rothley post (105) march 2014

MAR/APR 2014 No. 105www.birstallpost.co.uk

THE ROTHLEY POSTY O U R F R E E C O M M U N I T Y N E W S P A P E R

A ROTHLEY man was part ofa gang that broke into anEvington home and threat-ened to throw acid over theoccupants, before ransack-ing the house for valuables.

Peter David Gilheaney (21) of Armit-age Drive, Rothley has been jailed forseven and a half years for his part in theraid.

On May 10, 2013, Gilheaney andthree other men arrived at the home ofthe Gosai family in Evington at 1.30pm.

Gilheaney and an accomplice, bothwearing masks, broke into the houseand confronted Rajeev Gosai (23) in hisbedroom where he was watching televi-sion.

Gilheaney’s accomplice threatened tothrow acid over him, hit him with ametal pole and demanded drugs, moneyand gold. They then woke his father,asleep in another bedroom, and threat-ened him, making the same demands.

The burglars then ransacked theentire house, leaving after 30 minuteswith £1000 of jewellery and cash.. Thefather and son said they feared for theirlives during the ordeal.

CCTV cameras from a nearby propertyfilmed the men entering and leaving the

property. Two other accompliceswaited outside, one as the getawaydriver in a stolen Mercedes and oneas a lookout.

Gilheaney’s DNA was found on ascarf left in the getaway car whichwas found later abandoned andburnt out. He admitted aggravatedburglary and was sentenced to sev-en and a half years.

PROPOSALS FOR develop-ment in Thurcaston havebeen scaled back to 40dwellings off Mill Lane.

Last summer surveyors Mather Jamie an-nounced a scheme for 150 dwellings, on twosites in Thurcaston. They have now indicatedthey are about to submit an application foroutline planning permission for around 40dwellings off Mill Lane and a new communitybuilding that will include a pre-school facility.

Thurcaston and Cropston Parish Councilhave re-questedsight ofthe plansbefore theapplica-tion issubmitted,so theycan inviteparishion-ers to apublicmeeting tocomment.

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Man jailed after violent burglary

Pic: Peter Gilheaney - jailed for seven & a half years

Pic(left): one of the ransacked rooms

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MAR 2014THE ROTHLEY POST2

Prepared by the West Cross laneFields Residents Action Group, the docu-ment sets out their objections to theproposed development, which is locatedon the parish boundary with Mountsor-rel.

The action group object on thegrounds:

• the site is on an area of greenwedge that separates Rothley and Mount-sorrel

• there is no public transport provi-sion in or near the site

• access to major road networks islimited and difficult

• local services and facilities are toodistant from the site

• the site is not a Development FocusArea within Charnwood’s Core Strategyand Local Plan

• there are increased road traffic andsafety implications

• local schools are at capacity, eventhe new build school in Rothley

• the site encroaches on the RothleyRidgeway Conservation Area

• there will be a significant impact onthe local community in terms of disrup-tion, loss of amenities and competitionfor inadequate services

• affordable housing at the proposedsite does not fit with policy guidelines

Action Group spokesman Andy Worbysaid: “We plan to oppose this develop-ment by demonstrating it is not sustaina-ble within the spirit of the latestgovernment guidelines, is not requiredin order to meet housing targets in thisarea and is not good for the villages,their residents and the local communi-ty.”

Rothley Parish Council has objectedto the development and MountsorrelParish Council has asked for an exten-sion to the date for submission of com-ments. Rothley Parish Council’sChairman has expressed concern thatthe site has room for at least 600 newhomes and said that developers CharlesChurch should give a legal assurance, ifplanning permission is granted, that nomore than 150 homes be built.

Increased housebuilding in the par-ishes of Rothley and Mountsorrel hasput strain on local services, roads andfacilities, and the campaigners say thatincreasing this still further is unsustaina-ble.

The total number of homes in Roth-ley and Mountsorrel is 4686 and the

additional hous-ing that is cur-rently planned inor near the par-ish boundary ofthe two villagesis 2259 – anincrease of 48per cent.

“The localinfrastructure isnot able to sup-port a 48 percent increase inthe number ofhouses, resi-dents, childrenand elderly andthose needingcare, cars, de-mands uponpublic servicesetc. This scale ofdevelopment isnot sustainable”say the action group.

If local objectors can persuadeCharnwood Borough Council to turndown the application, the developer canappeal and the appeal will be decidedby Her Majesty’s Planning Inspectoratewhich is based in Bristol.

Appeals are often successful as wasthe case with the Brookfield Farm devel-opment in Rothley, currently under con-struction.

If Charnwood grant planning permis-sion, residents cannot appeal as onlydevelopers have the right to appeal.

A spokesman for Charnwood Con-servative Association said: “Many resi-dents in Charnwood recoil in horrorwatching the random, almost anarchicaltransformation of rural agricultural land

into housing estates. This has acatastrophic effect on the charac-ter of Charnwood and the situa-tion is getting worse. Rothley isparticularly badly affected andlocal residents feel betrayed.”

Planning application referenceP/14/0058/2. You can comment on theplan until March 13. Visit the planningsection of Charnwood Borough Council’swebsite to leave your comment or writeto the Planning Department.

CAMPAIGNERS OBJECTING to 150 new homes planned forWest Cross Lane in Rothley have submitted a detailed 43page objection to Charnwood Borough Council.

Additional Housingplanned in or near Rothleyand Mountsorrel

• Halstead Road – 200• Brookfield Farm – 120• Mountsorrel Lane – 250• Marsh Road – 14• Lindens Public House – 9• West Cross Lane –150• Old Rothley School site – 16• ‘North Birstall’ (old Bentley’sRoses site) – 1500Total - 2259

AS PART of its 200th birthday celebrations RothleyPark Cricket Club is preparing a book on the history ofthe club and some of the characters who have playedfor it over the years.

The club is appealing forhelp from readers. Spokes-man Steve Thomason said:“Do you have any crick-et photos, scorecardsand match reportsinvolving RothleyPark we could bor-row, either ofyourself or of arelative?

“Do you have anystories of charactersand memorable gamesyou could let us knowabout?

“We are very interested initems for the following families:

Wykes, Archer, ‘Leggy’Nurse, Brunt, Lole, Vann,Hyman, Copson, Chester,Ball, Hardy, Mansfield,Wells, Esworthy, Pad-dock, Beaumont, Brad-bury and Preston.”

Contact Steve [email protected] or 0116 2304467.

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MAR 2014THE ROTHLEY POST 3

SMALL VILLAGE libraries inLeicestershire could close ifthe County Council cannotfind partners to help runthem.

The County Council currently maintains52 libraries and six mobile units at a costof £5.82million. It is looking at measuresto save £800,000 over the next fouryears.

Birstall library is one of 16 that willcontinue to be maintained by the County,but the libraries at Rothley and Mountsor-rel along with 36 other small libraries areat risk.

Richard Blunt, the County Council’scabinet member for libraries said: “Weexpect to continue to run our town li-braries, but we will explore community-running of our smaller libraries and pos-sible co-location with other organisations,such as parish councils. We may have toclose libraries if we can’t find partners.Smaller libraries are already not the bestused and we’ve reflected that by reducingopening hours.

“The authority is facing significantfinancial challenges and we are proposingto make savings of £800,000 over thenext four years. When taking into accountthe wider budget pressures, peoplethought that there were higher prioritiesthan libraries.

“We are still working on the detail butthe broad proposal is for the countycouncil to offer professional support fromits libraries service on a tapering basis.

“We have been following the work ofother local authorities who have beenmore advanced in this to learn lessonsfrom them. We also have a significantvolunteer network working with the serv-ice already and we hope that we canencourage greater involvement from thoseexperienced volunteers to help. We’vebeen having exploratory discussions inKegworth, Ratby and Barrow and thesediscussions are ongoing.”

The changes to the library service arepart of a package of cuts to services thataim to save £110million by 2018.

Byron Rhodes, the Council’s deputyleader and finance spokesman, said: “Wesimply cannot afford to run services thesame way as we have in the past. It’sinevitable that the public will notice ma-jor changes. We have to concentrate on

A PROGRAMME of improve-ment works at Bunney’sField in Rothley has seenthe creation of a communityorchard.

The Parish Council manages the pub-lic space on behalf of a charitable trustand in 2013, work began to clear thehedge and ditch bordering AnthonyStreet.

In January contractor Jamie Markeeof UK Treework was employed to lay thesurviving hawthorn hedge in the tradi-tional manner. Where unwanted ash andelder have been removed from thehedge, hawthorn whips have been plant-ed to fill the gaps.

