B Alert No. 3 2013

May June 2013 ne no.1 for news in braunsto

from the Cover photo taken red by Easter event sponso RESNET

NMB

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he following items were discussed at the latest Neighbourhood Management Board (NMB) meeting.

Resnet

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he ResNet committee have come up with some great ideas for future events

~ The service will finish at the end of March.

Cllr. Cooke will work to see if the council will reconsider. ~ There are plans developing to extend Foodshare across Braunstone . It was suggested that Braunstone Foodshare be in talks with the Manor House Foodshare project. Cllr Cooke reiterated his promise to support the Foodshare service out of ward funds for the following year. ~ All of the allocated funds have been given out in grants. Braunstone has £66820 to distribute over the next three years. ~ has received acclaim by getting the Royal College of General Practice Quality Award.

From April the centre will have a local 0116 phone number. Dr Warwiche and Dr Sharif have left the practice, however a new GP, Dr Geewala, is in place.

The PPG (Patients’ Participation Group) are planning an open day focusing around lung health in the summer. ~ The Braunstone History group open days in the Stable Block are proving very successful. The next open day is Tuesday 28th May. Funds have been obtained to pay for a professional graffiti artist to cover the graffiti found at the back of the adventure playground.

The next Clean Up day is on 8th May . There will be a brass band and art exhibition at the walled garden on Sunday 23rd June. A rose pruning demonstration will take place at the walled garden 23rd April . ~ The results of a bat survey should be completed in May. Mini motos are proving to be a growing problem. Anyone who sees the motos is advised to report them immediately to 101. Burglaries have dropped however, there is a problem in Rowley Fields with cars being broken into and wing mirrors damaged.

Sgt. Cara Guest will be leaving Braunstone. She introduced the new Sergeant Mike Chandler.

Treasure hunt

Sports tournament

Bouncy castle

Fun day

Family picnic

Paintball event Space Centre

Cream tea Tea dance 1940’s night Curry night

Coach trips

Great Central railway trip Coach trips to Twycross Zoo/ Twin Lakes

If you have any other suggestions, ideas or would like to help out at any of the events please contact us on:

Film/Theatre

The Residents Network have donated towards the cost of the Braunstone Carnival 2013.

Health Visioning Event Health service providers in Braunstone recently came together to give the public a chance to meet the providers and find out more about services available in Braunstone.

There was a range of displays, including an adorable good behaviour demonstration by the Well Being dogs.

Loan shark awareness

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n 16th April the campaign warning about the dangers of loan sharks was launched at the Cort Crescent Community Centre in Braunstone. To mark this, graffiti was painted on the side of the Centre.

WHAT’S UP DOC? here have been changes at the Braunstone Health & Social Care Centre on Hockley Farm Road. This will mean a more convenient appointment system.

Centre Manager, Kate Hunter writes, “You will no longer need to phone or get to the surgery for 8.00 am to get an appointment.”

In the new system patients can ring into the surgery and they will either have a telephone consultation with the doctor or an appointment will be made for them to see the doctor on the same day.

Other activities are being planned to raise awareness about loan sharks operating in the area. These include training community volunteers, and attending events.

Congratulations e would like to offer a massive congratulations to the team at Braunstone Health and Social Care Centre on achieving their Quality Practice Award.

This has taken three years of hard work to achieve.

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he Braunstone History group have celebrated a second successful opening of the museum at the Braunstone Hall Stables and Walled Garden.

Geraldine Syrett, a member of the history group, explains, “It was a miserable, cold day but to our surprise we were very well supported again! Everyone commented on how good the displays were and there was a lot of interest in the information and photographs about the period of time when the hall was a school.

The opening of the museum is being trailed for a few months to gauge the interest with the hope of making the event permanent. Your support for this would be greatly appreciated as it keeps Braunstone Stables alive and it is a very important part of Braunstone history. A history we should all be very proud of and share with the younger generation.”

It is the highest award available and is designed to improve patient care.

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Free exercise classes at the BRITE

s part of a study into “Does exercise make you happier?” local girl Sarah will be running a fun and free exercise class to 90’s to current pop music. The classes, for beginner/intermediate, will be run every Wednesday from 5.30pm - 6.30pm at the BRITE Centre.

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Stable Block Museum Open Day

Pet Perks?

Let’s Clean Up

ne of our new volunteers told us about a charity that you might be interested in. The Cinnamon Trust was established to look after the interests of older people, people with terminal illness and their pets.

ou are all invited to join the next big community clean up. Anita Robinson told us, “The Clean Up group agree to hold the next event on Braunstone Park. Children and adults are welcome to join us at the stable block, from there we will organise a park-wide litter pick and clean up.”

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Debs told us, “Often older people get distressed about their pets… maybe they are not able to look after them or are worried about what will happen to their pets after their death. Cinnamon Trust organises volunteers to help those people by looking after their pets.”

The trust was the brainchild of Averil Jervis. She founded the trust in 1985 to “relieve the anxieties, problems, and sometimes injustices, faced by elderly and terminally ill people and their pets, thereby saving a great deal of human sadness and animal suffering.”

There are two ways that Braunstone residents can engage with the trust. One is if you want to keep your pet, but need help with looking after it. The other is to offer your services as a volunteer to help someone who is too ill or too old to cope.

The charity wants to recruit Leicester volunteers as dog walkers and short term fosterers for pets. If you can spare an hour a week you could make a huge difference to someone’s life.

