mountsorrel post (50) march 2015

MARCH 2015 No. 50www.birstallpost.co.uk

Y O U R F R E E C O M M U N I T Y N E W S P A P E RMOUNTSORREL POSTStation nearly complete

WORK ON the new Mount-sorrel Station by volunteersfrom the Mountsorrel Rail-way Project has moved intoits final stages with thecompletion of the platform.

The platform picket fence will bepainted white and there still remainssome general tidying up of the site, offBond Lane, and other small finishing offjobs. The final major task is the con-struction of the car park connection tothe highway.

The station landscaping is also com-plete with the planting of the boundaryhedgerow, new trees and the cuttingsides have been sown with wild flowerseed.

Spokesman Steve Cramp said: “Themost striking element of the new plat-form is the station sign. This has beenconstructed by our volunteer Ray Mar-tindale with sponsorship of the signtimber coming from Harbot Builders ofCarlisle Street, Leicester.”

On December 1st LMS Jinty no.47406 came along the branch line toMountsorrel station to bring track mate-rials ready for track laying in front ofthe station platform.

He added: "We would like to saythanks to the contractors who haveworked on the station project - Costock

AN EX-MAGISTRATE whoran two taxi companies inLoughborough has beenjailed for three and a halfyears for a £250,000 taxfraud and money launder-ing after a HM Revenueand Customs (HMRC) in-vestigation.

Zaher Som-ani, 58, ofQuorn was thesole proprietorof two Lough-borough taxicompanies,trading as A1and Charn-wood Taxiswhich operat-

Continued on page 2

Pics: (top) thestation sign; thenew platformnearscompletion;LMS Jintybringing trackmaterials tothe station

Quorn taxfraudster

Pic: Zaher Somani

Continued on page 5

Midland WindowInstallations

29-33 Thurcaston Rd, Leicester LE4 5PG Tel: 2676167

Specialist inPVC-U Windows,Doors, & Conservatories

ROOFLINE PRODUCTS INCLUDING GUTTERING

DAVE HUTCHINGSGENERAL BUILDING & HOME REPAIRS

Brickwork • PatiosRe-pointing

Tiling • PlasterPatching • Fencing etc

No job too smallFriendly Reliable Service

Free Quotations • Fully Insured

Tel: 0116 260 7716Mob: 07770 785400

Email: [email protected]: www.dave-hutchings.com

MAR 2015MOUNTSORREL POST2

Building Services, J. Taylor Landscapesand Steve Barsby Digger Services. Wealso thank Lafarge Tarmac for providingthe Landfill Tax Credits grant to allowthe station to be built as well as materi-als for the build and their digger opera-tor Nigel Copson. Most of all we givethanks to our hard working team ofvolunteers who over the past few monthshave at times worked seven days a weekside by side with the contractors to helpkeep construction costs to a minimum.”

Project volunteers have begun thenew year track laying. Steve said: "This isa task that needs at least 20 volunteers

each Saturday, so if youfancy burning off some ofthose extra Christmascalories, please get intouch and spend a dayvolunteering with us tracklaying. No previous experi-ence is necessary so give ita try!"

A 58m long platform,

A FULL meeting of MountsorrelParish Council was held on No-vember 10.

It was reported that Tesco’s planningapplication for the old Stag and Pheas-ant, 109 Leicester Road had lapsed. Itwas agreed to write to Charnwood ask-ing if a new planning application waslikely and to request that Tesco be askedto maintain the building as it is in apoor state.

It was agreed to donate £500 to theMountsorrel branch of the Royal BritishLegion.

It was agreed that the date of theAnnual Parish Meeting be ThursdayMarch 19 at the Memorial Hall.

At a meeting on November 17, theCouncil agreed to increase the budget ofthe Recreation and Amenities committeeby £20,000 to allow for improvementsto Halstead Road playing fields and fornew projects.

At a meeting on December 1, it wasreported that the Section 106 agreementassociated with the development of 130houses on West Cross Lane recommend-ed that contributions of £413,442 bemade to the new Memorial Centre,£368, 746 towards Cufflin’s Park and£335,223 towards the new Rothley Cen-tre.

A full meeting of Mountsorrel ParishCouncil was held on December 8.

A member of the public spoke aboutthe need for more Automatic ExternalDefibrillators in the village and advisedthat funding may be available fromCharnwood or the County Council. It wasagreed that this be placed on the agendaof the next meeting.

The Council has received a requestfrom the Mountsorrel Youth Café forfinancial support. After an examinationof the café’s accounts, it was agreed that£20,000 be put in the draft budget forthe Youth Café.

It was agreed that the draft budgetshould also include £15,000 for thelibrary if it was legally allowed to con-tribute and £15,000 for the runningcosts of the Memorial Hall.

MountsorrelStation ►

including ramps at either end, has beencreated. The platform has been designedfor a train consisting of two coaches anda steam loco or a two coach diesel railcar.

Contractors Steve Barsby Digger Serv-ices and J. Taylor Landscapes haveworked with volunteers to create thedisability friendly access path to connectthe new platform to the car park.

The planned opening date of thestation is July 2015 and the constructionwork on the new heritage centre is ex-pected to start in April 2015.www.mountsorrelrailway.org.uk

ParishCouncilnotes

A KITTEN trapped in a biscuitbarrel was released by fire-fighters from Birstall.

The crew from Birstall fire stationwent to a home in Queniborough at12.30pm on January 14, after the cat’sowner reported the animal had be-come distressed inside the plasticbiscuit barrel. The crew managed torelease the kitten quickly, said a fireservice spokesman.