A number of old plum and damsontrees by the ditch were so damaged byivy and wild hop they have been felled.

Rothley Heritage Warden MarionVincent obtained permission from theParish Council to plant fruit trees as partof a community orchard and with helpfrom Rothley Tree warden Anita Arm-strong and Parish Cllr Steve Mitchell, fivetrees have now been planted, all donatedby members of the public.

Once complete the new orchard willhave apple, plum, greengage, mulberryand walnut trees, with rowan and crabapple alongside.

Reductions in the budget include:• children and young persons budget

£12.7million will be cut by 2017/18. Thatincludes £1.5million on reducing the costof social care placements and £2.1millionin cuts to its early help service, whichintervenes as soon as possible to tackleproblems emerging for children and theirfamilies.

• Adult social care: changes will savenearly £23million.

• Environment and transport: a total of

£18.7million will be cut from the budget.That includes £1.2million from streetlighting, £3.3million from highway main-tenance and £9.2million of efficiencysavings.

• chief executive’s department:£4.6million will be saved, including£2million by reducing grants to voluntarygroups. £550,000 will be saved from areview of the Council’s youth offendingservice and £80,000 from reduced main-tenance of country parks.

caring for the most vulnerable people andthat means saving money from other serv-ices, which have to take a lower priority.”

The Council will lose 700 full timeposts, in addition to the 600 redundan-cies that have taken place over the lastthree years.

The savings are required because of areduction in the annual grant the Councilreceives from the Government, combinedwith an increase in demand for certainservices, such as adult social care.

Villagelibrariesat risk

Hedge layed & trees plantedPic: Anita Armstrong and Steve Mitchell planting an apple tree

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is an option being considered by Charn-wood: it featured in a report they com-missioned to suggest measures tomitigate the impact of development inthe area.

If it passes through the consultation

stage, the 300 hectare Wanlip site willbe published in a ‘Preferred Options’document this summer. At this point,exhibitions will be held and the publicinvited to comment on the plans.

Proposedemployment land

ProposedWanlip bypassPlanned Broadnook

Garden Suburb:1500 homes & 15hectares ofemployment land

Employment land:more than half is in WanlipA 30 HECTARE site in Wanlip has been identified as poten-tial employment land by Charnwood Borough Council.

The site is located east of SevernTrent’s water treatment works and westof the A6. It would be in addition to the15 hectares of employment land that isproposed for the Broadnook GardenSuburb, the planned development of1500 homes that is proposed for a sitenext to the old Bentley’s Roses.

If both sites are developed, it wouldsee the parish of Wanlip getting 60 percent of the employment land Charnwood

Borough Council says is necessary forthe entire Borough in the next 15 years.

The 30 hectare Wanlip site featuresin the draft Allocations and PoliciesPlan, published by Charnwood lastmonth. It is part of the Council’s LocalPlan process, which sets out areas fordevelopment in the Borough for the next15 years.

Birstall Parish Council’s ChairmanAnne Marshall said: “I am very con-cerned about the effect the houses andthe employment land will have on trafficon the A6. Hallam Fields is not evencompleted yet and the traffic is very bad,at peak times it is almost gridlocked. Tocontinue to pour even more traffic downthe A6 is lunacy.”

The Borough Council has suggested aWanlip bypass to take pressure off theA6. It would leave the A6 near the oldBentley’s Roses’ site, cross the A6 andpass through a field before joining Wan-lip Lane, moving traffic out of WanlipVillage centre. Charnwood’s report saysthe bypass would result in 500+ vehiclemovements an hour along Wanlip Laneat the morning and evening rush hour.

Birstall Parish Council and WanlipParish Meeting have both opposed theproposed bypass. At this stage the bypass

WORK ON the demolitionof Belgrave flyover beganon February 1.

Leicester City Council says the dem-olition work will be completed at theend of March.

This will be followed by furtherworks at the junction which are ex-pected to be completed by October2014.

www.leicester.gov.uk/belgraveflyover

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TEN SCOUTS fromThurcaston built a 30metre section ofhedge at a countrypark to help get theirCommunity Challengebadge.

The Scouts, from the 77th

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staff build a part of an adventuretrail, but waterlogged ground meantthe staff asked them to build a deadhedge instead.

Scout Leader Steve Baker said:“Two hours later, following a lot ofsawing, cutting, hammering, hardgraft and lots of enthusiasm a 30

metresectionofdead hedge was suc-cessfully completed!”

The Scouts are hoping to return tothe park later in the year to help buildthe adventure trail.

A LOCALLY based business that has spent years perfecting aunique method of cleaning UPVC has just updated its website.

Ryan Powley from Plastic Fantasticsaid: “After listening to our customerswe have developed our website to beeasy to navigate and explain everythingthat potential customers need to know.”

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‘Women in Construction’ is a freetaster course run by Leicester City Coun-cil for women aged 16 and over. It al-lows women to try their hand atbricklaying, carpentry, plastering,plumbing, electrics and painting anddecorating.

The course is provided by LeicesterCollege and runs this year during theEaster holidays: April 14-17 and 22-25at the college’s Aylestone Road site.

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tional resource forour local communitiesto enjoy. We aregrateful to Lafarge forsharing this vision andproviding such a gen-erous grant.”

Both the grants arefor 90 per cent of thecapital cost and theremainder has to beraised by the MRP.

Fundraising for the £56,000 needed forthe Heritage Centre has already begun.

The Heritage Centre will be locatedalongside the restored Mountsorrelrailway, near the junction of SwithlandLane with Halstead Road. The existing‘Nunckley Trail’, a nature and historytrail, will also form part of the overallattraction.

The scheme intends to save, relocateand restore three historic buildingswhich are at risk of being lost. Theseare a 200 year old granite barn from

AN AMBITIOUS project tobuild a heritage centre,museum and tea room onSwithland Lane has beengiven a £540,000 fundingboost by quarry giant La-farge Tarmac.

The Mountsorrel Railway Project arecelebrating after receiving news of thegrant from Lafarge Tarmac’s CommunityFund, who have promised an additional£66,000 for the group’s planned stationat Mountsorrel Halt, near Bond Lane.

Steve Cramp from the Mountsorrel

Railway Project said: “We’ve virtuallycompleted this branch of the GreatCentral Railway using nearly entirelyvolunteer labour and next to no moneyin record time.

“The level of support from LafargeTarmac for this project is hugely appre-ciated. We have an opportunity to createan outstanding recreational and educa-

Kinchley Lane, Rothley, once used as amess room for German prisoners ofwar during World War I, the only re-maining original building within the oldMountsorrel quarry site, the ‘Time Of-fice’ and the remnants of a granite builtexplosives store at the disused NunckleyHill quarry. They will be carefully dis-mantled and rebuilt to form the basis ofthe Heritage Centre and a tea room.

The heritage centre has been de-signed to tell the story of both Mount-sorrel’s and Rothley’s village history.There will be a car park with access tothe adjoining road and a quarry muse-um telling the story of granite quarryingin the area. This will include demon-stration stonemasons’ huts, recreating aquarrying scene that would have been

common in the late 19th century. A

Location ofHeritage Ctr

Pic: the Heritage Centre & (left) the planned layout of the site

Pic: the granite barn on Kinchley Lane (left) & the Mountsorrel quarry Time Office

Pic: Stonemasons’ huts, c1890

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MAR 2014THE ROTHLEY POST 7small railway platform will allow pas-sengers to join and leave the trains tovisit the new attraction. At a later stagethere will also be a small museumbuilding linked by rail to the Mountsor-rel Railway. The museum will exhibithistorical railway vehicles that onceworked at Mountsorrel.

Work on the station and car park atBond Lane is expected to start thisspring for completion by the end of theyear. The 10 per cent match funding ofthis project has already been secured.

Steve said: “The reinstated railway isnow viewed as a unifying force for theparishes of Rothley and Mountsorreland the construction of Bond Lane Haltand the Community Heritage Centre arevital further steps towards realising thepotential benefit that the project can

bring. We will be working with theRothley History Society, the MountsorrelHeritage Group and the Rothley HeritageGroup to ensure that the heritage centretells the story of our past in as thoroughand accurate way as possible. We areenormously grateful for the support wehave received from the local communi-ties and, of course, our tireless volun-teers who have worked to bring theproject to its current stage. This is acommunity project built by the commu-nity for the community. If you wouldlike to volunteer and help make this a

reality then please get in touch by emailto [email protected]”

If you want to view the progress onthe railway, walk around the newlycreated nature trail and see the plansfor the Heritage Centre, there will beopen public consultation days on March22 and 23 from 11am-2pm with guidedtours from the Swithland Lane entrance.There is no parking at the site.

