwear

G E GAMBLE & SONSINDEPENDENT FAMILYFUNERAL DIRECTORS

—–––––––––– ESTABLISHED 1830 —–––––––––

57 HIGH STREET, SYSTONLEICESTER LE7 1GQ

TEL: 0116 2607500

A FAMILY OWNED FUNERALDIRECTORS OFFERING A

PERSONAL & PROFESSIONALSERVICE 24 HOURS A DAYFUNERALS ARRANGED INTHE COMFORT OF YOUR

OWN HOME OR ATOUR UNIQUE 17TH CENTURY

THATCHED COTTAGEPROPRIETOR MR RICK ASTILL,

RESIDENT OF BIRSTALLwww.gamblefunerals.co.uk

MEMBERS OF SAIF AND NAFD

LET OUR FAMILY LOOK AFTER YOUR FAMILYFOR FREE ADVICE AND GUIDANCE

BIRSTALL’S PREMIER TREE SERVICEJust like the rest of your property, have youconsidered your trees require a littlemaintenance from time to time?

...UNSAFE, TOO TALL OR UNTIDY

...BLOCKING LIGHT FROM YOUR HOME,OR YOUR NEIGHBOUR’S HOME

...LIKELY TO AFFECT YOUR PROPERTYSTRUCTURE

ARE YOUR TREES MAYBE?

With 20 years experience in all aspects of tree work wewould be pleased to offer you FREE expert advice & aFREE quotation without obligation

YOUR LOCALTREE SURGEON

PHONE NOW ON 0116 2505842

PALLATTBROS. Ltd

Corgi Gas Reg. Installers


“The ‘Greening Birstall Group’ iskeen to work with people from acrossthe village to look at ways of workingtogether to help combatclimate change and indoing so to make finan-cial savings” said spokes-man Peter Ashford.

Their first project isbased on the nationallysuccessful Greening Cam-paign which has now beenrun in over two hundredcommunities helping themto reduce their carbonemissions and save money.

Here in Birstall, as a first step, apublic meeting is being held at 7.30pmon Thursday July 5 at Birstall MethodistChurch's Concert Hall, Wanlip Lane, so

that anyone who’s interested, can findout more about the Greening Birstall

group and their first climateaction project. The group willalso have a stall at the BirstallVillage Gala on Sunday July 1with activities and information.

Peter said: “Attendees at themeeting will also have an op-portunity to help identify anumber of energy saving ac-tions relevant to Birstall, whichwill enable their family ororganisation and the village tostart making savings.

“Whether you are interested in greenissues – or just want to look at ways toreduce your energy bills – everyone’swelcome at the meeting.”

Since first meeting in January thegroup have started to establish links withseveral local organisations such asschools, voluntary and communitygroups and local authorities and arekeen to hear from other groups or or-ganisations in the village – and alsofrom any individuals who’d like to getinvolved.

More information about the groupand the Greening Birstall campaign canbe found atwww.greeningbirstall.weebly.com, byemailing [email protected] orby phoning Peter Ashford on 07941112544.Pic: (l-r) Birstall residents and group membersKyle Houston, Darren Lake, Peter Ashford andAllison Lake with Parish Council ChairmanPatrick Cleere.

A PROACTIVE group of Birstall residents have recentlystarted to meet to look at ways that the residents, busi-nesses and organisations of the village can reduce energyuse and waste.

Resident Meirion Reynolds writes:“The Jubilee Team, led by chairmanPauline Harrison, was thrilled whennearly everyone canvassed in the run upto the Jubilee said they would like totake part. So much so that it ended upbeing a ticket-only event. Although theoriginal plan had been to put tables inthe church car park, plan B swung into

gear owing to the rain and the party wasdivided between the Hall and theChurch.

Visitors were greeted with a welcomedrink of Pimm's and the Queen’s JubileeGrace was read by Siobhan Bahl and JoLewin. The village provided the bar-beque and everyone took additional foodand drink, many bringing enough toshare.

After lunch and the Loyal Toast andthe National Anthem, traditional gameswere played in the Church. One wonderswhether, in the last 600 years of thehistory of our church, a tug of war, eggand spoon and three-legged race (witheveryone wearing masks with the facesof the royal family) and pass the parcelwith forfeits, have taken place before –all this under the gaze of the rector andcurate. Brian York kept villagers royallyentertained with his singing in thechurch.

Children had their photographs takenwith Her Majesty the Queen – s surpriseroyal visitor – sitting on a special stoolmade for the coronation in 1953. At4.45pm the church bells rang and theJubilee Service was held in Our Lady andSt Nicholas church at 5pm.

There was no shortage of volunteersto decorate the hall and church anderect the tents and to dismantle every-thing the following day. A great spirit ofgoodwill and a wonderful opportunityfor villagers to spend time together ce-menting friendships.”

MORE THAN 150 villagers and friends attended Wanlip’sDiamond Jubilee Celebrations when they held their BigLunch on Sunday June 3 at the Village Hall.

FOR THE sixth successive season,players from Birstall Ladies Bowl-ing Club have qualified for the Na-tional Championships.

Pa Walker, Jan Everitt, JennieGroves and Diane Hurst won fivematches, including quarter and semifinal victories over Belgrave and End-erby respectively, to reach the countyfinal, and will represent the club andLeicestershire at Leamington Spa atthe end on July.

Diane was also close to qualifyingin the Two Wood competition, losingout on an extra end in the countyquarter final to Goodwood’s TrishTerry.

Meanwhile, John Hurst and AndyWye were one game away from quali-fying for the Men’s National Champi-onships in the pairs. Havingprogressed through six rounds theylost out to New Lount’s Mick Smithand Alistair Hollis in the Leicestershiresemi final.

More information about the clubcan be found on the websitewww.birstallbowling.co.uk

Campaign for agreener Birstall

Wanlip’s Jubilee party

Birstallbowls

Bokwa Fitnesswith Lisa

Every Tuesday: 8 - 9pm, £4 pay as you goLongslade Community College (Sports Hall)Wanlip Lane, Birstall, Leicester, LE4 4GH

Contact Lisa Cluer • Mob 07850 759170 • [email protected]

No need to book just turn up • Beginners are made very welcomeSuitable for all ages

• Burglar Alarms• CCTV• Access Control• Fire Alarms25 Years Experience • OAP Reduced RatesAll Work Guaranteed

For All Your Security Needs contact:Kevin O’Connor, Lambourne Rd, Birstall

0116 2925407 or07971 [email protected]

FOR AFREE

SURVEY &QUOTATIONCALL TODAY

Garden ServicesLyndhurst

Tree MaintenanceHedge Cutting • Lawn care

Garden ClearingDomestic or Commercial

Ring for a FREE quoteIan Lockington

0116 2671801Mob 0779 4287 239


GARDENS IN the WalkerRoad area of Birstall wereopened to visitors in thisyear’s annual garden trail.

The event, organised by Birstall Meth-odist Church, was attended by 700 peo-ple and raised £3,700 for church fundsand the Charity Prostaid.

A spokesman for the organisers said:“We were delighted on how well theweekend turned out. The garden thathosted the teas and most of the stallscreated a carnival atmosphere.

“We would like to express our sin-cere thanks to all the garden owners fortheir hard work and hospitality withoutwhom there would be no garden trail.”