Continued from page 1

Pic: the disabled access to thenew station platform

Kittenrescued

Heat SaveWindows & Conservatories

Why Choose Heat Save?► No high pressure sales techniques► In fact, NO salesmen employed at all► All products hand built in Leicester

by our trained craftsmen► The most competitive prices► 10 year underwritten guarantee► Free advice & quotations

Come & visit our showroom

84 Thurcaston Road,Corner of Abbey Lane, Leicester LE4 5PFTel: 0116 2666646 Mob: 07801 [email protected]

www.heatsave-leicester.co.uk

(Now replaces FENSA)National Warranties

ashwellStoves & Chimneys Ltd

Installation ofwood burningDomestic StovesSUPPLY & INSTALLATIONOR INSTALLATION ONLYFREE EXPERT ADVICEAccredited HETAS installer

07712 77249707801 482 115

19 Lawn Ave, Birstall

[email protected]

ALL TYPES OF DOMESTIC& INDUSTRIAL WORK

Extra PointsAlarmsRewiringSecurity LightingElectrical TestingPart P Registered

Control Electrics LtdTel: 0116 2682910

FREE ESTIMATES

MAR 2015MOUNTSORREL POST 3

PRE-SCHOOL children vis-ited Mountsorrel Post Of-fice to deliver theirletters to Santa.

Atul and Rita Barot, who run thepost office, had created a special postbox and they bought each child a giftfrom their list and delivered it giftwrapped to the pre-school.

Rachel Marshall, Manager of theCaterpillar pre-school, said: “Wewould like to thank Atul and Rita verymuch for their kindness.”

Sarah Williams, whose son Freddiereceived a Ninja Turtle, said: “Freddiewas absolutely delighted with hisNinja Turtle and I thought it waswonderful that this couple took thetime to do this for the children.Pic: Freddie with his Ninja toy

PLANS TO demolish the oldMemorial Hall and replace itwith a new building havebeen given the go ahead byCharnwood Borough Coun-cil.

The £3.85million project was: “…anopportunity to provide enhanced sports,community and cultural facilities for thevillage of a high quality design andwhich have arisen from local communitysupport” said planning officers in theirreport recommending approval.

The new Memorial Centre will belinked via an extension to the existingSoar Valley Leisure Centre.

A separate youth building is alsoproposed along with a community gar-den and extensions andalterations to the LeisureCentre and Memorial Centrecar parks.

The Memorial Centrewill include:

• a multi purpose com-munity hall including astage facility with retracta-ble seating and a galleriedfirst floor

• lobby areas• a crèche and green

room• 2 class A1 retail units

(totalling 100 sqm in area)• a refreshments area• a series of flexible

meeting room spaces• a performance and practice room• a kitchen• changing and storage areas• an extension to the Leisure Centre

crèche• an extension to the Leisure Centre

Fitness Suite

• a community garden with outdoorplay facilities

• a new mini roundabout access offLeicester Road. Extended car parkingprovision (21 new spaces off LeicesterRoad, 42 new spaces off Kingfisher Way)

• a new pedestrian link between thetwo buildings and connecting to thefootpath network beyond

• new stone walling to the site front-age, planting, signing, seating and publicart

Mountsorrel Baptist Church objectedto the plans on the grounds that theyouth building is too close to its buildingand that this will give rise to noise, lossof light and structural damage

PostOfficegift

Plans for new centre approved

Pics: the new Memorial Centre

The June issue of the

MOUNTSORREL POSTwill be published on June 6.

The copy deadline is May 22 .

…from people you can trust

Upvc • Solar panelsConservatories •CladdingGutter clearance • WindowsDriveways • Caravans

Specialistsin cleaning:

www.plasticfantastic.info 0116 2106421 0776 2277444

AMAZING RESULTS!!

visit our website& see for yourself

Latest technology used • 100s of satisfied customers • Commercial and Domestic

What our customers are saying on Checkatrade:

“Very thorough, methodicaland excellent. All aspectsdiscussed.”

“Professional, great pricingand very friendly.”

“They did exactly what they said they woulddo and very happy with their work.”

“I was very impressed he was absolutelyfantastic, it looked brand new”

SPECIAL OFFER HALF PRICE WINDOW FRAME & GLASS CLEAN IN 2015

Can we help with:

• Garden Maintenance• Landscaping• Fencing & Gates• Patios, Paving &

DrivewaysPlease call Michael on:

0116 26753090798 0811737

R.E. MILLS

0116 2302295

34-36 Town Green StRothley LE7 7NU

MOTTESTING

VEHICLE TESTINGSTATION

SERVICING, MOT& CLASSIC CAR

SPECIALIST

Servicing & Repairsto all makes & models

MOTs • BodyworkElectronic Diagnosis

Leaded 4*

RE Mills MotorEngineer

4 MAR 2015MOUNTSORREL POST

5

ed 30 private vehicles. Somani’s wifeAshraf, 43, brother Pyarali, 61, sister-in-law Shabina, 50, and officer manag-er Darren Green, 44, were also sen-tenced for their part in the conspiracy.

HMRC investigators found that,between 2004 and 2011, Somani sup-pressed his true income on his SelfAssessment tax returns. Family mem-bers helped conceal company earningsby using bank accounts and assets inJersey, Canada, India, Turkey andMorocco. They shared the profits fromthe tax evasion, spending hugeamounts on property, private schoolsfor their children and gambling.

Stuart Taylor, Assistant Director,CriminalInvestigation,HMRC, said:“Zaher Som-ani was aserving mag-istrate at thetime of theseoffences; aman sup-posed touphold thelaw. Instead he was stealing from thetaxpayer.