You can donate to the project bysponsoring a brick for £50 – seemountsorrelrailway.org.uk for details.

Parish Council notesA FULL meeting of Rothley ParishCouncil was held on January 15.

Cllr Peter Osborne said he felt theapplication to build 150 new homes offWest Cross Lane would be difficult tooppose given governmental pressure tosupport house-building on sustainablesites.

It was reported that the DiamondJubilee tree on the Donkey Field hasbeen replaced.

The Council agreed to object to theplans for 150 homes off West Cross Laneon the grounds of reducing the area ofseparation between Rothley and Mount-sorrel, loss of agricultural land andsustainability. If permission is granted,the developers make a contribution tomedical and community facilities andagree on no further development on thesite for a specified number of years.

A full meeting of Rothley ParishCouncil was held on February 17.

It was reported that fruit trees pro-vided by donors had been planted onBunney’s Field and it was agreed thatletters of thanks be sent to the donors.

The Parish Council have submitted aformal response to Charnwood’s CoreStrategy plan, which includes a site for1500 homes in ‘North Birstall’ on theedge of Rothley parish boundary.

The Parish Council says the CoreStrategy is unsound in parts and that the‘North Birstall’ development would con-centrate development on the outskirts ofLeicester, reduce the gap between Roth-ley and Birstall to a quarter of a mile,result in the loss of agricultural land,not serve deprived communities, impactnegatively on the environment and biodi-versity and require expensive highwaymodifications.

It was reported that some councillorshad met with the organiser of a boot-camp fitness class that uses Bunney’sField for sessions. After discussion it wasagreed that the bootcamp would be

using Bunney’s Field on Saturday morn-ings only and that those participatingwould use the Rothley Centre car park,leaving Anthony Street and the Wood-man’s Stroke car park for use by resi-dents and customers.

A lighting column in the RothleyCentre car park fell down in high windscausing minor damage to a vehicle. TheParish Council will cover the cost ofrepairing the damage.

A FULL meeting of Thurcaston & Crop-ston Parish Council was held on No-vember 21.

It was reported there had been anincrease in crime in the month of Octo-ber, with burglaries having the biggestincrease.

Sam Rowlett from the Rural Commu-nity Council outlined what options wereavailable to parishes with regard to plan-ning matters. These include a Neighbour-hood Plan, Parish Plan, Village DesignStatement and Landscape Character State-ment. These documents are produced byparishioners and most must agree.Neighbourhood Plans are costly but havestatutory rights and are a legal docu-ment. Funding is available from Boroughand County Councils and the RCC canprovide assistance but at a cost.

It was agreed to form a Village Plan-ning Committee after six parishionersand three councillors volunteered, fol-lowing a discussion in open forum. Thedelegated responsibility of the committeeis to investigate the best way forward onvillage planning.

A full meeting of Thurcaston & Crop-ston Parish Council was held on January16 (there was no meeting in December).

PC Steve Quinn reported there hadbeen several burglaries in December anddamage to one motor vehicle.

It was reported that Marrons haveapplied for outline planning permissionto build 70 homes on land off Cropston

Road, Anstey.Cllr Jankowski reported that the new

speed sign is working with cars slowingdown. He called for more action to betaken about dog fouling in the parish.The provision of ‘£1000 fine’ signs forerection on lamp posts will be investigat-ed.

It was agreed to spend £50 clearingmoss from rubber matting on JubileePark following a complaint, £20 onCommunity Speedwatch training and£150 on eradicating moles from thecemetery.

The Council’s precept for the year2014/15 is £33,600, the same as lastyear.

A MONEY advice centreoffering free advice isopen in Rothley twice aweek.

The Soar Valley Community MoneyAdvice centre has trained advisorswho provide free face to face debtcounselling.

Centre Manager Tim Jackson said:“We will go through your finances,prepare a budget and negotiate withanyone you owe money to. This willremove the pressure that your credi-tors are putting on you and ensure anaffordable payment plan is agreed.The aim is to support you to a futurefree of debt.”

In addition the Centre can adviseon benefit entitlement, other freeservices available, cost saving ideasand budgeting.

Mr Jackson added: “Over the lastyear we have been developing thevision for the Centre, so it is fantasticto open our doors to support thosewho need help. The team have a realheart to help those whose life is beingimpacted by debt and to help them toa debt free future. We re supported byCommunity Money Advice which is anational charity overseeing 130 cen-tres across the UK.”

The Centre is based at RothleyBaptist Church, Woodgate, Rothley andis open Monday mornings andWednesday afternoons. “It is open toanyone who needs help so please popin and see us, call/text 07743 765958or email: [email protected] start the journey to a debt freefuture” said Mr Jackson.

Pic: Mountsorrel Time Office, c1870

Pic: the Bond Lane halt

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I’d be very grateful for any help yourRothley readers may be able to give meto locate a house that, in June 1940,was called White Lodge.

It was a house my parents rentedwhen we (my mother, sister and I) wereevacuated from Lowestoft. All I canremember of my parents’ description isthat it was within walking distance ofwhere my grandparents David and GertCharles lived, at Sunnycroft on SwithlandLane. Most grateful for anything anyonecan tell me. Many thanks

John LingWatermeadows, Bergh Apton, Nor-

wich NR15 1DFPhone 01508 480439

Dance & SwingBand AppreciationSocietyFriday March 14 at 7.30pmAn Evening of Talk & MusicAt St James Church BirstallRefreshments availableTickets £3 payable on the doorWith money raised going toLeicester City of Sanctuary andChurch Funds

Listen while you lunchA talk at Birstall Library by NickMarshall to start our series oflunchtime talks about the FirstWorld War, on Thursday March 13at 12.30pm

‘The Home Front inWorld War One’considers what life was like forthose “at home” as the war ragedacross the ChannelTickets available from the library,£2.50 for library members and £3for non-membersFor further information contactthe library on 0116 3058756 [email protected]

BBC Radio Leicester

Down to EarthThursday March 13Thurmaston Bowls Club PavilionElizabeth Park Sports and Commu-nity Centre, Thurmastonat 7.30pmAdmission freeRefreshments available to pur-chase on the nightAn evening of gardening conversa-tion and entertainment answeringyour problems – with Dave An-drews and the BBC Radio Leicester

gardening teamBring a question!

Birstall & DistrictArt SocietyTuesday March 11 at 7pmYou are invited to join us at thePalmer Tompkinson Centre atLongslade College to watch re-nowned professional artist TimFisher appraising the works of ourmembers in various media fromWatercolour, Acrylics and Oils, aswell as ‘Mixed Media’. Come alongand see if you will be inspired totry your hand at this wonderfuland fulfilling hobby. Refreshmentsavailable at the interval. Demon-stration to end at 9pm, Members£1, Guests £3. Free raffle. Ampleparking and wheelchair access

CLASH 2012Free Exercise Sessions for individ-uals with Arthritis and any otherMusculoskeletal (MSK) condition.Tuesdays 1-2pm General FitnessSessionsSports hall of the Peepul Centre,Orchardson Avenue, Leicester LE46DPWednesdays 1-2pm Chair BasedExercise SessionsSports hall of the Peepul Centre,Orchardson Avenue, Leicester LE46DPCall Karen for further informationon 07954584402CLASH 2012 a UK Online centre,provides basic computer trainingat its after school e-learning ses-sions held at Longslade Communi-ty College in the PalmerTomkinson Centre, Thursdays dur-ing term time only 3.30-4.30pm.Please contact Conrad for further

information 07919844629CLASH 2012 monthly meeting –Wednesday March 12, 7-9pm –Chronic Pain Q&A with Dr B Col-lett, Consultant in pain medicine,UHL and Chair of the Chronic PainPolicy Coalition (CPPC), PalmerTomkinson Centre at LongsladeCommunity College.