WREAKE VALLEY RotaryClub’s popular Water-mead Challenge CharityRun takes place onWednesday July 11, 7pmat Watermead CountryPark near Syston.

There are both 5 mile and 3 mileraces around this attractive lakesidesetting. Runners of all abilities arewelcome to enter. This year theevent is supporting ‘Hope AgainstCancer’, Leicestershire and Rutland’slocal cancer research charity(www.hfcr.org.uk).

“Over 200 runners took part lastyear and we are hoping for an evenbigger turnout this time around insupport of such a good local cause”said Race Director Chris Battye. Fullentry details can be found atwww.wreakevalleyrotary.org.uk

A LOCAL charity that distrib-utes surplus medicines toAfrica has won an award.

Inter Care is based in Syston and hasbeen awarded the Queen’s Award forVoluntary Service.

The charity’s 50 volunteers and fourpart time staff recycled over £775,000worth of medicines last year to 121health centres in Africa.

Gardensinfullbloom

Pic: Gary, Sarah andEvie Mills (6) meeta Dalek ina Walker Roadgarden

CharityrunCharity’s

award



BLM PropertyMaintenance & Repairs

Tel: 0116 2350696 Mob: 07590 459937Email: [email protected]

Re-pointing of Roof Ridges• 3/4 bed semi house from £60 • Mid terraced house from £55• 3/4 bed detached house from £85 • Semi bungalow from £60• detached bungalow from £60

UPVC CleanedHave your Gutters, Fascias & Soffits Cleaned and We'llClean Your Window & Door Frames COMPLETELY FREE!

• Roof repairs • Chimney Stacks re-pointed from £70• Re-pointing • Brickwork • Groundworks • Plastering/Rendering

• Renewal of tiled/slated roofs• All Other Property Maintenance Work Undertaken

• Quotations Upon Request

NO PAYMENT UNTIL COMPLETION OF JOBFree Survey & Quote


The Heart of Eng-land Barbershop Cho-rus Leicester wereawarded the ‘MostImproved Chorus’ tro-phy at the British Asso-ciation of BarbershopSingers Annual Conven-tion at Southport.

Spokesman PatrickHunt said: “Winningthis trophy was a causefor great celebration –since we were formedin 1974 it’s been along time coming.”

He added: “We arealways looking to in-crease our member-ship, so if any of youmen enjoy singing whynot come along on any

A BIRSTALL based barbershop chorus has wonan award at a singing competition.

Barbershop chorus wins award

Monday evening to the Birstall Social Club 7.30pm and youwill be made more than welcome.”Pic: Chairman Kevin Cawkwell (left) and Music Director DavidCodd. Top: the Heart of England Barbershop Chorusperforming

A BIRSTALL hair salon haslaunched a campaign to high-light the work carers do forthose in need and to reward sixlucky people with a pamperingtreat at the salon .

Stephen Tomas of Stephen ThomasHair, Went Road, is inviting readers tonominate someone they know who pro-vides care in whatever shape or form,either voluntarily or in a paid capacity.

Salon owner Stephen said: “It’s abroad spectrum because caring forsomeone can take on many forms, frombeing the person who takes a plate ofhot food to a neighbour every week tosomeone who cares for a loved one witha degenerative disease.

“In my line of work I am privileged inthat clients open up and talk to me abouttheir lives, the ups and the downs, thehighs and lows. In lots of instances cli-ents will be looking after or nursing arelative, in others they may be caring fora child or neighbour. The point is thatlots of people are, quite rightly, con-cerned with how the ill person is andthere are lots of amazing programmesand charities out there trying their bestto help, but sometimes we forget aboutthe welfare of those responsible for orinvolved in the care of others, those whoare often in the background supportingor facilitating the care needed. I haveseen first hand the difference this littlebit of attention makes.

“I’m not going to save the world, buthopefully, I will be able to give somevery deserving people that reinvigorated,re-energised feeling that comes frombeing looked after here at Stephen Tho-mas Hair.

To nominate someone you think de-serves a bit of pampering for the carethey provide to others, write, in no morethan 500 words, a letter explaining whyyou think this person deserves to winone of six ‘Birstall Cares’ pamperingtreats at Stephen Thomas Hair.

Nominations should be sent toStephen Thomas Hair, 28 Went Road,Leicester LE4 3BH and include contactdetails of those nominated. The deadlinefor entries is Saturday July 21 with sixwinners all receiving ‘Birstall Cares’ gold-en invitations to the salon.

SHAPES HAIRDRESSING ONBirstall Road have recentlyimproved their hair col-ouring safety procedures.

Customers are provided with a freeskin test kit which is applied to apatch of skin 48 hours before anycolour application, to check for anyallergic reaction.

Clare Halford, Director of ShapesHairdressing, said: “We take reactionsto colour very seriously as we under-stand that some reactions, especiallyreactions to PPD the key chemicalfound in hair dye, can result in seri-ous injury. Recently there have evenbeen a few cases of death. Of coursethis is extremely rare but reactionscan develop at any time which is whyit is important to test every colourapplication 48 hours before.

“At Shapes we pride ourselves instaying one step ahead and have intro-duced our new tests called colourstartwhich our guests are able to takeaway with them and apply over theskin as a transfer, which saves themvisiting the salon twice.”

She added “We urge consumers tobe cautious of some salons and mo-bile stylists who may be tempted tocut corners on this in a bid to putmoney before health and safety by notcarrying out skin tests 48 hours be-fore colouring, especially on individu-als under the age of 16, as allmanufacturers of colour are nowrecommending colour is not appliedto under 16s due to increased risk ofhypersensitivity.”

For more information on PPD andthe importance of testing seewww.trichocare.co.uk/colourstart/

Pampera carer:salon offersprize

Haircoloursafety

64 Front Street, Birstall, LE4 4DP(3 Doors from old office)

OUR NEW OFFICE ADDRESS:

Thank You Birstallfor being loyal to your local firm

From Management & Staff

0 1 1 6 2 6 7 7 7 7 7Ashwell Property

MaintenanceALL ROOFING WORK COVERED

FASCIAS, SOFFITS & GUTTERINGREPAIRS & MAINTENANCE

RE-BEDDING & RE-POINTINGGUARANTEED WORK AT COMPETITIVE PRICES

14 YEARS EXPERIENCECSCS SPECIALIST WORKING AT

HEIGHTS QUALIFIEDFor a Free Quotation Call Lee

0116 2126901 Mob: 07884 187 185Front Street, Birstall

Kieran Headley(23), of WalnutAvenue, is a secondyear HNC computingstudent at LeicesterCollege.

The competition,open to all studentsat the College, in-volved submitting aproposal for a busi-ness idea, with thefour finalists pitchingin front of a ‘Drag-ons’ Den’ style panelfrom Leicester Col-lege and the award’ssponsors, Freeth Cartwright solicitors.

Kieran’s proposal was webbysite.co.uk, an online, interactiveguide to building your own, inexpensive website, aimed atindividuals and small businesses.

A former pupil at Stonehill and Longslade schools, Kieransaid: “I’m so happy with the outcome and to know that all myhard work has paid off. From here I will go forward with mak-ing the website live and invest some of the money in setting up


Criminals are aware of forensic mark-ing – they know that it can forensicallylink them to a crime, such as theft, rob-bery and burglary.