“This man and his family lived wellbeyond their legitimate means, untilHMRC uncovered their extensive taxevasion, associated money launderingand benefit fraud.

“HMRC investigators work to identi-fy tax evasion by individuals and busi-nesses who think they can live andoperate outside the law. Somani andhis family failed to pay their full taxisat the expense of honest taxpayers. Ifyou know of anyone who is evadingtheir taxes, you can tell HMRC via theTax Evasion Hotline on 0800 788887.”

Somani’s declaration of his familyincome was so low that his wifeclaimed Tax Credits. During the sameperiod he gambled millions at casinos,and bought a property portfolio athome and abroad.

Sentencing, His Honour Judge JSampson said: “Zaher Somani lied tothe bitter end and has been shamedand disgraced. The offending spannedmany years while sitting as a magis-trate, pretending to be a man of integ-rity and honesty. The hypocrisy couldnot have been greater.”

The defendants were all sentencedat Nottingham Crown Court on January30. Confiscation proceedings under theproceeds of crime Act 2002 will nowbegin to recover the money they stole.

SPECSAVERS LOUGHBOROUGH recently gave 30 hi-vis jackets to 1st Mountsorrelbrownies to use when they are out and about.“Al they wanted in return was a photo” said Brown Owl Carole Hargraves.“This will add so much to our ‘park in the dark’ trip” she added.

MAR 2015MOUNTSORREL POST

A MOUNTSORREL pub hasbeen banned from sellingalcohol.

The Quarry Master Pub & VitruviusRestaurant, in Mountsorrel, has had itsPremises Licence removed by Charn-wood Borough Council after a hearingof the Council’s Licensing Sub-Commit-tee.

The committee was asked to reviewthe licence by Leicestershire Police,following complaints about anti-socialbehaviour, selling alcohol out-of-hours,drug use and verbal abuse.

Jane Hunt, Cabinet Member forHousing and Regulatory Services, said:“It is important for pubs, clubs andother premises to be licensed to ensurethat residents and visitors are kept safeand secure.

“We take complaints about crime,public safety and anti-social behaviourvery seriously and this ban shows thatwe are committed to working withpartners to benefit the people of Charn-wood.

“I hope this sends a message tolicensed premises that we will investi-gate, and remove licences, when thereare threats to public safety.”

The ban took effect from December13.

Leicestershire Police’s LicensingInspector, Nigel Rixon, said: “Obviouslywe are very pleased with the decisionof the Licensing Committee. Our mainconcern has been to protect the localcommunity from the problem of crime,disorder and public nuisance that hasbeen associated with the Quarry Master.

“This has been a long process ofgathering evidence. Despite meetingswith the management of the premisescomplaints regarding the premisescontinued resulting in the applicationto review the premises licence. It hastaken time but we are delighted withdecision of the committee.”

Anyone concerned about a businessbreaching the conditions of its licenceshould contact Charnwood BoroughCouncil’s Licensing team,[email protected] or call01509 634562.

OUR PICTURE shows children and stafffrom Christ Church and St Peter’sSchool singing Christmas carols atMountsorrel’s Christmas lightsswitch-on event at The Green.

Continued from page 5 Pub’salcoholban

Brownies are hi-vis

Christmas lights switch onThe June issue of the



Pic: Ashraf Somani

PH

OTO

: CLI

VE

RA

SIN

MULTI FUEL STOVES

LOG BURNERS

ELECTRIC/GAS FIRES

FIREPLACES

INSTALLATION

ACCESSORIES

FREE HOME SURVEY

www.mdwfireplaces.co.uk

MDW FIREPLACES2a WANLIP AVENUEBIRSTALLLEICESTERLE4 4JP01162 676601

MOUNTSORREL’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

6

Why is it when I make a cake, withmerely me to eat it

It always comes out perfectly – yousimply could not beat it.

But oh – when I've got guests for tea,whatever is the trouble?

My baking does its very best to burstmy hopeful bubble.

My sponges sink, my buns areburned, it makes me quite despairing

I have to hang my head in shamewhen handing round such fairing.

So next time, I've devised a plan thatwon’t leave me dejected

I’ll just pretend I’m on my own andhave no guests expected.

And that way I am more than sure I’llfind my day less stressful

And when my guests arrive for tea–hurrah! My cake’s successful.

From Peggy Clarke

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

The next in the series of

Charity WhistDrivesorganised by Derek Farr will beheld in the Rothley Centre, Mount-sorrel Lane, Rothley at 7.30 p.mon Thursdays 5th March, 9th Apriland 14th May. Admission £2.00.All players welcome.At the January meeting Derek Farrorganiser expressed his apprecia-tion for the support and generosi-ty of the small group of regularplayers which has enabled a giftof £100.00 being donated toLOROS

Birstall RoyalBritish Legion7th Warren Dewitt (M/V)14th Paula Burrows (F/V)21st Tammy (F/V)28th Retro (DUO)Dancing every Saturday night withlive entertainmentBingo, Free beer raffle and not

forgetting Open the BoxEvery Tuesday night Bingo start-ing at 9.15pmQuiz nights Sunday 8th and 29thMarch starting at 9pmAcoustic night Sunday 22nd Marchat 8pmFood available every Saturday 12-2pmWakes catered forNew outside seating areaWi-Fi available

Christ Churchtop of the Green, Mountsorrel1st Sunday in each month at4.00pm - Messy Church - for Fam-ilies.There are craft activities a smallinformal service and tea withsandwiches and cakes. Comealong and see what it's about!Healing and Wholeness serviceSunday 8th Mar/12th April/10thMay at 11.00 am.If you have a healing need both inbody or spirit come along....3rd April - Good Friday witness atthe Buttermarket, Mountsorrel.Open air singing and chat. Maybehot cross buns available5th April. Easter Sunday Services10.00 am at St Peter's MarketPlace, Mountsorrel. (BCP)11.00am at Christ Church (Com-mon Worship)A Lent study group is being runbased on the Lord's Prayer. Thereare 6 sessions either 10.00 am atSt Peter's Chuch or 7.30pm atChrist Church starting on Wednes-day 25th February and eachwednesday until Wednesday 1stApril. Please let Rev. Colin Reschknow if you are coming as weneed to know numbers on 07878029879.