Coffee ShopRothley Methodist, Howe LaneEvery Tuesday morning, 10-11.30amCome rain or shineNow open : Book exchangeEveryone welcomeTea, coffee, biscuits, toasted teacakeProceeds for the Methodist Church

Thurcaston & Cropston Women’sInstituteThursday March 67.30pm Thurcaston Memorial Hall

‘40 Days and 40Nights’An illustrated talk by popularspeaker Michael Webster aboutthe significance of the many col-ourful festivals leading up toEaster in SpainVisitors welcome £4A date for your diary – April 3 –Fashion Show and Sale

Charity BridgeDriveOrganised by Loughborough LionsClubat the Rothley Centre, MountsorrelLane, RothleyWednesday April 9 at 1.30pmAfternoon tea provided at a costof £6 per personTo book a table please contactJackie on 0116 2303317 or [email protected]

The Charnwood Orchestra40th Anniversary

Spring ConcertSaturday March 22All Saints Parish Church, Lough-boroughTickets £10 (£9 concessions and£3 for accompanied children un-der 16)Available from the Box office:07718153117 or by [email protected] orfrom members of the orchestra oron the doorBeethoven – Leonora overtureNo.3Elgar – Cello concerto with soloistTim GillBrahms – Symphony No.3Further details about the orches-tra and the pieces we are playingare on our websitewww.charnwoodorchestra.org.uk

Mountsorrel Methodist Churchpresents the 3rd in the 13th seriesof

The Rothley Post welcomes yourviews and opinions on any subject. Let-ters, 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 Rothley library, RothleyPost Office, Woodgate or email:[email protected]

YOUR SAY...

I would like to thank all the peoplein Cropston who kindly left their surplusapples by their gates for anyone whowanted them last autumn, they weremuch appreciated by those of us notlucky enough to have our own trees. AsI write this, there is yet another lovelypie cooling in the kitchen!

Thank you all.Diana Longwith

Noticeboardall details printed free

50+ Fitness ClassesBirstall and SilebyIf you are over 50 or have beenreferred for exercise by a doctor,come and join our low impactaerobics, toning and Tai Chi ses-sions at Sileby and BirstallSileby: Tuesdays 12.30-1.30pmSileby Community Centre41 High Street, Sileby Loughbor-ough LE12 7RXBirstall: Tuesdays 2-3pmVillage Hall, Birstall Road, BirstallLE4 4DHFor more info please contactSoar Valley Leisure Centre, Mount-sorrel, 0116 2230365or email: [email protected]

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Sunday Night @EightOrgan RecitalsSunday March 15 at 8pmby Ivan LinfordOakham organistAdmission freeDonations for church’s develop-ment fundBuffet from 7.30pm

Film Presentationsfrom Thurcaston & Cropston ParishCouncil‘Captain Phillips’ Friday March 14(134 mins)Played by Tom Hanks, CaptainPhillips was on an unarmed trad-ing boat heading for Mombasa,Kenya. The boat was hijacked byarmed Somali intruders. This filmis an action-packed powerful dra-ma. It is based on Richard Phil-lips’ book ‘A Captain’s Duty’ andit is all true!‘Philomena’ Friday April 11 (134mins)This British film is a moving truestory about one woman’s quest toright a terrible wrong. Philomenais played remarkably by Dame JudiDench. She and the journalist,played by Steve Coogan, form abeautiful relationship as he inves-tigates her son’s disappearance.‘Sunshine on Leith’ May 9Thurcaston and Cropston ParishCouncil will be showing thesefilms at Thurcaston Memorial Hall.Starting at 7.30pm, tickets cost£4.50 and concessions are £4.The price includes refreshmentsand a lucky prize draw. Advancetickets can be purchased via theparish office - 0116 236 7626 orat the door.

Birstall TeaDanceBallroom, Sequence and LatinFriday March 143.30-5.30pmSt James Village Hall, Birstall Rd,Leicester LE4 4DH£3 includes refreshmentsAll welcome, come along for agreat afternoon of music, dancingand great companyFor more info please contact Joan07718519480 or email:[email protected]

RotaractThe social club with a conscience,aiming to have fun whilst raisingmoney for charity and aiding thelocal communityRotaract is a fun, dynamic andunique international organisationfor people aged 18-30, offering awide range of activities that ena-bles you to try something newwhile having a great time andmaking new friendsWe are always recruiting peopleaged 18-30 so if you would liketo get involved, meet like-minded

people and help out in the localcommunity then contact us [email protected] or search‘Leicester Rotaract’ on FacebookWe look forward to hearing fromyou!

ContinentalMarketGallowtree Gate, LeicesterWed Mar 26 – Sun Mar 309am to 5.30pm (Sun 10am to5pm)Food, artwork, crafts, coffee,flowers, plants, gifts

High energybills?Confused by energy tariffs?Need help switching suppliers?Charnwood Borough Council wererecently awarded funding from theDepartment of Energy and ClimateChange to run ‘Big Energy SavingNetwork’ sessions, offering freeand impartial energy saving adviceto groups of consumers within thelocal community. Each event willgive you the opportunity to re-ceive one-to-one advice, covering:• payment options, tariffs andhow to switch• fuel bills and the annual state-ment• further assistance available –help with paying fuel bills, fueldebt advice or improving energyefficiencyCharnwood’s Jennifer Robertssaid: “We hope that local commu-nity groups will put themselvesforward for a Big Energy Savingnetwork session, held throughoutFebruary and March 2014. formore information, please call meon 01509 634937 [email protected]”

ConservationVolunteersDiplomas in work based environ-mental conservation training arefree to people on qualifying bene-fitsGain knowledge and pursue a ca-reer in the environmental sectorThe Conservation Volunteers(TCV) have been improving Ayle-stone Meadows since 2000If you want to join in with TCV’sDiplomas in Environmental Con-servation or find out how else youcan volunteer with us either visitwww.tcv.org.uk or call 01162553515

One Act PlayFestivalA competition between local am-dram groups, with each grouppresenting a play of 25-50 min-utes durationGroups are judged on their pres-entation, acting skills, direction

and overall expertiseThe Old Phoenix Theatre, NewarkeSt, LeicesterFri March 21, 7pmSat March 22, 2pmTickets £8 on the day or [email protected] 2236428

Messy ChurchFirst Saturday of the month, at10amAt Mountsorrel Methodist ChurchCraft activities, lively songs, Biblestories, friendship and free lunchprovidedEveryone welcomePlease call 07748 590594 [email protected] to let us know you are coming

LeicesterSymphonyOrchestraSaturday April 57.30pm De Montfort Hall, Leices-terConductor: John AndrewsSoloist: Laura van der Heijden,winner of BBC Young Musician ofthe Year 2012Tchaikovsky, Francesca da RiminiTchaikovsky, Variations on a Roco-co ThemeDvorak, Rondo op.94Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhi-bitionFree pre-concert talk 6.30pm withLaura van der HeijdenTickets £11- £18, children 18 andunder, £5Tickets from DMH box office orNigel Moore:[email protected]

• • •Rothley Methodist Church, HoweLane, Rothley

Messy ChurchDates up to the 2014 summer hol-iday breakMarch 22, April 26, May 17 (3rd

Sat), June 28starting each time at 3pm until5pmfor children of all ages, their fam-ilies, grandparents, carers &friendsCrafts & Fun, Shared Worship, AMeal Together

Soar ValleyBowls ClubWe would like to extend a warmwelcome to all age groups whowould like to try bowlingWe are holding two open days onApril 26/27 from 10am to 12noonfor anyone who would like to havea goAll that you will need is a pair offlat soled shoes and we will sup-ply the equipmentOur bowls green is situated onLoughborough Rd, Mountsorrel,opposite Hilltop GarageWe will also tea and biscuits tocalm the nerves!If you would like any more infor-mation please phone 01162364246Or email [email protected] it’s not just for theaged!

Charity WhistDrivesorganised by Derek Farrwill be held at 7.30pm on Thurs-

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days March 6, April 3, May 1in the Rothley Centre, MountsorrelLane, RothleyAdmission £2All players welcomeLarge free car park

Thurcaston & Cropston ParishCouncilAre you interested in becomingpart of a

Cultural &Recreation WorkingPartyWe are looking at creating a Cul-tural and Recreation Working Par-ty to foster activities whichimprove culture, education andrecreation in order to support themental, social and physical healthof the community.Activities could include:• history • biology• horticulture • music• drama • walking• cooking • health promotionMembership could include:• people with skills in any area• people with educational skills inany area• people with time• people who want a challenge• people with links to local socie-ties and hobby clubsMeetings: Bi-monthly or quarterlyIf you are interested and can help,please contact CouncillorJankowski via the Parish Office on0116 2367626

Rothley ParishChurchThree services every Sunday9am, 10.30am, 6.30pmAll ages welcome

NEW PLAYERS are invited totry tennis at Rothley Tennisclub’s open day in March.