Forensic marking providers SelectaD-NA, Smartwater and Red Web are allaccredited by Secured by Design. Smart-Water starter kits are available for just£10 from the NHW Saturday AdviceShops every third Saturday of the monthat 10 Sibson Road (next one is July 21)Electronic marking

If you have a Mobile Phone stolen orlose it, the police will be checkingwww.immobilise.com if they find it in thepossession of a criminal or in the streetetc to identify it. It is a free service andtakes a few minutes on line to registeryour phones details.

Similarly if you have a bicycle youshould register your Frame number etc.at www.immobilise.com. Warning stickersare available from the company.Ultra-violet marking

Permanent ultra-violet (UV) markerpens are available from most large sta-tioners or the NHW. The mark is invisibleuntil it is viewed under a UV lamp.

UV marking is effective because thecriminal cannot see the marking and will,therefore, not take steps to remove it. UVmarking does not affect any resale value,so it is suitable for electrical goods andother items that you may wish to sell.

• Mark antiques and valuable propertywith a permanent UV marker pen.

• Mark on the most porous areawhere it is least likely to be handled andexposed to direct sunlight. Sunlight cancause UV marks to fade after about 18months. Re-do the marking when the UVmarks fade.Engraving

• Marks can be engraved by using adiamond-tipped pen, other sharp-pointedtools or by an electric engraver. TheNHW offers engraving for free to mem-bers … again at our Saturday AdviceShops!

Ceramic marking‘Ceramic’ or ‘titanium’ marking pens

are available from specialist stores andare effective on ceramic surfaces. Marks

have the appearance of faint pencilmarks. They are impossible to removewithout damaging the ceramic surface.How to mark your property

Use your postcode and your house orflat number (or the first two letters ofyour house name). eg Someone living at9 Corn Street, LE4 3TP would use LE43TP 9.

If you don’t know your postcode, askat your local post office or visitwww.royalmail.com and click on ‘post-code finder’.Items that can’t be marked

Items such as jewellery can’t bemarked. Instead take a photograph ofyour property, particularly if it has identi-fiable marks such as initials. Take thephotograph against a plain backgroundand include a ruler to give an idea ofsize.

Whichever method you use, the markshould be so secure that removing itwould damage the property or affect howthe item performs.Scheme Co-ordinators Needed!

We are looking for scheme co-ordina-tors in the middle part of HarrowgateDrive and part of Stonehill Avenue.Please call 0116 267 6397 if you canhelp.

From Birstall & Wanlip NHW

A BIRSTALL student has won a £3000 awardafter he impressed judges with his onlinebusiness idea.

the tutorials. I hope to roll it out to students and small busi-nesses and eventually incorporate it into schools and univer-sities.”

Visitors to Kieran’s website can sign up now and receive a10% discount when the service is launched.

The competition also saw £2000 awarded to Senika Simonfor her handmade jewellery business.

Pic: Julian Middleton (left) & Emma Batten (right) from Freeth Cartwright with award winners Kieran Headley & Senika Simon.

A SERIES of free guidedwalks this summer hasbeen announced by Charn-wood Borough Council.

The programme starts with a three-mile Nordic walk ‘taster session’ onSaturday July 28 from the car park inHigh Street, Woodhouse Eaves(2.30pm). There are only 10 placesavailable so booking is essential on07863 126259.

There are three walks in August,starting on August 1 from St Michaeland All Angels in Rearsby, which takesin Hoby and Rotherby. Walking bootsare recommended. The walk starts at10am.

On August 7, there is also a 10amstart for a five-mile walk from TheGreen, Thrussington which includesstepping out to Brooksby.

The final walk is a day later onAugust 8 with a 10.30am start fromThe Nook car park in Anstey andtaking in a four-mile walk to GorseHill City Farm in Leicester.

The walk to Gorse Hill is specifi-cally designed for families and willinclude an hour’s stay at the farm,which is a home to a variety of rare-breed pigs, sheep and cattle as well asguinea pigs and rabbits.

For further details on any of thesewalks, contact Nita Pearson on 01509634594 or [email protected]

THE OLYMPIC torch relaywill briefly pass throughBirstall on Tuesday July3.

The torch will leave the NationalSpace Centre at 7.15am, travel upthe A6 from Red Hill island andturn left into Station Road. At thetop of Station Road the torchbearerwill use the cycleway to reach theGCR’s Leicester North Station whereit will be taken aboard a train at8.20am, bound for Quorn.

The Greenacres café at the sta-tion will be open to serve break-fasts.

NHW news& crime reportMark for Good

If your valuables get stolen, you maybe able to replace your TV and DVDplayer, but what about your things thathave sentimental value?

If you were burgled, would you beable to describe the valuables you havelost accurately to police?

Every year, property worth hundredsof pounds is recovered by police butbecause it can’t be identified, it is notreturned to its rightful owners. This alsomeans that police officers cannot provethat they were stolen and may meanthieves will keep your valuables.

Why is it a good idea to mark ourproperty? If you have property stolen andthe police find the thief, would you wantthem convicted? Chances are you will sayyes. And if asked if you want your prop-erty back, especially if the item is ofsentimental value, you will again say yes.But how can the police prove it’s stolenif it’s not marked or you recorded as therightful owner? Marking property makesit more difficult for the criminal to dis-pose of and far more likely that they willbe convicted if caught in possession.

Thieves find identifiable property diffi-cult to sell on.

Mark your property and advertise itwith a sign or sticker near your frontdoor.Forensic marking

A colourless liquid solution can beapplied to your valuable items, includingjewellery, ornaments, electrical items andeven vehicles. This is forensic marking.

The liquid solution gives your propertya chemical ‘code’, which is unique toyour items. It cannot be seen by thenaked eye and is incredibly difficult toremove. The solution glows under ultravi-olet light, allowing the police to detect it.

Crime Report : May 14-June 11Assaults 4, burglary 3, burglary non-

dwelling 4, damage 5, damage to motorvehicle 4, drugs 3, public order 1, theft5, theft from motor vehicle 1, theft ofmotor vehicle 2

All crime is down with burglary sig-nificantly lower than the last few months.Recently three youths apologised face toface with their victims after throwingeggs at their house, as part of Restora-tive Justice. Littering of car parks onMeadow Lane has reduced after anumber of high visibility patrols by thebeat team.

Year on year crime is down 30.4%and burglary is down 60.5%.

From PC 2139 Richard Carruthers andPCSO 6611 Mark Butler

Birstall student wins prize for business idea

Freewalks

Olympictorch inBirstall


TWO BIRSTALL girls havehelped a Leicester footballteam to victory this season.

Ella Fox (11) and Vivienne Morris(12) both play for Leicester City Ladiesunder 12s – Ella is a prolific goalscorerwith 27 goals this season and Vivienne isa goalkeeper.

The team won their league this sea-son with 18 wins and 1 draw and werealso winners of the league cup. Bothgirls have played for the club for the lastsix years.Pic: footballers Vivienne Morris (left)and Ella Fox

A BIRSTALL couple wereinvited to a garden party atBuckingham Palace.