YOUR SAY...

The Mountsorrel Post welcomes yourviews and opinions on any subject. Let-ters, which must include your name andaddress, (though not necessarily forpublication) can be posted to: TheMountsorrel Post, Unit 109, Greenacres,The Sidings, Leicester LE4 3BR, orhanded in at Mountsorrel library oremail:[email protected]

This is an age when Great Britain liesmouldering in the dust of inadequacy.

We have thousands of young peopleunemployed but incapable of of fillingthe technical jobs available, so we haveto import “technically capable peoplefrom overseas to keep our wealth creat-ing industries afloat.

We cry out for more money to be putinto the NHS and benefits pot, yet ourwealth creating exports are diminishingas so much productive industry is sentoverseas. Where is the technically inno-vative skills based workforce we wereonce so proud of? If we are to believemodern innovators, it lies in a smallhand held tablet or Ipod, which nolonger requires you to think or retainknowledge, for all you have to do is“Swipe” a screen and read the answer.

I am not blaming our young people.They are being brought up in an erawhere technology supersedes intelligenceand where the education system isfrankly unfit for purpose. Any manufac-turing company which produced a highproportion of substandard productswould be out of business overnight.

Could it be that our current obses-sion with I-Pods and the latest hi-techinformation gadgets is stultifying theindividual thought process and makingour young generation less able to initiateor evaluate a problem and act pragmati-cally? Skills can be passed on from oneperson to another but if that process isany way short-circuited because it isseen to be unnecessary then “hands-on”experience is lost and the ability, in"national terms” to stay ahead of thecompetition is markedly reduced.

As a country we have to innovate,initiate, manufacture, and export. Evenservice industries cannot fill the gap.The sooner the Government and industryget together and come to some amicablesolution the better, otherwise our greatcountry will slide, progressively, intoobscurity.

We can be as multi-cultural as theGovernment may like but it has to be onan ultra strong, home-grown, technicalbase, by all means supported by intelli-gent immigrants who can benefit along-side the whole population by nationalprosperity and wealth.

A Patriot

Charnwood ConnectA Loughborough based partner-ship of advice agencies that canhelp with:Debt, housing, benefits, domesticabuse, going hungry, homeless-nessVolunteers always neededContact 01509 221 200www/charnwoodconnect.org.uk

CharnwoodOrchestraThe Banks of Green Willow ConcertAll Saints Parish Church, Lough-boroughSaturday March 21 at 7.30pmA programme of music by Butter-worth, Howells, Duparc, &Vaughan WilliamsDedicated to the memory of the

fallenConcert followed by overnightpeace vigilTickets £10 (£9 con)07718 153 117www.charnwoodorchestra.org.uk

Birstall & District ArtSocietyTuesday March 10 at 7pmYou are invited to join us at thePalmer Tomkinson Centre atLongslade College, LE4 4GH towatch renowned artist Tim Fisherasnd good friend of Birstall ArtSociety giving a demonstration ofwatercolour/pen & ink painting,the subject is Staithes Landscape’.Demonstration to end at 9pm.Members £1, Guests £3. Free raf-fle. Ample parking and wheelchairaccess.

Mountsorrel Methodist Churchpresents the 14th series ofSunday Night @ Eight

Noticeboardall details printed free

Cake Catastrophe

Workforce

ANNUAL PARISHMEETING

Mountsorrel Memorial Hall, Leicester Road,

Mountsorrel

Thur March 19th 2015at 7.30pm.

MOUNTSORRELPARISH COUNCIL

Every year parishioners inMountsorrel show their interest andconcerns by attending the AnnualParish Meeting. The Parish Councilare hoping that the following guestswill be attending to answer yourquestions and hear your opinionsREPRESENTATIVES FROMCharnwood Borough Council &Leicestershire County CouncilLafarge AggregatesLeicestershire ConstabularyMountsorrel Charities

birstallpost office

6

7Highcliffe Amateur Theatrical So-ciety Spring Play. Come along and see HATS Springplay, a comedy farce you are sureto enjoy and that will leave youlaughing.

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

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

Film PresentationsFrom Thurcaston & Cropston Par-ish Council “The Hundred-Foot Journey"Friday March 13 (124 mins)This uplifting comedy drama, star-ring Helen Mirren, charts the bat-tle of wits between two

restaurateurs in a close-knitFrench village. Circumstances ne-cessitate Papa Kadam, with hisIndian family, setting up his busi-ness across the road from the eat-ing establishment of MadameMallory (Helen Mirren). Theyeventually learn to see eye to eyeover the simmering saucepans andas they lovingly stir their thicksauces, our mouths water."Mr Turner"Friday April 10Thurcaston and Cropston ParishCouncil will be showing thesefilms at Thurcaston Memorial Hall.Starting at 7.30pm, tickets cost£5 and concessions are £4.50.There will be refreshments and alucky prize draw. Advanced ticketscan be purchased via the parishoffice 0116 236 7626 or at thedoor.