“One thing this club offers is thechance to just pay and play and givetennis a go” says club coach Tim Stanton

“Adults who are not members canjoin in the cardio tennis on a Mondayevening or coaching on a Friday morn-ing or Tuesday evening.”

The club is also launching the newonline court booking system at the openday allowing people to be able to bookand pay online. The pay and play ses-sions and online court booking systemare part of the club’s commitment towidening access to trying out tennis.

The open day will be held on Satur-day March 29 from 2–4pm. The club islocated behind Rothley library, next toRothley school.

Half price memberships will be avail-able for adults on the day. Club spokes-woman Anne Mumford said: “This is agreat time to join as match practicesstart just before Easter and the newcoaching term just afterwards along withwhat is probably the best club competi-tions programme in the county.

“Coaching is available for adults andjuniors. Bring your racket if you haveone and join in the social play for adultsor junior coaching.”

She added: “Club membership givesincreased playing opportunities throughsocial play, club competitions and match

tennis for less than £3 a week – greatvalue and great fun!”

For more information about member-ship call the membership line on : 07757833 360, www.rothleytennis.info

For information about coaching callTim Stanton on: 07929 335 246.

A RECENT fundraising meal at Anmol Restaurant, Rothleyraised £390 for the locally based charity Bondhon.

Dee Shiels, secretary of Bondhonsaid: “It was a great night, good compa-ny, fabulous atmosphere and lovely food.Thanks to all those who came and allthe staff at the restaurant for their hardwork.”

In addition to the meal and raffle,£330 was raised from the sale of calen-dars featuring photos taken during the

last visit to Bangladesh.Bondhon is a small charity providing

assistance to Muradpur village in theHabiganj district of Eastern Bangladesh.Dee said: “Muradpur is quite remoteand suffers from flooding for six monthsof the year. It lacks many basic ameni-ties including electricity, has poor trans-port systems and limited access to healthprovision and income generating oppor-tunities. Bondhon supports communitydevelopment projects and sustainableinitiatives managed by the local commu-nity association in Muradpur.”

For further information, offers ofsupport or to receive regular updatesplease email: [email protected]

A POPULAR charity thatprovides narrowboat tripsfor the disabled and eld-erly is looking for volun-teers.

Peter Anderson, Chairman of theBaldwin Trust, said: “We give fulltraining in narrowboat operations andthe roles of the waterways to newvolunteersand it is notnecessary forthem to haveexperience of‘messingabout on thewater’, it’smore a caseof having ‘fun on the water’ whileproviding a valuable service to thelocal community who are less fortu-nate than ourselves.”

The Baldwin Trust has two 70 footnarrowboats – one moored at Leices-ter Marina, Thurmaston and anotherat Pilling’s Lock, Barrow on Soar.

In 2013 the charity carried 3000clients on days out and their boats areon the water almost every day of theweek.

Mr Anderson said: “So, if you areactive and reasonably fit and wouldlike to join a friendly charity on thewaterways of Leicestershire or wouldlike to help on the administrative sidethe Trust would like to hear fromyou!”

Visit www.baldwintrust.org.uk,where you can leave your details, orcontact Peter Anderson on07787757114

Try tennis at club’s open day

Charity night at Anmol

The next issue ofTHE ROTHLEY POST

will be published on Apr 25.The copy deadline is Apr 11.

Pic: Playing under floodlights at Rothley tennis club

Fun onthe water

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A WOMAN was injured whena bus crashed into a wall atthe bottom of North Street,Rothley.

The 71 year old woman, a bus pas-senger, was taken by air ambulance tothe University Hospital of Coventry withwhat Police described as serious but notlife threatening injuries.

Fire crews from Birstall and Lough-borough attended the scene and usedcutting gear to remove front panels fromthe bus so they could free two peopletrapped inside.

There were about a dozen peopleaboard the bus at the time of the acci-dent, which involved a tractor pullingout of a side road.

The accident took place at 10.30amon January 28 and North Street wasclosed to traffic until 1.30pm.

Ashton Green: 3000 new homesTHE PROVISION of 3000 newhomes on the edge ofBirstall has been broughtcloser.

Leicester City Council’s Ashton Greensite is located in Beaumont Leys, oppo-site the junction of Greengate Lane withThurcaston Road. The City has beenunable to attract interest from develop-ers and so has adopted a new approach– bringing forward smaller parcels ofland for development by a variety ofbuilders, instead of seeking a singledevelopment partner.

The City Council has also postponedsome of the more complex and costlytransport improvements until later in thedevelopment programme, which willmean developers will not need to con-tribute to all the infrastructure costs upfront.

Cycling and walking routes, trafficcalming, and bus routes will be carriedout as the first houses are being built.These include a chicane and one waytraffic over the Greengate Lane railwaybridge, controlled by traffic lights, andthe provision of a cycle lane along a

section of Green-gate Lane, near thecemetery.

An extensionfrom Bennion Roadto Thurcaston Roadhas already beencompleted, openinga five hectare areaof land for employ-ment use.

Leicester CityMayor Peter Souls-by said: “AshtonGreen will be themost significant andinnovate housing scheme in Leicester formore than 30 years and will be key tomeeting our target for new homes need-ed in the city over the next 20 years.

“We are very keen to get work un-derway on this important housing devel-opment scheme, and these changes are

a big step forward in achieving that.”The Ashton Green site will contain

retail units, health and community facili-ties, 50 hectares of green space andemployment land. An all age school isplanned for a site adjacent to the Green-gate Lane/Thurcaston Road junction.

Pics: (above) a detail from the plans showing the school site & below, the entire site

A NEW church serviceaimed at adults and youngchildren has started inMountsorrel.

‘Messy Church’ starts with craftactivities, games and puzzles for chil-dren and adults.

A spokesman said: “Next is a shortand lively worship time of songs and aBible story. A free lunch is providedfor everyone to enjoy spending moretime relaxing with family and friends.

“Messy Church is church for every-one – children of all ages, parents,grandparents, neighbours and friendsare allwelcome.Childrenwill needto bring aresponsi-ble adultwiththem.There isno charge butdonations towards the cost of runningMessy Church are always very wel-come.”

Messy Church, organised by Lough-borough Seventh-day Adventist church,will be meeting on Saturday April 5,Saturday May 3, Saturday June 7 andthereafter on the second Saturday ofeach month. They meet at Mountsor-rel Methodist Church, Church HillRoad, Mountsorrel LE12 7JB.

Please call 07748 590594 or [email protected] ifyou wish to attend.

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CYCLISTS ARE being offeredthe chance to take part in twoexciting rides and to raisemoney for a local charity.

Alex’s wish is raising funds for lifesaving research into Duchenne MuscularDystrophy – a muscle wasting condition.Alex (7) from Rothley was diagnosed in2010 and there is no cure.

The charity has secured 26 places onthis year’s Prudential Ride London eventon August 10, a 100 mile route onclosed roads through London and Sur-rey, made famous by cyclists at the 2012Olympic games.

A £50 deposit secures your place,and £500 sponsorship. Every cyclist willreceive an event jersey and training andsponsorship advice.

A bigger challenge is the London toParis cycle ride, leaving London on July25 and arriving on Sunday July 27.

To find out more about either ridecontact Emma Hallam on 07903 349475, [email protected] or visitwww.alexswish.co.uk.

that is well integrated and has excellentconnections with Thurmaston andLeicester. It will assist in realising regen-eration opportunities for Thurmastonand north east Leicester and create anew focus for the community east of therailway line but maintain a physicalseparation from Syston, Barkby andBarkby Thorpe.

It will provide a balanced mix of highquality housing as well as diverse em-ployment opportunities and an excellentnetwork of green infrastructure whichconnects into existing areas of environ-mental value and includes an extensionof the Leicester Hamilton Green Wedge.It will have vibrant centres that provide aheart to the community and accessiblecommunity, shopping and business facil-ities.

Charnwood Borough Council is re-quired to provide sites for 17,380 newhomes within the period 2006-2028.

More details on the planning pages ofCharnwood’s website, planning applica-tion P/13/2498/2

Art society offersfriendly welcome

The Birstall & District Art Society wasstarted in 1995 by the late Norman Sims.It is a mixed ability group and meetsmonthly at Longslade’s Palmer-Tomkin-son Centre.

A spokesman said: “A warm andfriendly welcome awaits anyone wishingto join our society.

“Whether you are young or old you’llbe more than welcome to come alongand join with others who have the sameinterest.”

The society offers facilities for tuition,workshops and outdoor sketching in thesummer months, and a social calendarthroughout the year.