Chief Superintendent Chris Rollings ofCliffe Road and his wife Rosie (picturedleft)attended the Queen’s garden partyon May 22. Chris said: “It was fantasticto attend the garden party, especially inthe Queen’s jubilee year.” Chris wasinvited as he is the chair of the Superin-tendents Association in Leicestershire.

BIRSTALL AND Wanlip WI’s Schooldays themed meal tookplace on June 11 on a very cold wet evening at the homeof Beverly Blackburn in Cliffe Road.

Many of the ladies didn’t even man-age to remove their coats to reveal theirschooldays outfits as it was so cold.Luckily hot school dinners and fruit

crumbles helped warm us up and likethe jubilee celebrations our ‘spirits werenot dampened’.

We were entertained by member’ oldschool photographs and the competition‘something I used to wear’ which waswon by Irene Faulkner who provided avery saucy pink number. Our coffeemorning at the Methodist Church onJune 16 provided the Birstall communitywith our usual cakes and preserves.

On July 30 we will be taking part in arelay walk around Birstall and hopefullyvisiting every member’s house. This is tosupport the national WI incentive ‘BigWalk Little Splash’ which is trying to getus walking and swimming in this Olym-pic year.

Our next meeting is on July 2 whenLorraine Tucker will also get us movingwhen she guides us through ‘Tai Chiphilosophy and practice’. The competi-tion will be .Something Chinese’.

From Birstall & Wanlip WI

Palacegardenparty

Birstallsoccerstars

Back to school for Women’s Institute meal



ALL TYPES OF DOMESTIC& INDUSTRIAL WORK

Extra PointsAlarmsRewiringSecurity LightingElectrical TestingPart P Registered

Control Electrics LtdTel: 0116 2682910

FREE ESTIMATES

• MONUMENTAL SCULPTORS• NEW MEMORIALS• CLEANING & RESTORATION• QUALITY CRAFTSMANSHIP• BROCHURE ON REQUEST

Showroom:3 BROOKBRIDGECOURT, SYSTONLEICESTERLE7 2JTTel: 0116 2601851

www.demontfortmemorials.co.uk

DE MONTFORTMEMORIALS

PETE INGHAM

Professional Services IncludeAll Types of Plastering

Garden Work

267 4194

Plastering &Property Maintenance

FencingSlabbingBlock PavingPatios

Free Estimateand Personal Attention

(

Guaranteed WorkmanshipTOTAL COMMITMENT TOQUALITY51 Walker Rd, Birstall


House Manager Jenny Fitzgeraldwrites: “To mark the tremendousachievement of 60 years as Sovereign,we decided with the residents to createa new bed in the gardens to mark theoccasion. This was to be in the shape ofa diamond, with “E.R.” marked out inplants.

“In order to capture the wonderfulJubilee memories of our residents andthe events to be staged, it was agreed wewould also plant a time capsule to con-tain lots of memorabilia to be enjoyed inlater years by future generations.

“We were also kindly invited toStonehill High School to take part intheir Jubilee event, where we were treat-ed to a wonderful welcome and ascrumptious array of delicious cakes,followed by a musical interlude from theschool orchestra. The pensioners andyoung people chatted about memories ofthe coronation, hopefully making historycome alive for the students.

“On June 5 the staff at Abbeyfield puttogether for enjoyment of the residents ameal based on the menu of the RoyalWedding and Coronation, with tablesresplendent in red, white and blue. Theoccasion was marked with bottles of‘fizz’ to toast the queen and mark theburying of the time capsule. All had ajolly time.

“We look for-

RESIDENTS OF Birstall’s Abbeyfield home on Church Hillcelebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee last month.

ward to seeing you all at the BirstallGala, please come along for a chat andsupport us by buying a home made cakeand remember volunteers are alwayswelcome, so if you do have a few hoursto spare, why not help your local shel-

tered charity.”

Abbeyfield’sJubilee celebrations

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

Help At Home (Egerton Lodge) Ltd

Odd Job ManThe

No Job Too SmallGardening • Slabbing

Painting • House Painting

Gutters Cleared

FREE QUOTES • CALL HARRY

0116 26747030770 8419134

9 Kedlestone Ave, Birstall


BIRSTALL VILLAGE 1st XI has contin-ued their slow start to the season inthe defence of their 2011 title.

The 1st XI are struggling to regainthe form which was so prominent at theend of last season. There are glimpses ofindividuals at times showing form butthey seem to be struggling to get overthe line in many close games at present.These glimpses were evident in theirlosing draw against Hathern Old CC.Birstall won the toss and sent Hatherninto bat. The bowling was tight earlykeeping them to only 50 runs in the first20 overs. After some loose bowling inthe middle stages Hathern reached ahealthy total of 191-9 off the 45 overs.The Birstall innings ran like a rollercoaster, looking good at many stages -but losing wickets at important timesmade things difficult. In the end Birstallhad to settle for a losing draw.

Birstall then got back on track with abig win against league leaders, BharatSports CC. Bharat got off to a flier butwith some consistent and effective bowl-ing of the Grandfather / Grandson com-bination of Pete and Ben Sharpe heldBharat to 148-8 off 45 overs. Birstallhad a horrible start being 3-12 at onestage. A match winning partnership of130 runs from Captain Dave Sharpe andVice Captain Jon Gaydon ultimately de-cided the game.

Birstall’s inconsistent form continuedwith another losing draw against Hinck-ley CC. Birstall bowled fairly well torestrict Hinckley to 155 runs. Birstall gotoff to a painfully slow start being only28 runs off 20 overs. From then onBirstall were chasing their tail and thetotal ended up being too much finishingwith 112-8. Birstall were unable to makeup any points against arch rivals Wood-house Eaves due to a questionable deci-

sion by the umpires to call the game off.Captain Dave Sharpe is desperate to

get his team back to the form which wasso impressive at the end of last yearbefore the season gets too far away fromthem. The 1st XI sit in eighth positionnow 69 points off the leaders.

The 2nd XI have continued theirgood form this season under new cap-tain Andy Lord. They have had winsagainst Bharat Sports 2nd XI and Apple-by Magna, a winning draw against Mak-ers Edge Taverners and a loss toTwycross 2nd XI. The change in formhas been due to the much improvedbatting efforts of the team with Lord(54), R Olsen (43), I Bartlett (40) andL Grest (66) all making importantknocks at the right time. The most im-pressive individual effort was the spell of‘ripping leg spinner’ Aaron Headleytaking six wickets for 14 runs off 8overs which makes him now the league’sbest bowler! The 2nd XI currently sit inthird position, only 25 points off theleaders.Upcoming home fixtures for BVCC

(All fixtures are Saturday 1.30pmstart)

July 7 – 1st XI vs. Leicester IvanhoeJuly 14 – 2nd XI vs. Leicester Univer-

sity Staff 2nd XIJuly 21 – 2nd XI vs. Fleckney VillageJuly 22 – 2nd XI vs. Great Glen CC

(Sunday)July 28 – 1st XI vs. Hathern Old CC

1st XIAugust 4 – 2nd XI vs. Bharat Sports

2nd XIAugust 11 – 1st XI vs. Hinckley CC

BVCC Social eventsSaturday July 14 – BBQ, wine and

cheese night!Do you fancy a snag on the barby? A

wedge of cheese? Or are you a bit of awine connoisseur? Come and join us aswe at least try and act like we knowwhat a good wine and piece of cheesetastes like! We only ask that you bringyour favourite wine and cheese so youcan try and educate us!