Ten Peopledied, 12 wereinjured andmany morewere caughtup in theevents of thenight.

CharnwoodArts are or-ganising acommunityperformanceproject thatwill use thestories andtestimonies ofthose affectedby the raid. It will be performed exactlyone hundred years after the attack.

In January 1916, nine Zeppelins flewover Britain in a night-time raid – thetarget was Liverpool docks.

The weather and poor navigationmeant none of them reached Liverpoolbut on their return journey, one of theZeppelins dropped four 50kg bombs onLoughborough. Some historians say thepilots mistook the town for Sheffield.

Among those killed were newly wedsJoseph Adkin (27) and his wife Alice(29) and the Page family. Mary Ann(44), Joseph (18) and Elsie (16). Thebombs fell on Ashby Square, The Rush-es, Thomas Street and Empress Road.

After attacking Loughborough theZeppelin dropped four bombs on Ilkes-ton and the remainder of its load onBurton-on-Trent.

The Zeppelin was destroyed threemonths later over the North Sea.

To get involved in the CharnwoodArts project [email protected]: the home of the Page family,destroyed in the raid


ON JANUARY 31, 1916, Loughborough was attacked by aZeppelin.

MOUNTSORREL POSThas a newaddress & phone number:The Mountsorrel Post, Unit 109,Greenacres, The Sidings,Leicester LE4 3BRTel: 0116 4422067

Loughborough’s zeppelinraid remembered

0775 7833 360 www.rothleytennis.info

Open Day, Saturday 21st March, 1 - 4pm

Adult membership £75 on the day(half price) for new members

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

See our web site and Facebook or call for more detailsand timing of coaching sessions during the afternoon.

The club is located behind the Library off Mountsorrel Lane, Rothley

Facebook: RothleyIvanhoeTennisClub

Home GrownNEW PotatoesWiljaRed MozartMarfonaMaris-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.woodcockfarm.co.uk

Ian RoeBUILDING MAINTENANCE

HARD & SOFT LANDSCAPING& FENCING etc

INTERIOR & EXTERIORPAINTING

0116 230322207847 003554

General Building

www.ianroe.co.uk

8

ROTHLEY PARISH Church has secured aHeritage Lottery Fund grant for towerrestoration and a heritage project.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has award-ed the Church of St Mary and St John,Rothley a grant of £56,600 towards aproject totalling £82,000 for essentialrepairs to the stonework, the roof of the

15th century tower and for initiativesintended to improve sharing of thechurch heritage and village history.

The project will include an annualevents programme aimed at increasingthe appreciation of Rothley’s past involv-ing talks, music, bell ringing and villagewalking tours. Enhancements to thechurch’s electronic and printed mediaare also being supported by the HeritageLottery Fund. These include a web-basedvirtual tour with 360 degree photogra-phy, making archive material availablefor schools and researchers through thewebsite and creating new displays andleaflets.

The largely 13th century church hasfeatures of interest from the Saxon, Nor-man, Medieval, Tudor and later periods.The tower has a 500 year tradition ofbell ringing and is an important part ofthe village landscape. The grant willensure it will be restored for generationsto come. For the last 18 months it hasbeen necessary to protect against therisk of falling masonry with fencing andscaffolding.

Vicar Rob Gladstone said: “Thechurch greatly values the generous grantmade by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Itwill ensure this place of worship thathas been in continual use for well over1000 years is in a fit condition for fu-ture generations. We are also very grate-

ful for theirsupport insharing ourheritage andare keen towelcomeour wholecommunityto visit thechurch, boththose wholive in estab-lished partsof the parishand thosewho aremoving intohousingdevelop-ments in thearea.”

The firstevent will beon Saturday March 28. In the morning,at 11am in the nave of the church inChurch Street, Peter Liddle, Leicester-shire’s Community Archaeologist Emeri-tus, will deliver an illustrated lecture‘Rothley from the beginning - recentarchaeological finds around the parish’.

That might result in people feeling alittle peckish, so over in the Old SchoolRooms in School Street afterwards ahearty bowl of soup with bread will beoffered, a sort of Saxon Potage.

Then for those that wish, at 1.30pm,Terry Sheppard will lead a Village Histo-ry Walk taking in Cruck Cottages, Victo-rian Terraces, a Saxon Cross, and two

FIGURES THAT show attain-ment in our local primaryschools were released by theDepartment for Education inDecember.

The figures show the percentage ofpupils achieving the expected level –level four or above at age 11 – in read-ing, writing and maths (3Rs). The na-tional average is 79%.

Highcliffe Primary School 80%Riverside Community Primary School

84%Rothley Church of England Primary

School 95%Richard Hill Church of England Pri-

mary School (Thurcaston) 73%Christ Church & St Peters Primary

School Mountsorrel 69%The government’s floor standard is

65% and there are six council main-tained schools in the county below thethreshold. The County Council say theyhave appointed an advisor to each ofthese schools.


Village Greens. In the event if rain, thevillage walk will take place ‘virtually’ onscreen in the Old School Rooms.

Admission is free, though donationswould be welcome. Numbers are limitedfor the soup offering and the villagewalk, so booking is essential [email protected] or by tele-phoning 0116 2302931.Pic: The tower of St Mary and St John,Rothley with scaffolding and fencingto protect against falling masonry.Consulting Architect Dr David Penderyof Purcell, Oxford, evaluates the re-pairs needed from a cherry pickerplatform

THE RIDGEWAY in Rothley isthe street with the mostexpensive property prices inthe Midlands, according tothe latest research fromLloyds Bank.