“We are a mixed ability group shar-ing a common interest, a group wherewe all help each other andwhere the absolutebeginner is aswelcome as theprofessional artist”added the spokes-man.

The annual subscription is £25 plus£1 per meeting, members’ children andgrandchildren have free membershipand non-members’ children cost £12.50per year, 50p per meeting. Full timestudents have a 50% concession. Visi-tors can try a single meeting for £3.

For details visit www.badas.org orphone 0116 2606826

A LOCAL Art Society has launched its 2014 programme andis welcoming new members.

Pics: (top) a demonstration in thePalmer Tomkinson Centre & (below)the Society's annual exhibition in BirstallVillage Hall

LEICESTERSHIRE POLICE ex-pects to lose up to 300 of-ficers in the next threeyears as part of a cost cut-ting programme.

The force currently employs 2150officers and has lost 260 police officersand 230 staff in recent years. It has tomake savings of £20million by 2016/17.

The losses are expected to comethrough natural wastage – mostly retire-ment.

To help keep trained officers on thefrontline Leicestershire Police have beenusing support staff more widely.

Earlier this year the county’s Policeand Crime Commissioner Sir Clive Load-er raised council tax payers’ annualcontribution to policing by 1.5% - theequivalent of £2.60 a year for a bandD property.

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1a

1b

2

3

4

KEY

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1b. Syston Station

2. Thurmaston

3. Hamilton

4. Watermead CountryPark

Site Boundary

1

Thurmastonurban extensionPLANS FOR 4500 new homes near Thurmaston feature in aplanning application submitted to Charnwood BoroughCouncil in January.

The plans include:• 4500 dwellings• 13 hectares of employment land

creating 3000 jobs• two local centres• one district centre• a range of retail outlets and one

large convenience store• a travellers site adjacent to the

A607, near to the Asda roundabout• up to three new primary schools

and a site reserved for a secondaryschool

• healthcare facilities• allotments• a new southern link road• increasing accessible open space on

the development site from 35 hectares to137

The 360 hectare development sitestraddles the Charnwood and LeicesterCity Council boundary. The majority ofthe land is currently in agricultural use.

The applicants are Commercial Es-tates Project Ltd and Mr J Pochin Trus-tees. Their application states: The NorthEast of Leicester Sustainable Urban Ex-tension will be a locally distinctive, sus-tainable and thriving new community

Pic: red line shows area for development

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MEMORIES or working life atthe British United Shoe Ma-chinery Company feature ina new publication, pub-lished by the BU Historygroup.

‘BU People’ is a 52 page landscapeA4 size book made up of contributionsfrom many people connected with BU.

IN FEBRUARY we were treated to anexcellent, beautifully illustrated pres-entation by Andrew Swift (HonoraryVisiting Fellow, Geology Department,Leicester University), entitled “TheParish Churches of Leicestershire:Thurcaston and its Neighbours”.

Andrew began by explaining that hisinterest in churches stemmed from 32years spent as a geologist, especiallyrelating to the architecture and materials,such as local stone, used in their con-struction. Also, parish churches are anintegral part of our heritage and irrevo-cably linked to social evolution, so withthis in mind, Andrew decided to compilea book about the parish churches ofLeicestershire. During a five year period,he visited 316 Leicestershire churchesthat are still in regular use for worship,in order to research their history and totake photographs. His resulting, superblyillustrated book, with himself as the pub-lisher, is now printed in two volumes andhe has also produced a companion vol-ume about Rutland churches. Thechurches in our locality are examples ofthe entirety of his book.

Rothley: the church of St. Mary and St.John, built of Charnwood stone, datesfrom the 13th / 14th centuries, withsome evidence of a previous Normanstructure, but it has also undergone aVictorian restoration. Possibly datingfrom the 10thC, there is a fine exampleof an Anglo-Saxon cross in the church-yard. Within the church, special featuresinclude the wonderful Norman font(unique in Leicestershire), the 15thCscreen which shows some signs of Victo-rian intervention and some wall tabletsand tomb chests, ranging in date fromthe 16th to the mid-17th centuries. Oneparticularly interesting memorial is in-scribed with the deceased person’s lastwill and testament.

Wanlip: the church of Our Lady andSt. Nicholas is constructed of Charnwood

stone and granite. An interesting featureof its structure is some early, rare per-pendicular windows and there is an in-triguing sandstone statue within thechurch. The churchyard has some fineexamples of Swithland slate gravestones,with the earliest dating from the 1700’s.

Birstall: the mediaeval church of St.James the Great, mainly of Charnwoodstone construction with some sandstone,dates from the 13thC, with possible 10thCinfluence. However, to accommodate thegrowing needs of the congregation in the1960’s, a major extension was addedwhich, externally, is a total contrast toand out of keeping with the original.Internally, the well-cared-for church hasa variety of artefacts, such as an Anglo-Saxon carving of, possibly, a hunting dog;a beautiful Victorian carved memorial;unique remnants of a Saxon woodenscreen, secured within a Saxon windowframe and an interesting font, the upperpart of which is most probably Norman.Worthy of special mention are some fineexamples of the work of the renownedLeicestershire stained glass artist, Theod-ora Salusbury (1875 – 1956).

Swithland: St. Leonard’s is a much-cherished and immaculately-kept church,which has had a discrete, modern exten-sion to provide additional facilities andamenities for the congregation. Thechurch has some unique and rare 14thC,porthole windows, as well as its beautiful18thC font, pulpit and marvellous Swith-land slate wall tablets.

Thurcaston with Cropston: the originsof All Saints’ church are Saxon, but thepresent church dates from soon after theNorman conquest – only the originalNorman south doorway remains. Thechurch is constructed of granite and slaterubble-stone dressings and has a Swith-land slate roof. There have been anumber of alterations throughout thecenturies and the late 14thC (or early15thC) spectacular timber-framed, per-

pendicular nave roof is an unusual typein Leicestershire. Approaching the churchalong the path and looking upwards,evidence of the timber framing can beseen externally at roof level. The stainedglass in the east window (the originalwindow being the work of the 15thCstained glass artist, John Thornton, whocreated the great east window of YorkMinster) has had a chequered life andeventually, in 1972, the only remainingglass was refashioned to its present formby glaziers from York Minster. Thescreen in the north aisle dates from the13thC and the one at the entrance to thebell tower from the 15thC. Likewise, thestone font is from the 15thC. Among theattractive wall-mounted memorials in thechancel is the 19thC monument com-memorating Bishop Hugh Latimer whowas born in Thurcaston. Initially he wasof the Roman Catholic faith, but divertedto Protestantism, an allegiance for whichhe was burnt at the stake in the turbulenttimes of the 1500’s. The most recentextension to the church, opened in 2008,is the Harrison Room, a much appreciat-ed facility providing an office, meetingroom, kitchen and toilet.

Andrew concluded his talk with awhirlwind verbal and pictorial touraround several other churches featuredin his book.

Our next meeting will be on TuesdayMarch 18 at 7.30pm. Venue: HarrisonRoom, All Saints’ Church. Speaker: ChrisPenney. Topic: “Richard Hurd and hisLibrary”. Richard Hurd (1720 – 1808)was a Rector at All Saints’ before pro-gressing to become Bishop of Worcesterwhere he established a unique ecclesias-tical library.

From Jennifer Kennington, Thurcastonand Cropston Local History Society

Memoriesof BUlife

In its 1960s heyday this powerhouseof British engineering employed over4500 local people and was the world’slargest supplier of shoemaking machin-ery and materials. The final quarter ofthe twentieth century saw the gradualdemise of BU culminating in in its even-tual closure in 2000. With support fromthe Heritage Lottery Fund the BU HistoryGroup have connected with ex employ-ees of the company to build a record ofmemories and photographs of life at BU.

This people’s history contains memo-ries, history and many colour and blackand white photos, and covers much ofthe company’s 100 year existence. Thereare stories about being an apprentice,the Quarter Century Club, the BU at War,family life connected to the firm, techno-logical excellence and innovation, andpride and satisfaction at working for BU.

The book is priced at £5 (of which£2 will be donated to LOROS, a Leices-tershire hospice charity). Postage withinthe UK is an additional £2. Send acheque for £7 made payable to the BUHistory Group 8 Greenhill Road, Leices-ter LE2 3DJ.

The book is also available for pur-chase at £5 in the following LOROSshops: Anstey, Birstall, Leicester HighStreet and Queens Road Bookshop.