The event will follow the 2nd XI’s

game against Leicester University Staff.All members and supporters of the clubare more than welcome.

Look out for our monthly socialevents that will be taking place through-out the season.

All information can be found on ourclub’s website from player profiles, fix-tures, results, match reports and a largephoto gallery for the 2012 season – willyour face be on there?

www.birstallvillagecc.co.ukFrom Joshua Saye

BVCC Player ProfileName: Pete SharpePlayer role: Spin bowler (now andagain!)Years playing forBVCC: 30Honours: Leaguewinner3 times,getting the hon-our to play withmy son andgrandson at thesame time!Funniest BVCCmoment: Prad being run over by theside screen last season.Cricketing hero: Derek UnderwoodMy look alike: ScroogeGoal for the season: To retire on myterms!

BVCC Player Pro-fileName: Prad SoodPlayer role:BowlerYears playing forBVCC: 8Honours: Playingwith Mick JonesFunniest BVCCmoment: Theside screen incident...Cricketing hero: Stuart Broad / PeteSharpeMy look alike: Colin FarrellGoal for the season: Win the league

COUNCILLORS IN Charnwoodhave approved plans to takedirect control of the Coun-cil’s housing in a movewhich could save £638,000per year.

Charnwood Borough Council’s Cabinetvoted in favour of the proposal to returnthe management of the homes to theCouncil from Charnwood NeighbourhoodHousing (CNH), the Arms Length Man-agement Organisation which has man-aged them since 2007. The money savedby bringing the management of people’shouses back under direct Council controlwill be put back into improving theirhomes.

Cllr Jane Hunt, the Council’s CabinetMember for Housing, said: “Residentsare at the heart of our services and webelieve this move will mean we can investin our properties to improve the qualityof life for them. We already have a planto invest £60million in our housing stockover the next five years. By bringing itback under our direct control we canmaximise every penny of that investment.

“We are absolutely committed to en-suring tenants are involved in the neworganisation and will not notice anybreak in service during the transition.CNH staff will be welcomed into thecouncil and become part of the team.”

The transition could take betweenthree to nine months to complete, withCNH staff being transferred to the Coun-cil.

A financial appraisal of how the Coun-cil’s housing services are delivered wascarried out by an independent firm, CIHConsulting, which identified the savingswhich could be made by bringing theservice back under Council management.In addition, a test of opinion was alsocarried out which resulted in 75% oftenants opting for housing services to bebrought back under the direct control ofthe Council.

The Council’s contract with CNH wasoriginally established in December 2007to enable the Council to access govern-ment-held Decent Homes funding, as wellas improve services to tenants. Butchanges to funding rules mean there isno longer a link between governmentcash and Councils with Arms Lengthmanagement Organisations.

Although the contract was for 10years, it included the opportunity tobreak in June 2012.

CricketCorner

Councilhousing

Plumbing & HeatingEst 1968

Tel: 0116 2692167Mob: 0792 1703 765

211637

General PlumbingBathrooms & TilingLandlord CertificatesPOWER FLUSHINGNew Installations & UpgradesGas Boilers/Fires Serviced & Repaired

LOCAL BUSINESS • CALL GARY ON

Elliott & Ball

Fitted kitchens, bedrooms,bathrooms & flatpackTiling (walls & floor)Laminate floors laidInternal & external doors hungFencing & gatesHome & gardenfurniture madeto orderDecorating

Rak TailorHome Improvements

Tel: 0116 267 4798Mob:07790 835 747

Regain your natural abilityto control your weight

NEW TO LEICESTERAvailable through

Blue Moon Beauty Salon (Birstall)

or call Nicky 07544 765091www.nickymason.co.uk

Free ConsultationIndividual or group rates available


THE CHARNWOOD Local Po-licing Unit (LPU) has a newcommander.

Inspector Gaynor Turner took overfrom Inspector Duncan Southall onMonday June 11, 2012. Inspector South-all, who ran Charnwood Local PolicingUnit LPU for more than three years, hasbecome a Counties’ Operational SupportInspector covering crime and incidentsacross the nine policing areas that makeup the Counties’ BCU.

A LOCAL businessman sailedhis Dunkirk Little Ship alongthe Thames when he tookpart in the Jubilee riverpageant in June.

John Hoskins of Midland WindowInstallations and his ship Lazy Days, withcrew including his wife Margaret, MandyMcGregor and Caroline King, took partin the historic pageant to celebrate theQueen’s Diamond Jubilee.

He said: “To see smiles on the facesof all aboard as we passed her Majesty Iwill never forget for as long as I live.Even the heavy rain did not deter ourenthusiasm to wave and cheer as wepassed the royal party.”

He added: “Being chosen to partici-pate in the pageant was the easy bit,filling in forms and registering crew andfamily and preparing charts and passageplanning was a time consuming mara-thon, but well worth all the extra effortto take part in this historic sail past forher Majesty the Queen.”

Lazy Days, built in 1930, was one ofthe little ships that helped rescue Alliedsoldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk in1940. The 34ft motor yacht spent threedays at Dunkirk shipping troops fromthe beaches to the larger ships.

Lazy Days replaced John’s previousDunkirk Little Ship, Chumley, which heowned for 10 years and sailed to Dun-kirk twice.

John said: “While at the pageant, Iwas informed that Lazy Days took part inthe 1953 Coronation Thames River Pag-eant and has made history again by

being the only Dunkirk Ship to be inboth pageants for our Queen. We areproud of our Little Ship; she is nowhaving a well deserved rest on the quiet-er waters of the River Thames, whereshe will take part in the Henley classicboat regatta with a few Dunkirk veteranson board.”

Pic: Lazy Days crew (l-r) Margaret Hoskins, Mandy McGregor and Caroline King

Inspector Gaynor Turner has had avaried career with the police. She startedworking for the Force in 1996 as a callhandler in the control room answering999 calls. It wasn’t until December2001 that she became a Police Constableand worked from Braunstone for anumber of years before moving to Mar-ket Harborough in 2005 and was pro-moted to Sergeant in October of thatyear.

From April 2007 she worked for twoyears as deputy LPU Commander at Mar-ket Harborough and from there waspromoted to the post of Acting Opera-tional Support Inspector for one yearstill based in the south of the County. InOctober 2011 she was promoted onceagain into the role as Temporary Opera-tional Support Inspector covering theCounty of Leicestershire and Rutland,moving into the post of Charnwood LPUCommander in June 2012.

Inspector Turner said: “I am lookingforward to working at Charnwood andgetting to work in partnership with thecommunity, local authorities and otheragencies. I hope to continue the goodwork that is already in place and plan totake every opportunity to reduce crime.Overall, crime across the local policingarea is currently showing a reduction.Our main focus at the moment is burgla-ry but we will of course continue totackle a range of other issues includinganti-social behaviour which can have adetrimental affect on people’s lives.Please don’t hesitate to report any prob-lems to us. If you have any issues at allyou can contact me by phone, email orletter.”