The average house price is£1.78million, compared to £1.31 mil-lion on Tiddington Road, Stratford uponAvon, which is in second spot.

Grosvenor Crescent in London is themost expensive street in England andWales with an average house price of£16.9million. Belgravia, Knightsbridgeand Kensington & Chelsea are the areaswith the higher property prices.

According to property website Zooplathe average house price in Birstall is£201,276, up 6.69% in the last 12months. The most expensive streets are(average property price):

School Lane £565,512Birstall Road £428,916Park Road £350,712Curzon Avenue £340,937Roman Road £318,600The average house price in Rothley is

£334,167 and in Mountsorrel £192,556

Church towerrestored

Primaryschoolfiguresreleased

LocalpropertypricesSAT

MAR28

11.00amto

12.15pm

12.30pm

1.30to

3.15pm

The First Annual

Lady Day Lectureand supporting programme, free admission

‘ROTHLEY FROM THE BEGINNING - recentarchaeological finds around the parish’

Speaker: Peter Liddle, Leicestershire’sLeading Community Archaeologist

Rothley Parish Church, Church Street

SOUP & BREAD LUNCH, to a Saxon recipeIn the nearby Old School Rooms, School St.

VILLAGE HISTORY WALK(or if wet an illustrated presentation of the walk)

Terry Sheppard, Parish Council Heritage WardenMeet at the Old School Rooms

BOOKING ESSENTIAL FOR LUNCH AND WALKCall 0116 230 2931 or e-mail: [email protected] of Rothley Parish Church Heritage Lottery Fund Project

Funeral ServicesH Towell

Call us 24 hours a day

Private chapels of rest

5 Danvers Rd, MountsorrelTel: 0116 230 2449

Part of Dignity plc.A British Company

Advertise in the

MOUNTSORREL POST

47 x 59mm £23 • 47 x 120mm £4198 x 59mm £41 • 98 x 120mm £69

CALL 4422067 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£23This Size

+VAT

9

A FLY-TIPPER has been giv-en a suspended prison sen-tence after a successfulprosecution by CharnwoodBorough Council.

Paul Alan Ludlum, of Glenhills Boule-vard, Leicester, was found guilty of ille-gally dumping wood, kitchen units andbubble wrap in a field in Mountsorrel.

Ludlum (47) denied the offence, butwas found guilty at Leicester Magistrates’Court.

Councillor Jonathan Morgan, CabinetMember for Regulatory Services atCharnwood Borough Council, said: “It issimply not acceptable to flout the lawand dump waste in a field.

“This sentence represents the mostsuccessful prosecution for fly-tipping bythe Council and I hope it sends out aclear message that we will use the fullforce of the courts to deal with anyonecaught fly-tipping in Charnwood.

“We have some wonderful country-side in our borough and we will fight toprotect it.”

The court was told that the rubbish,which also included a door, wasdumped in a lane and a field off Lough-borough Road in Mountsorrel.

The owner of the field said the gatelock had been cut. He also said a nail,possibly from the fly-tip, had stuck intoa hoof of one of his horses in the field.The horse suffered with an infection,became lame and had to be put down.

A delivery note containing an addressfor a business in Leicester was foundwithin the rubbish. A Charnwood en-forcement officer contacted the businessowner who said he had employed Lud-lum to get rid of the trade waste.

Ludlum denied he had fly-tipped thewaste and claimed he had taken it to atip in Leicester. However, the tip heclaimed to have used does not accepttrade waste and Ludlum did not have awaste carrier’s licence which is requiredto transport trade waste.

The owner of the business arrangedfor the waste to be cleared from Mount-sorrel and disposed of correctly. Ludlumclaimed he did not benefit financially ashe was never paid. Ludlum was sen-tenced to 16 weeks in prison, suspendedfor 12 months. As part of this suspendedsentence he must undertake 200 hoursof unpaid work. He is also to pay acontribution to costs of £455 and avictim surcharge of £80.Pic: rubbish tipped in the field.

A PROPOSAL to keep Mount-sorrel library open has beenput to the County Council.

The Parish Council, the War Memori-als Trust charity and the owner ofChurch House have drawn up the plans,that would see the Parish Council com-mit £15,000 a year towards keeping thelibrary open.

If the County Council agrees to theplans, the library would remain open 20hours a week staffed by library workersemployed by the County Council withtheir salaries charged to the War Memo-rials Trust.

The Parish Council cannot legallydirectly provide library services but itcan grant aid other organisations to doso, in this case the War MemorialsTrust.

The Parish Council is also approach-ing the Mountsorrel United Charities(Education Fund) to request considera-tion of an additional annual grant tosupport the library, particularly for theyoung people in the community and inresponse to the identified needs of theMountsorrel Priority Neighbourhood.

Parish Councillor Dr Stan Coats said:“The Parish Council and the War Memo-rials Trust wish to do all they reasonablycan to ensure the continued use of thisexcellent facility.

“We think our proposal is a fair oneand we believe it will be acceptable tothe County Council.”

Mountsorrel’s Library and LearningCentre was created in 2008 from anextended Church House.

Dr Coats said: “the next stage in theprocess is to support these proposalswith a business plan to be submitted tothe County Council at the end of March.A working group will be set up to com-plete this stage and if anyone is interest-ed in being involved please contact me:[email protected]”

• The County Council currently runs52 libraries. To save £800,000 it isreducing opening hours at the main 16libraries and inviting communities to runthe remaining 36. Groups of people havecome forward with proposals for 29 ofthese libraries.


MOUNTSORREL PARISH Council’s annual Carol Concert washeld on December 9 at the Memorial Hall.