[email protected]

Crime Report : Rothley,Dec 2013 & Jan 2014

Theft 4, theft from motor vehicle 3,damage 2, burglary 8, burglary non-dwelling 5

Contact your local policing team :PC 4505 Leye Price, telephone 101

History society news

Crimereport

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ONCE AGAIN The Monday Clubmembers arrived with hus-bands, and friends to enjoyour ninth Christmas luncheonat Birstall Golf Club onDecember 9.

Part of the enthusiasm ex-pressed on these occasions isthe fact that year on year,friends meet up with a host oftales to tell of family events ex-perienced during the previousyear!

After lunch, it was our pleas-ure to present Major KathyRowe, representing the SalvationArmy, with a cheque for £256.23 by ourTreasurer Mrs Gill Smart. This was theamount collected during the past yearfor the Charity.

Our January meeting was thankfullyaccompanied by plenty of sunshine al-though very cold. Previously for twoyears, we have had to cancel, much tothe disappointment of both membersand our prospective speaker.

After the “Business” section for theclub meeting, we were pleased to enjoya delightful spread of a variety of cakesetc to have with our tea and then pro-ceeded to take part in two very amusinggames, the first one being an old favour-ite of guessing from photos, the celebri-ties’ names and the other created by ourmember Mrs Diane Rouse which was anovel twist on “Pass the Parcel”. It re-quired brainwork and deftness of hand.An excellent conclusion to the first meet-ing of this year.

The February meeting centered onthe AGM, and there was much discus-sion on the previous year’s activities andevents. The happy atmosphere indicatedto the committee that we are providingadequate interest and a happy atmos-phere month on month. Sadly we have

lost a few members through illness,disability and death, but are hopeful thatthe programme for 2014 will be of in-terest and encourage new members tojoin us: you will receive a very warmwelcome.

Following through the business of theAGM, we were treated to a very merryactivity session entitled “Why not trysomething different” which consisted ofmusical activity encouraging fitness ofmost of the body while seated. This itemwas so thoroughly enjoyed that severalmembers requested a return visit.

Claire Orbell runs a “fitness” Club inWigston, and is able to sell DVDs for useat home at a very nominal price, tocontinue the maintenance of what wehad learnt. Claire is gifted with a verypleasant voice and encouraging amusingmanner.

In conclusion to the afternoon weenjoyed a variety of cakes with our tea,to celebrate Diane Rouse and Gill Jeffer-son’s joint birthday. These ladies hadalso provided a touch of spring to themeeting room with the provision ofvases of spring flowers which were verymuch appreciated by the membership.

Our next Meeting on Monday March10, will feature Mr Brian Kibble who willcontinue his very interesting illustratedtalk “All about Anstey and area from the1800s onwards” Do try to come along.

Meetings take place at 2.15pm at theCropston Evangelical Chapel StationRoad, Cropston.on the 2nd Mondayevery month. To find out more aboutThe Monday Club, please ring me on0116 2363467. I have an ansaphone,so if I am not available, please leave amessage and telephone number and Iwill return your call.

From Ann Farndon, the Monday Club,Anstey, Cropston, Thurcaston & Rothley

FUND RAISING by charitywhist players who meetmonthly at the RothleyCentre has seen £100raised for Cystic Fibrosisresearch fund.

Organiser Derek Farr said: “Iwould like to thank the small groupof regular whist players for their sup-port and generosity during the last 12months.”

Monday club news WI newsFEBRUARY’S SPEAKER was Richard Knox of Heritage Devel-opment, who gave a talk entitled: Bosworth 1485, thequest for Bosworth Battlefield and King Richard III.

Richard described Bosworth 1485 asa battlefield and a King of England lost,and how the events became history.Accounts at the time of the battle spokeof it having taken place on a field inLeicestershire.

As Richard had been travelling fromthe North and Henry from the South,Ambion Hill was the favourite choice.Furthermore, Richard was reputed tohave drunk water from the AmbionSpring, although our speaker thought ithighly unlikely a person of his statuswould do so.

More recently, historians trying tofind the real area of the battle came tothe conclusion that this information wasinaccurate. It had been rumoured thatRichard’s horse fell on boggy land,throwing the King off and leaving himvulnerable to attack. Archaeologistsspent a great deal of time searching thelocality and eventually found a boggyarea near to Fenny Drayton (the wordFenny means bog). They also unearthed

34 pieces of shot used at that time, thebiggest amount of round shot everfound. In addition to this, they discov-ered over 1,000 bodies buried In nearbyDaddlington Church. This new informa-tion led historians to conclude that thebattle was fought at Fenny Drayton andRichard was in fact killed there.

The artefacts found at Ambion Hillcurrently on display at the visitor centre,are now thought to have been objectsused by the local people and not bysoldiers.

This is a very brief synopsis of aninformation packed talk, which held usall spellbound.

An excellent evening.Please Note that on Thursday April 3

we are holding a fashion show and saleby SOS Fashions. Admission £5 fornon- members (includes tea & cakes).Entrance by ticket only. For ticketsplease contact: Mary Tel: 01162365177(Cropston), Bennie Tel: 01162366816(Thurcaston)

From Thurcaston & Cropston WI

A SYSTON charity that sends surplus medicines to Africahas organised a fundraising dance.

Inter Care is celebrating its fortieth anniversary this year and promises a fan-tastic evening of live music and dancing at Quorn village hall on Saturday March15.

Dr Steve Clay and Keith Croysdale are playing live Latin, ballroom, rock andpop music by ‘QU’ from 7.30-11pm

Tickets are £7.50 per person and include complimentary nibbles. Bring yourown drinks and glasses. Free car parking

Advance tickets only from 0116 2695925 or visit: www.intercare.org.uk

Fundraising dance

Whistplayers’donation

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SCRAPPING CHARNWOODBorough Council and the sixother district councils inLeicestershire would save£31.4 million a year.

The findings emerged from a reportcommissioned by Leicestershire CountyCouncil and prepared by consultantsErnst & Young.

The County Council currently spends£356 million a year, and has to save£110 million by 2018.

County Council leader Nick Rushtonsaid: “We commissioned the report fol-lowing a strong steer from Council tax-payers and local MPs.

“People who responded to our budgetconsultation last summer said they want-ed fewer councillors and public serviceorganisations. And when we briefed MPsabout our financial situation, they moot-ed the idea of a unitary council.

“I’m not commenting on the conclu-sions today and I’m not advocating animmediate campaign, either for oragainst. But, at a time we must save athird of our budget and front-line servic-es have to be reduced, this report is animportant contribution to the publicdebate. We’re happy to hear from mem-bers of the public.”

The report, by consultants Ernst andYoung, says:

• Having a single, unitary council forLeicestershire would save up to £31.4million per year, compared to the costof running the current county counciland seven district and borough councils.

• The costs of setting up the newcouncil - £12.8 million - would be re-paid in just over a year, mainly fromreduced management and support serv-ice costs.

• The savings could lead to a reduc-tion in Council Tax of more than £7million per year across the county. Thecurrent average band D Council Tax forcounty and district councils would re-duce by 3.1 per cent (£37 per year). Ofthe 280,000 properties in Leicestershire,more than 230,000 would see theirCouncil Tax bill reduce by between 0.6per cent and 8.4 per cent.

• Based on Boundary Commissionadvice and what has happened in otherareas, the number of councillors inLeicestershire could reduce from 316 atthe moment to around 100 in a unitarycouncil.

• The number of jobs that would belost at district level would be 520.

AN AWARD-winning com-pany has been appointedto manage beauty spotsthroughout Charnwood.

Quadron Services, a specialistGreen Space management company,won a rigorous bidding process tomanage green spaces on behalf ofCharnwood Borough Council.

Last year the Council approvedplans to outsource the managementof Green Spaces which includes themaintenance of Queen’s Park, theOutwoods, Loughborough Cemeteryand management of the RangersService.

Current green spaces staff will betransferred over to Quadron with nojob losses,. Outsourcing the serviceis expected to save the Councilaround £90,000 per year.

Councillor Hilary Fryer, Charn-wood Borough Council’s Cabinetmember for Cleansing and OpenSpaces, said: “The bid submitted byQuadron was exceptional and theirplans for enhancing our alreadygorgeous beauty sport are reallyexciting.

“This represents brilliant value formoney for our residents as well asmeeting our very high standards ofquality which have helped make ouropen spaces among the best inLeicestershire.”

Quadron’s successful bid includedcommitments to enhancing the greenspaces service by:

• cutting grass more often• more sustainable planting• providing better equipment and

training to staff• increasing the number of beauty

spots with Green Flags• enhancing the council’s contri-

bution to Loughborough In BloomQuadron also detailed how it

plans to recruit apprentices and beefup a network of volunteers to helpstaff keep Charnwood’s Beauty spotsin top condition.