NewPoliceCommanderappointed

Pic: Insp Gaynor Turner

LazyDaysmakeshistory

Pic: Dunkirk Little Ship Lazy Days

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

An EnergyPerformance

Certificate (EPC)is still required if youare selling or renting

out your house.

Call David Jackson on0781 5519490

to arrange your EPC

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

23 Years of experienceNo job too small • Free Estimates

Tel Rob on 07825 [email protected]

Local, Reliable &Trustworthy Electrician

R MILLS

ALL ASPECTS OF DOMESTICELECTRICAL WORK UNDERTAKEN Tel: 0116 269 6982

Mob: 0781 2335825

Block Paving - DrivesPatios - Paths

Free EstimatesCompetitive RatesOver 20 years experience in the trade

Ask for aFREEQUOTE

2 Birchwood Close, Syston, Leicester LE7 2BL

www.djupton.com

D. J. Upton


THE ACORN Under 5s Pre-school and Toddler Groupcelebrated the Jubilee witha party at Highcliffe school.Also pictured are the play-house and the new story-telling chair.

OUR PICTURE shows thechildren at Birstall RainbowNursery with staff dressedin red, white and blue. Thechildren had a Jubilee party,played games and madecrowns and flags to cele-brate in style.

RAINBOW CO-OP Preschool Playgroup celebrated theQueen’s Diamond Jubilee in style with a garden party,games and a crown compe-tition.

Each child was presented with acommemorative mug to mark the occa-sion.

Pre-school sessions run from 9.15amto 12.15pm Monday to Friday, termtime, at the Co-op Sports and SocialClub grounds on Birstall Road. Placesare available from September, contactJulie on 07793 630612. Visit our web-site: www.rainbowcooppreschool.co.ukfor further information.

Pre-schoolJubileeparties

Advertise in

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

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

The prices above exclude VAT

1) Decide what size you want2) Send us a sketch of your ad3) We design, publish

& send you the bill

EARLY MORNING, EVENING &WEEKEND APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE

- Any muscular pain or strain

- Any joint from head to toe

- Neck Pain

- Frozen Shoulders

- Low Back Pain

- Sciatica

- Tennis Elbow • Golfers’ Elbow

- Cranial treatment for babies

- We now have a female practioner

Unit 12, Lazarus Court, Woodgate, Rothley LE7 7LJ

[email protected] 237 4522

the

WOODGATE CLINICOSTEOPATHY & PHYSIOTHERAPY

(especially after road accidents)

R.W.S.Plumbing & Heating

All Domestic PlumbingFull Central Heating

Boiler Swaps & UpgradesFully Fitted Bathrooms

Wall & Floor TilingALL WORK GUARANTEED

Local Business • Call Rob Scott:

Tel: 0116 2209311Mob: 0796 7695631

EASY ACCESS BATHROOMS• Level Entry Showers• Quality Ceramics & Brassware• Stylish Tiling & Decoration• Non-slip Flooring• Shower Seats & Grab Rails etc

All work guaranteedWe are a local company

Call Phil 0116 2207835Mob: 0794 193 0704

A TEA party to celebrate the Queen’s Dia-mond Jubilee at St Theresa’s churchraised £900 for Wishes for Kids.

The church hall was packed, with many of the guestswearing elaborately decorated Jubilee themed hats.

Spokeswoman Daphne Stevenson said: “A big thank youto all those people who helped us raise £900 and to thebusinesses in Birstall and Rothley who donated raffle prizes,and to those who gave individual prizes and all those whogave up their time to support us in so many ways.”

Ladies at the Birstall Methodist Thursday Group also cele-brated the Queen’s Jubilee with a party, and are picturedbelow.Pics: Musicians ‘Old Gold’ entertaining guests at the teaparty at St Theresa’s & (below) Birstall MethodistThursday Group


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

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

HOME GROWN runner beans for sale- £1 per 1lb, bean plants – 15peach or 20 for £2.50. Please phone0116 2921619

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/12/1230/2: 54 Greengate Lane – erection ofsingle storey side and rear extensionsP/12/1232/2: 11 Copeland Road – erection offirst floor extension to side, single storey ex-tension and dormer to rear of dwelling

FASTER BROADBAND is to be madeavailable in Birstall from spring2013, say BT.

An upgrade will be made to theexisting copper network.

BT’s £2.5 billion roll out of fibreoptic broadband is expected to reachtwo thirds of users by the end of2014. It is not currently available inBirstall.

Colourful hatsat Jubileecelebrations

Broadband

Planning

Trouble with your figures?Wantsomeone towalk youthrough a selfassessment?

Let me helpget yourbooks inshape…

& keep them trim

Linda Kimberley-Brooks (ACMA)

Final accounts • Self assessmentTaxation • Bookkeeping • VAT

Payroll • Management accounts

A friendly service tailored to your needs0116 23 66 345

Companies & individuals call now onwww.twyf-accounts.co.uk Email: [email protected]

A. WarnerPLUMBING & HEATING

BathroomsShowersCentral HeatingGas Servicing

87 Curzon AvenueBirstall, Leicester

Tel: 26730140779 9891 861

¬¬¬¬

Local emergencydenture repairs& denture cleaning

Pick-up &delivery serviceavailablein Birstall

0116 2676252Call Steve

The ideal venue for forWeddings • Parties

Christenings etcLarge Function Room with use of Kitchen

Separate bar for that quiet moment

Car Park with CCTV coverageDisabled facilities

Mid Week Functions takenGive us a call at Birstall Rd on

2674059 or 07837 690287

The Midlands Co-OperativeSports & Social Club

Birstall Road


Wartime at GCR

BIRSTALL GUIDES donned boots andgloves and went walking round Wa-termead Country Park on a litter pick.

Giving service to the community is anintegral part of guiding so thanks toPaul Barker, Park Ranger for LeicesterCity Council, the girls were providedwith all the right equipment to completetheir task safely and successfully. Thegroup focussed on the area around theiconic mammoth and Alderton Close carpark, amusing passers-by with theirenthusiasm and sense of competition asto which group could collect the mostrubbish.

Megan Lee (11) said: “I enjoyedbeing out in the fresh air and it was niceto know we were doing something forthe environment.”

Guide Leader Gemma Lawrensonsaid: “It was brilliant to see the girlsthrow themselves into the task and reallyenjoy helping to make a difference intheir local area. “It’s the first time we’dattempted something like this and thegirls really enjoyed themselves.”

The girls then learnt about biodiversi-ty in the park by doing a quick study of

plant species and learning about all thedifferent types of animals that inhabit thearea. To finish, the reward was gettingthe opportunity to feed the geese andswans with bird seed. Paul was eager toeducate the group on the appropriateway to feed the birds, explaining thatbread is like junk food for them andcan lead to problems for the geese such

as deformed wings and overpopulation.The girls thoroughly enjoyed their

adventure and hope to be able to helpout again in the future. If anyone isinterested in volunteering with Girlguid-ing Birstall then please [email protected] for moreinformation.Pic: Birstall Guides on a litter pick

Guidesgatherlitter

THE GCR war weekend saw visitors enjoying the period at-mosphere.

Dozens of re-enactors in period outfits helped to set thescene. In Birstall, the assassination of a German officer by theFrench resistance, followed by a fire fight, entertained a largecrowd on the platform.