It featured performances by the Ratby Co-operative Band, children from ChristChurch and St Peter’s School and the Townswomen’s Guild and Women’s Institute, aswell as poems and readings by the local clergy.Pic: The Townswomen’s Guild and Women’s Institute performing at the concert.

Flytippercaught

Plan tosavelibrary

Carolconcert in Mountsorrel

PH

OTO

S: C

LIV

E R

AS

IN

Misted updouble glazing ?Replace withnew clear sealed unitsFaulty locks & handles replaced

Call Colin Wright for afree quote

07765635505 • 01162209573LOCAL BUSINESS

Advertise in the

MOUNTSORREL POST

47 x 59mm £23 • 47 x 120mm £4198 x 59mm £41 • 98 x 120mm £69




& sendyou thebill


+VAT

• Sales, Repairs & Upgrades• Wired & Wireless Networking• Branded & Custom Built PCs• Laptops, printers, peripherals & accessories• Server Installation & Support• On-site Maintenance & Remote Support• Original & Compatible Cartridges/Toners• Buy Dell products through our store

C o v e r i n g L e i c e s t e r s h i r e0116 2672583

Mob: 0796 7 191975www.ntlcomputers.co.uk

3 The Meadway, Birstall LE4 4NG

LANCASTERLANDSCAPESBLOCK PAVING SPECIALISTS

Drives • Patios • PathsGarden DesignCrazy Paving

SlabbingFencing

Lawns CutHedges Cut

TurfingSlabs & Walls Cleaned

or 07979 85197601509 814280

10

CHARNWOOD AND Loughbor-ough Police merged in Feb-ruary, as part of a costcutting drive by Leicester-shire Police.

Charnwood Police were based atSyston Police Station, covering Mount-sorrel, Rothley, Birstall, Sileby, Cotes,Barrow-upon-Soar, Anstey, Syston,Woodhouse Eaves, Wymeswold andPrestwold.

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

The force’s 15 Local Policing Unitshave been reduced to eight Neighbour-hood Policing Areas (NPA).

From Monday February 9, beat offic-ers will be known as Dedicated Neigh-bourhood Officers. A police spokesmansaid: “Offices working in this new role,along with Police Community Support

Officers, will be patrolling streets anddealing with issues relating to publicprotection, community engagement andantisocial behaviour.

“They will no longer routinely carryout duties such as crime investigation,planned arrests and attending incidents– these will now be dealt with by otherspecialist units.”

The Police say less than 25 per centof a neighbourhood officer’s time isspent working on ‘Core Community’activities and that by shifting these dutiesto other areas of the force it will free uptheir time to work more closely withlocal communities.

Non-emergency calls that require apolice response will be dealt with by anew Managed Appointment Unit. Thiswill enable the public to book an ap-pointment to see an officer at a conven-ient time and location, usually on thesame day that the incident has occurred.

The changes will result in £10millionof savings. £20million has been re-

moved from the budget inthe last four years by reduc-ing operating costs.

Leicestershire PoliceChief Constable Simon Colesaid: “The transformation isthe latest in a series of on-going changes in responseto reducing budgets andchanging public expectationand demand.

“This new way of work-ing will allow the teamsbased in our communities todedicate their time to work-ing closely with neighbour-hoods and partners toresolve issues at a locallevel.”

A new Commander, In-spector Tracey Willetts, willtake over the running ofLoughborough and Charn-wood.

The event will be held onSunday August 9 and organiserIan Shonk is hoping the weatherwill be better this year – it rainedfor most of the day on last year’sevent, which was seven monthsin the planning.

Ian said: “The Revival isMountsorrel’s village party,promoting and supported by localbusinesses and societies, but ofcourse it needs lots of volunteers tomake it all happen.”


Local policingreorganised

THE VILLAGE is in for a real treat this summer with the re-turn of the Mountsorrel Revival.

Anyone interested in participatingin the event is being invited to a

public meeting at the Youth Caféon the Green on WednesdayMarch 4 at 7pm.“Come along, find out more, get

involved and find a role to suit you”said Ian.

Spread over the whole village invarious venues visitors to the 2015

Revival can expect hot rods and customcars, have a go archery, a burlesqueshow, river trips, soap box racing. Live

bands, American CivilWar re-enactors, fancydress competitions anda parade.

At the meeting onMarch 4, Ian will give a

brief review of last year’s Revival andoutline plans for this year’s event. Gra-ham Lloyd from the Mountsorrel YouthCafé will also give a presentation on thefuture of the café and listen to any feed-back or comments.

www.mountsorrel-revival.co.ukwww.sycafe.org

Revival to returnthis summer

Pics: Scenes from last year’s event




J . W A I TBuilding, Roof & Garden Maintenance

T: 0116 2340141 M: 07926 817810

ALL ROOF REPAIRS • RIDGE & CHIMNEY RE-POINTINGGUTTERING REPAIR & REPLACEMENT

INTERIOR & EXTERIOR PAINTINGALTERATIONS • FLAT ROOFS • FENCING • PAVING

DECKING • GARDEN WALLS • PATIOS • TREE WORKHEDGE CUTTING • TURFING • GARDEN CLEARANCE

REGULAR LAWN MOWING SERVICE

An EnergyPerformance

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

out your house.

Call David Jackson on0781 5519490

to arrange your EPC

VEHICLE TESTINGSTATION

MOTTESTING

PETROLS • DIESELSMOTORCYCLES

CROPSTONGARAGE

37 - 39 Station RoadCropston, Leicester

0116 2362363

11

IT’S NEARLY panto timeagain and Barrow PantoGroup will be performing itsannual family panto at thestart of March.