The full restoration of the elegantglass, metal and wood station canopy,which is grade II listed and dates backto 1899 took three years to complete.Originally provided to protect Victoriantravellers it is now ready for anothercentury of service at the heritage line.

It picked up the first prize at theNational Railway Heritage Awards in thestation environment category. It facedcompetition from two projects completedby Network Rail at Battersea Park andHorsham stations.

The National Railway Heritage Awardsrecognise work to preserve Britain’s railheritage. They encompass buildings,structures and signalling. The Great Cen-tral Railway has previously won awardsfor its signalling and the work carriedout by volunteers at Rothley station.

The judges praised the renovations atLoughborough station as a “heritagerestoration of the highest order”. Thework was funded through a major publicappeal and also grants from the Wolfson

Foundation, The Pilgrim Trust, Biffaaward, Garfield Weston and the EdithMurphy Foundation. Hundreds of hoursof volunteer time was dedicated to recov-ering original wood and metal wherepossible or manufacturing completelynew pieces.

HIGH STREET bankSantander is to close 11outlets in Leicestershiretowns and villages, includ-ing the one in Rothley.

It is part of a move that will see allthe bank’s 139 agencies in the UKclosed. Agencies are outlets branded asSantander bur run by other businesses.

The announcement to close the agen-cies came after the bank decided it wasbetter to directly manage all its outlets.

GROUP TICKETS from Bir-stall’s park and ride arenow available from 7am.

The group ticket is £3.50 per carand allows up to five people to travel. Itwas previously only available after 9am.

www.quicksilverbus.co.uk

THE GREAT Central Railway’s half a million pound renova-tion project to revive ‘Loughborough’s Crystal Palace’ hastriumphed at a national award ceremony.

Unitarycostsavings

Park & ride

Santanderbranches

Greencontractorchosen

GCR wins award

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Mathew Haddon, a garden designerfrom East Yorkshire with a degree inmedieval history, used a series of pic-tures of ancient documents, maps, pic-tures, and manuscript illustration andthe occasional photo of a reconstructedgarden to take us all on a journey fromthe end of the Roman Empire to the endof the Tudor Dynasty.

Looking at the different types of gar-dens that everyone from the humblepeasant farmer to the rich and noblekings and bishops would have beenfamiliar with; Matt took us through fea-tures that our ancestors would havebeen known and loved. A walled orfenced area with a decorative entrance,creating an enclosed space, trees roundthe edge with clear space in the centre,

grass with flowers and beds of roses,lilies and daffodils. It all has a familiarring to it doesn’t it?

Matt showed explained the differenttypes of gardens frequently seen in theseearlier times. From allotment to herber,a monastic garden with rows of plantsgrown for medicinal and herbal purpos-es; from orchard to Royal Park, withgardeners brought in from Spain andItaly to make gardens that would keepyoung European princesses from beinghomesick by recreating a familiar spacefor them.

These historical gardens are not real-ly very different from our own, re-en-forcing the idea that our hopes andinspirations for our gardens are deepseated in the human psyche. Gardensare still places to grow food and flowers,places to display our wealth and pas-sions, and to create places to relax sur-rounded by flowers rich in colour andscent.In February Sally Cunningham gave apresentation on Bugs & Insects.

Your garden should shine and flower,but also squiggle, squirm and creep.These were Sally’s open-ing words to us as shedescribed the bugs,insects, bees, moths andbutterflies that weshould all expect to findin our gardens and incorners of our homes inthese dark cold days.

Sally (pictured right)is a lifetime professionalgardener with a passionfor bugs and she set outto tell us how we cantell if they are good or bad for ourplants.

Sally identified the insects to cultivatebecause they are the “good guys” inyour garden;

• If they move fast they are predators;chasing other insects

• Moths and bees will pollinate yourflowers

• Ground beetles and centipedes areamong the top predators. These needencouraging – they don’t like bare soil.

• Wasps, when feeding their youngwill take huge numbers of greenfly, redspider mite, and other unwelcomedpests. The only time they become anuisance to us is when (as Sally said)they throw their young out of the familyhouse and party!

• Big carnivorous slugs will eat thesmall ones,

And the bad guys:• If they move slowly they are ready

to eat your juicy plants• Beware the small grey slugs, they

will decimate your spuds and strawber-ries

• Turn over the stones, tiles and piec-es of wood, to find and ‘remove’ thesnail and slugs and their eggs; easierwhen they are hibernating than whenthey are active in the spring and sum-mer.

Sally spoke in almost affectionateterms about insects that we might runfrom. Earwigs, for example, are fantas-tic parents. They turn their eggs dailyand wash them and keep their youngsafe from attack.

“Make peace with your bugs” wereSally’s final words to us, to be tolerantand not to reach for the spray or theboot too quickly. For example, bugsand insects will be attracted to your sickand ailing plants attracted by the phe-romones. However, this also signals tothe predators that might just rescue yourplants from imminent disaster. So holdback on the spraying, nature might justprovide its own answer.

Sally had a quiet and subtle humourand was well received by club members.She also had excellent illustrations fromthe Field Studies Council (FSC).

The gardening club meets in theThurcaston and Cropston Memorial Hall.

Whether an experienced gardener or anenthusiastic beginner we are sure youwill something of interest in this year’sprogramme. New members are mademost welcome. There are 13 eventsplanned for 2014, including a trip to theTatton Park Spring Show. What’s more,it is excellent value! The membership feeis £12 for the year or £3 per meeting.And, if you would like to come as avisitor and then you decide to join, yourvisitor fee will be refunded! So, if youare interested in gardening - come andgive the Club a try.

The next club events are:Wed March 12, 7.45 pm - The Gar-

den at Coton Manor – Caroline TaitAn illustrated tour through the gar-

den over the last 40 years. A history ofthe garden’s stewards and its more re-cent developments, planting theories,border maintenance and floral displaysthrough the changing seasons.

Wed April 9, 7.45 pm – Behind the

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

Small AdsSmall ads are 25p for the first 16 words.17-32 words: 50p. Enclosing payment,post your ad to us or hand it in (inside anenvelope) at Rothley library or RothleyPost Office on Woodgate.Trade/business rates for small ads are 25p aword. You are liable for the trade/businessrate if you are offering a service for whichyou are asking for payment, or if you are ad-vertising new goods for sale. All text will beprinted bold. Box outline £1 extra. Max 50

P/14/0358/2: 981 Loughborough Road– the erection of a single storey rearextension extending beyond the rearwall of the original house by 3.6m,with a maximum height of 2.6m andheight to the eaves of 2.5mP/14/0334/2: 158 Swithland Lane –erection of single and two storey ex-tensions to side and rear of dwellingP/14/0169/2: 43 Westfield Lane –erection of 1.83m high gates andboundary fenceP/14/0235/2: 13 Swithland Lane – al-terations and extension to dwelling anddetached garage to front of dwellingP/14/0227/2: Land at Rothley Lodge,Loughborough Road – erection of build-ing for offices (Class B1) with associat-ed parking and accessP/14/0193/2: Rothley Court Hotel,Westfield Lane - display of externalsignsP/14/0191/2: Rothley Court Hotel,Westfield Lane – display of varioussigns to buildingP/14/0075/2: 129 Mountsorrel Lane –erection of single storey extension toside and rear of dwelling

THE ROTHLEY POSTYOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Longslade College, Wanlip Lane,Birstall, Leicester LE4 4GHEditor: Mr Jerry Jackson

Editorial/Advertising (Tel & Fax)

0116 2674213Correspondence, news etc

can be handed in at:Rothley Library, Rothley Post Officeor to our office in the Youth Centre,

Longslade College, [email protected]

NOT MANY people manage to combine their main interestsof Medieval and Tudor history and garden design into one,but our first speaker of 2014 does just that.

Scenes at Chelsea Flower Show – GeoffSmith

An entertaining and light-hearted lookat what really happens behind the scenesat the world’s most prestigious flowershow.

Wed May 14, 7.45 pm - Ferns, Bam-boo & Grasses – Colin Ward

An introduction to the cultivation,care & propagation with descriptionsand husbandry of this wide variety offascinating plants.

For more information, please callDave Haddon on (0116) 235 9758

Planning

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rothley post (105) march 2014

Documents

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thurcaston havebeen

gilheaney andthree

peter david gilheaney

anevington home