The centre pic shows the scene at Rothley Station.

PH

OTO

: WIL

L B

RY

AN

Advertise in

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

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

The prices above exclude VAT

1) Decide what size you want2) Send us a sketch of your ad3) We design, publish

& sendyou thebill

SEXYWednesdays£26This Size

+VAT



Carers’ health buckling under thestrain

Carers Week survey shows two in fiveunpaid carers are sacrificing their ownhealth by putting off medical treatmentto care for an ill, frail or disabled lovedone - as charities call for action to endthe care crisis.

The survey, completed by 3,400 car-ers (146 in the North East of England),also showed that caring had a negativeimpact on 75 per cent of carers’ physi-cal health, with 35 per cent of carerssustaining a physical injury (such asback pain) through caring. A further 87per cent said caring for a family mem-ber or friend has had a negative impacton their mental health. 62 per cent ofcarers blamed their poor health on alack of practical support and 55 percent on not enough financial support.

The eight Carers Week charity part-ners say this is further evidence of agrowing care crisis and are calling forbetter financial and practical support forthe 6.4 million unpaid carers in the UK(294,000 in the North East), so they canlook after their health and well-being.

Many carers have delayed medicaltreatments ranging from a hernia opera-tion to cancer screening as a result oftheir caring responsibilities. Tracy Sloanhas cared for her son Philip, who hassevere cerebral palsy, for 20 years. Lastyear, she put off a regular screeningappointment and then discovered shehad cancer – even after treatment, shehad no time for recovery.

“Looking after Philip is so full on,that it just didn’t occur to me to keep aneye on my own health. I was reallyshocked when I discovered I had cancerand needed an operation. I came homefrom hospital exhausted, emotional andfragile. I really needed the chance torest but instead I had to deal withPhilip’s demands too and that took itstoll on my recovery.”

Carers Week Manager Helen Clarkesays; “It’s a scandal that carers can’t getthe time or support they need to lookafter themselves which could be jeop-ardising their health as a result. Carersare feeling the strain of a woefully un-derfunded system and still we’re seeingmore cuts. Unpaid carers save the Gov-ernment a fortune - £119 billion a year,yet they’re let down in return. It is timefor urgent action to tackle the crisis insocial care.”

Carers Week is calling for sustainablesocial care funding, better signpostingand access to support services and forregular health checks to be offered tocarers.

Councils’ care home policy may costfamilies £millions a year, says charity

Thousands of families in England maybe paying councils millions of pounds ayear for care home places that shouldbe free, according to a report by olderpeople’s charity Independent Age.

The families are having to ‘top-up’their elderly relatives’ care home fees

because some councils refuse to pay thefull market cost themselves. Councils arerequired to provide an appropriate carehome place to elderly people with fewassets but the maximum rate they willpay in England is on average £4521 aweek, compared to an average real costof £5242.

Around 55,000 families pay top-upfees3, and Independent Age has seencases where families are asked to pay upto £300 a week extra for care thatshould be paid for by the council.

The charity’s report, The real cost ofcare, outlines five ways our care homefunding system penalises the averageolder person and their family, alsoshows how care home funding is a post-code lottery, with some councils in Eng-land willing to pay over £900 a weekfor care home places while neighbour-ing councils pay less than £400. Thismeans that the top-up fees required offamilies can also vary widely.

‘It is unfair that family members areleft to plug the gaps for fees that coun-cils should be funding,’ says Independ-ent Age Director of Policy Simon Bottery.‘It happens because care funding isterribly complicated and in many casesrelatives simply don’t understand thesystem.

‘We understand that councils arethemselves struggling to find the moneyto fund care. This situation is furtherproof of the need for the government toradically reform care funding, along thelines recommended by the recent DilnotCommission.’

Over 50s make a date with onlineshopping

New research based on Saga Platinumcredit card spend shows that on-linepurchases by the over-50s are up by aquarter (25%) since 2010 and nowaccount for £1 in every £8 spent on thecard, compared to £1 in every £13 onlytwo years ago. The biggest increases arefor buying entertainment on-line.

Older people are using new technolo-gy and are keen online shoppers. Morethan a quarter (27%) of the nation’sover 50s say they own a smart phone,iPad or other tablet computer; and it isthe popularity of music downloads fromsites such as iTunes that is the drivingforce behind the sevenfold increase inthe number of on-line transactions formusic.

The traditional high street clothesshop will be comforted by the fact thatclothes shopping is still something peo-ple prefer to do in-store, currently only6% of the over 50s credit card transac-tions for clothes have been online.However, the survey is not good newsfor high street bookshops as Amazonhas become a popular site for the over50s buying books. On-line spend forbooks has nearly doubled since 2010.The trend in book purchases is little andoften with people buying a book at atime rather than a selection.

A right royal month!June’s rainy weather fortunately failed

to wash out the Jubilee celebrations inBirstall, and such events as the Fiftiesevening, recreating the life-style of theQueen’s early years on the throne, andWanlip’s Jubilee lunch, survived the down-pour (only by some very inventive use ofthe church and borrowed gazebos!). TheMothers’ Union Jubilee Tea and the OpenGardens also escaped the rain, but it hascertainly left us all hoping that summerwill really come into its own this month.

Birstall Gala weekend, and other out-door activities such as “Messy Church”barbecue on Saturday 7th (on St. JamesChurch lawn) 4pm to 6pm, are very de-pendent on fine weather. Those setting outon the Parish holiday to Cheltenham onJune 30 would also like to see some sun.However “Still, here”, a quiet day to be ledby Stephen Crofts on Saturday July 14 from10am to 3.30pm will take place, whateverthe weather. Contact Stephen on 3279781for more details.Links with other parishes

It is some years now since the Churchof England realised that, with the shortageof clergy throughout the country and theexpense of maintaining many historicchurches, some with very small congrega-tions, much would be gained by formingpartnerships between groups of churcheswithin an area, to share resources. Untilrecently Birstall and Wanlip were linkedwith several parishes in the north of thecity of Leicester. This was not entirelysuccessful as the needs of the individualchurches were very different.

However we have now moved into anew partnership with what we hope will bea more fruitful sharing. Currently knownas the Fosse Team (although a new title isbeing sought) the villages involved, inaddition to Birstall and Wanlip - whichremain a separate parish - are Syston,Thurmaston, Thrussington, Rearsby, Rat-cliffe, Queniborough, East Goscote andBarkby. Already meetings have been heldto discover which activities, training, re-sources and social events can be sharedand the future is looking good. Such vil-lage events as the Scarecrow Trail roundEast Goscote on Saturday 7th July, aPreaching Workshop on Thursday July 26at Thrussington and of course our annualChurch Garden Fete in Birstall on SaturdayAugust 25 can all be opportunities forgetting together. This of course in no wayaffects our parish churches’ commitmentto work whenever possible with friendslocally in the Methodist and Catholicchurches with whom we share a commonpurpose.