This year it’s Aladdin with the famil-iar story line and full of terrible jokes,audience participation and pandas. Theshow is in Humphrey Perkins Communi-ty Centre, Cotes Road on Friday March 6and Saturday March 7. Both have anevening performance that starts at 7pmand there is also a matinee on Saturdaystarting at 2pm.

Tickets are £8 (£6 concessions or afamily ticket for £24) and are availablefrom Barrow’s High Street Paper Shopor by [email protected], phoningthe box office on 07718153117 or byPaypal on www.busca.org.uk.

A spokesman said “If you’ve been toour last few productions you’ll be de-lighted to know that Richard is on terrif-ic form as Widow Twanky and we have areal scoop with Abi as Aladdin’s Prin-cess. She comes hotfoot from the Hinck-ley Panto and what a star!

Book it in your diary and then goand buy the tickets. It’ll be good andjust the tonic for a dull March day.”

Garden Tree and Beaver Tree.Cromwell Road Coffee House, the

Memorial Tree, the Caterpillar Tree, andthe Royal British Legion Tree were alsopopular.


THE MOUNTSORREL Post is delightedto receive contributions from resi-dents. You can send us:

Details of a community event such asa rummage sale, fete or coffee morningfor free publication on our ‘Noticeboard’page.

Items of news - we’re interested ineverything: club and society news,prizewinners, charity events, churchnews, complaints, praise, new projects,new facilities, trips, sport, crime, any-thing that concerns or interests you.

A letter for our letters page - wewelcome letters on any issue, local ornational. All letters must include thesender’s name and address (though notnecessarily for publication).

Photos - we particularly welcome oldphotographs giving an insight into localhistory.

Small ads - you can sell items with aclassified ad for only 25p!

How you can contact us:Phone or Fax (0116) 4422067Hand in your items at Mountsorrel

Library, Rothley Library or Birstall Li-brary

Write to us at The Mountsorrel Post,Greenacres, The Sidings, Leicester LE43BR

Email: [email protected] Mountsorrel Post is an independ-

ent newspaper

Contact us

MOUNTSORREL POSTYOUR INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERUnit 109, Greenacres, The Sidings

Leicester LE4 3BREditor: Mr Jerry Jackson

Editorial/Advertising (Tel & Fax)

0116 4422067Correspondence, news etc can be handed in at:

Mountsorrel Library, Rothley Post Officeor to our office.

[email protected]

Small ads are 25p for the first 16 words.17-32 words: 50p. Enclosing payment, postyour ad to us or hand it in (inside an enve-lope) at Mountsorrel library.

Trade/business rates for small ads are25p a word. You are liable for thetrade/business rate if you are offering aservice for which you are asking for pay-ment, or if you are advertising new goodsfor sale. All text will be printed bold. Boxoutline £1 extra. Max 50 words. Phonenumbers count as one word.

Small Ads

AMLI DESIGN Architectural Consul-tancy. Plans drawn and submitted.Extensions, conversions, newbuild. David Ives B.Sc.(Hons)FBEng MCIOB 01162674395/07974807111www.amlidesign.co.uk

A CHRISTMAS tree festival atMountsorrel’s Christ Churchin December raised £416.

Visitors enjoyed a festive display of33 trees, a craft sale and lunches andrefreshments.

The money will be split betweenchurch funds and the MountsorrelYouth Café.

The joint winners of the favouritetree were the Year 3 North Pole andSouth Pole, followed closely by the

A TWENTY four year old manfrom Mountsorrel has won anaward.

Mitul Gadhia is the Leicester Mer-cury’s Student of the Year, havingalready taken the top spot in theBusiness and Enterprise category.

Mitul runs his own estate andletting agency, with branches inMountsorrel and Loughborough.

Pantotime

P/15/0013/2: Land off West Cross Lane – erectionof 130 dwellings with associated infrastructureand public open space (Reserved matters – out-line application P/14/0058/2 refers)P/15/0007/2: 2 Hawthorn Road – creation of ad-ditional car parking areaP/14/2432/2: 4 Glebe Close – demolition ofdwelling and erection of two dwellingsP/14/2396/2: 5&7 Wishbone Lane, WatersideDrive – erection of 2 dwellings and detached dou-ble garageP/14/2416/2: 2 Windmill Close – single storeyrear extension and conversion of garages to bed-room and gym

Planning

Award

Christmas tree festival




Classes in Ballet, Tap, Modern&

National for children from age 3

Held at Rothley Village Hall, onMonday & Tuesday evening, & at

Rothley Baptist Church, Woodgate,from 4.30pm on Wednesday.

Some spaces available in the begin-ners class at 4.30pm. All classescan lead to stagework, medals

and examinations.

Tel: 07584 166838

Ladies Tap classes for experienced orbeginners held on Mondays at 7pm.

Pupils 3yrs + welcome

PILBEAMACADEMYof DANCE

Principal: Antonia Pilbeam F.D.D.A.

JOIN US FOR FUN, EXERCISEOR EXAMINATIONS • Est 1990

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

Showroom:3 BROOKBRIDGECOURT, SYSTONLEICESTERLE7 2JTTel: 0116 2601851

www.demontfortmemorials.co.uk

DE MONTFORTMEMORIALS

Advertise in the

MOUNTSORREL POST

47 x 59mm £23 • 47 x 120mm £4198 x 59mm £41 • 98 x 120mm £69




& sendyou thebill


+VAT

12 MAR 2015MOUNTSORREL POST

mountsorrel post (50) march 2015

Documents