From Beryl McHugh, Parish Church

meeting at 7.30 on Thursday July 12 atEdgehill Road, when all the six Churchesin the Circuit will be represented. It is anopportunity to discuss the development ofour Mission Agenda.Girls Brigade

Meeting every Tuesday, our Girls’ Bri-gade goes from strength to strength. MrsSusan Wheeler has been GB Captain since1999, (and has been an officer for 18years) The church is grateful for the hugeamount of time and effort Susan has put infor the girls. Sonia Sherriff will take overas Captain from September. Like whathappens at most churches, volunteers doput in a lot of time and effort. SusanWheeler’s mother, Mrs Jean Yates, hasaccomplished 50 years as a Pastoral Lead-er within the Birstall Methodist Church.Jean was also the founding Captain of ourGirls Brigade – 50 years ago!Ladies support local health

The two Ladies groups have since lastAutumn been raising funds for local healthcharities etc. The Monday group support-ing ‘our space’ at LRI, the unit for childrenand young people with cancer, and theThursday group supporting AlhzeimersSociety and the Renal Unit at Loughbor-ough hospital. Each year different charitiesare chosen by the ladies.Stewards continue

Church Stewards in the MethodistChurch usually hold the position for threeyears. Birstall Methodist Church is gratefulto Mrs Lynne Biggins and Mr Alex Komewho have kindly agreed to continue in theposition for a further year. The role coversa variety of tasks, but mainly to ensurearrangements for the Sunday Service arefully in hand.

From Tony Moore, Methodist Church


INFOage

Garden Trail ResultDespite the inclement June weather, the

2012 Garden Trail was blessed with twofind days, and the trail was well supported.The Methodist Church is grateful to all whohelped, both beforehand and ‘on the day’.A special ‘Thank You’ to the garden own-ers who had spent so much time and effortpreparing their gardens. It was a financialsuccess too, in that £3700 was raised forchurch funds and ‘Prostaid’.OBE for an old friend

The Methodist Church was delighted tohear that Andrew Reed was awarded asOBE in the Queens Birthday Honours, forhis services to the community and to sport.Andy lived in Birstall until he left at 18 forfurther studies. He was a keen member ofboth our Boys’ Brigade and Youth Forum.Summer Circuit Meeting

Regular worships at the MethodistChurch are reminded that there is an open

The OlympicsYou will be aware that this country is

hosting the “Games of the XXX Olympiad”from July 27 to August 12, followed by theSummer Paralympic Games and, for manypeople, it is a very exciting and much an-ticipated event. London is the first city tohost the modern summer Olympic Gamesthree times. An estimated 204 nations willbe involved and some 10,500 athletes areexpected to participate in 26 sports. Wehave a local interest as Team GB plans touse the training facilities at nearby Lough-borough University.

The athletes have been undertakingrigorous and disciplined training for manyyears in preparation for this summer andthe chance to compete and we wish themthe success they deserve. The ApostlePaul, in his first letter to the church inCorinth, compares himself to the partici-pants in the local Isthmian Games. Hewrote: “Do you not know that in a race allthe runners run, but only one receives theprize? So run that you may obtain it. Everyathlete exercises self-control in all things.They do it to receive a perishable [laurel]wreath, but we an imperishable.” (9:24-25) The writer of the letter to the HebrewChristians also draws on the athletic analo-gy, saying “… let us run with endurance therace that is set before us, looking to Jesus,the author and finisher of our faith.”(12:1-2)Services

Our Sunday services are at 10.45 a.m.in the Community Room, Highcliffe PrimarySchool and Community Centre, GreengateLane (LE4 3DL) and you can be assured ofa warm welcome. Our visiting speaker forJuly 15 will be John Todd (Loughborough).

Further information and venues fromJuly 22 to August 26: please ring 01162214883.

From Anne Taylor, Birstall IndependentBaptist Church

News from the churches

Cancer Signs and SymptomsSigns are different from symptoms.

Both are something abnormal andmay be relevant to a medicalcondition. In simple terms asymptom is experienced andreported by the patient,while a sign is discoveredby the doctor usually whileexamining the patient. It isimportant to be aware of anyunexplained changes to yourbody. Typical signs and symptoms ofcancer are listed below.

While many of these symptoms arecommon of other illnesses and usually

nothing to worry about, it is im-portant that your GP checks

them out to rule out can-cer.

Lump - See your GP ifyou notice a lump any-where in your body. YourGP will refer you to a spe-cialist for tests if they sus-

pect it is cancer.Coughing, breathlessness and

hoarseness -See your GP if you have had

a cough or feltbreathless for morethan two weeks, orif you have blood inyour phlegm whenyou cough.

Changes in bowelhabits - See your GPif you have experi-enced one of thebelow changes andthis has lasted formore than a fewweeks:

• blood in yourstools

• diarrhoea orconstipation for no obvious reason

• a feeling of not having emptied yourbowel properly after going to the toilet

• pain in your abdomen (tummy) orback passage

Bleeding - See your GP if you haveany unexplained bleeding, such as:

• blood in your urine• bleeding between periods• blood from your back passage• blood when you cough• blood in your vomitMoles - See your GP if you have a

mole that:• has an irregular or asymmetrical

shape• has an irregular border with jagged

edges• has more than one colour (it may

be flecked with brown, black, red, pinkor white)

• is bigger then 7mm in diameter• is itchy, crusting or bleedingUnexplained weight loss -See your GP

if you have lost a lot of weight over thelast couple of months that cannot beexplained by changes in your diet, exer-cise or stress.

For more information:-http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cancer/

Pages/Symptoms.aspxhttp://www.macmillan.org.uk/Canceri

nformation/Aboutcancer/Signssymptoms.aspx

Macmillan Cancer Support free phonehelp line 0808 808 000 Monday – Fri-day 9am-8pm.

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

To reflect the interest and support ofthe local community Birstall BAG's seeksto be inclusive of all cancers and thegroup welcome villagers to support themany events they organise each yearwithin the local community.

For more information on the fundswe have raised, projects we support andforthcoming events seewww.birstallbags.co.uk


YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERLongslade College, Wanlip Lane,

Birstall, Leicester LE4 4GHEditor: Mr Jerry Jackson

Editorial/Advertising (Tel & Fax)

0116 2674213Correspondence, news etc

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

Youth Centre,Longslade College, Birstall

[email protected]

Biirstall BAGS cancer corner

proSP CSeyewear

at the best pricesQuality spectacles

visit our showroom

Unit 3,Victoria MillsFowke St,RothleyEasy Parking

Top quality lenses including Varilux, Nikon, Zeiss

Contact Mike or Teresa Keily on 0116 237 6098DESIGNERFRAMES

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

www.tebbatt-electronics.co.ukTEBBATT ELECTRONICS

Washing MachinesTumble DryersDishwashersRefrigeration

MicrowavesVacuum Cleaners Built-in Appliances

The Crossroads, Thurcaston 0116 2362333

Home

Installation

& After Sales

Service

Free 5 Year Warrantyon the latest models of selected Panasonic Televisions

TelevisionLCD • PlasmaDVD recordersDigital Radio

need anneed anelectrician?electrician?

Simon Oates Electrical Contractors18 Cliffwood Ave • Birstall • Leicester

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

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

I offer friendly,professional & reliableelectrical services tobusinesses & homes inBirstall at affordable prices

Richard Borrajo2 Hallam Ave, Birstall07530 [email protected]

Birstall Post (348) July 2012

Documents

Transcript of Birstall Post (348) July 2012