The Cinnmaon Trust, named after Averil’s corgi, is the only national charity speicalising in this field of work. It has over 15,000 volunteers involved in dog walking, short and long term fostering and maintaining contact when owners are in care or undergoing treatment.

Do you know someone who needs help with a pet or could you offer some time as a volunteer? If so contact the Cinnamon Trust.

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Clean Up Braunstone events are fun, friendly and do something important for Braunstone. Why not join in?

MY ADHD LIFE nne Short from b-connected told us “We’ve had a number of new volunteers who have joined us in recent weeks. It’s fantastic to see so many people come forward to help make Braunstone a better place.”

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One of these new volunteers is Adam Watts. Adam explained to us the difficulties he experienced growing up and how this has inspired him to volunteer.

“I was born 13 weeks early. On the second day my arterial line came away and I died for a few minutes suffering a brain haemorrhage and a damaged lung. When I was two years old I would not play and sit still like other kids my age.

It took my mum 12 years to get me diagnosed with ADHD and moderate learning difficulties.

Growing up was hard for me because kids my own age would pick on me. As I got older I got angry and frustrated easily, so I take medication every day to keep me calm. I have always loved music as it helps with my mood.

I have had many problems in my life and I have always wanted to do more and better and so I have gained many qualifications. Recently I have volunteered at Braunstone Food Share and b-connected because I have wanted to help other people that may be going through problems. I know how it feels when no one wants to help you and people write you off.

I hope these things will help me get a full time job as I am very eager to feel useful.”

Alert Shuffle ur previous edition had a letter from Paddy McCullough announcing his retirement. He has been a key figure in producing the Alert until now, we’ve had to re-organise to make sure that we keep up your regular fix of Braunstone news. The A Team has drafted in some new members to take care of different aspects of making the Alert. Wendy, Becca and Tracey are taking care of the editing and layout. Lizzie, Joy and Eileen carry on their input as photographers, newshounds and proof readers.

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sp ue and Lesley, Occupational Therapy students on placement wrote to us, “We have fallen in love with Braunstone and its very special community spirit. The cohesiveness of the ‘community’ has been evident to us on several occasions over the past weeks. Working with staff and the passionate and dedicated volunteers has made us proud to have been given the opportunity to be part of this organisation and work with members of the b-connected and b-inspired team. The relationships and generosity within the community have recently become more evident. We have been able to utilise the mini bus that belongs to ‘StreetVibe’ Young People’s Service which has allowed us to organise an outing with members of ‘Talk Time’; a fortnightly group for residence of Bridges and Bowder House. With the help and support of Brian Quinn and ‘Street Vibe’, we have been able to provide a trip for older adults who might not otherwise have had the opportunity to engage in this activity. This gesture is testament to the community spirit that Braunstone shares.

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Goodbye Maureen e were sorry to hear of the death of local woman Maureen Fisher. Maureen was well known and well loved in her community.

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Readers may remember Maureen featuring in the Alert when she did a sponsored parachute jump.

Her skydive raised money for the Wishes for Kids charity.

Paddy from b-connected said, “The first time I met Maureen she said it was her dream to do a parachute jump for her 70th birthday. I had good contacts with the charity and asked if they could help. Next day I got to tell Maureen that her dream was about to come true.

She enjoyed every second of the experience, and I was glad to have helped.” Did she want to do it again?

“No” she said, “Next time I want to go wing walking!”

What a wonderful woman.

e would like to say a huge congratulation to students at Leicester College for the successful completion of a 10 week programme, run in conjunction with Job Centre Plus. The students, the majority of whom stem from Braunstone, have been undertaking activities such as C.V. writing and filling out applications.

They have then used these skills to apply for jobs. Not only did this successful group brush up on their work skills, they have also all developed greater confidence and improved in their social skills.

One learner, Aiden Jasper, said “Before I came on the course I wasn’t able to travel on my own. My tutor helped me to travel independently. It feels good to be able to get to places on my own. This will help me to get to job interviews. I have always found it difficult to make eye contact, the course has helped me develop more confidence and it seems easier to look at people now when I talk to them.”

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Pet pics

Sow & Grow: GROW YOUR OWN TOMATOES ome grown tomatoes are not only delicious but also nutritious and very healthy for us. They are very low in fat and are excellent sources of minerals and vitamins A, C and K.

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In general, there are two kinds of tomatoes; the bush/trailing varieties that need very little attention and are ideal for growing in containers, hanging baskets, and grow bags; and the cordon/vine varieties which do tend to grow quite tall and need supporting when planted outside. For this reason they are more suited for growing in large containers and directly in the ground. Furthermore, you will need to regularly remove any side shoots that are not carrying flowers. By pinching these off you give your plant the chance to put its energy into producing fruit and not foliage.

To grow your own toms simply sow a few seeds at the end of March or beginning of April. Place the pots in a plastic bag and keep on the windowsill, or if you have not got the time buy them in early May as young plants.

It is important to remember that tomatoes are very vulnerable to windy weather and frost. So only plant outside when the danger of frost has past (late May), in a very sunny spot that is sheltered from the wind. If you are planting your tomatoes directly into the soil outside, allow 40 – 45 cm (15 – 18 ins) between plants. The bush types will need about 60 cm between the plants. Tomatoes are ideal for grow bags and if this is your growing method, plant your tomatoes 15 ins apart. Make sure you water the tomatoes regular in dry weather, and once the first tiny yellow flowers appear, feed with a tomato feed at least once every week.

GROW YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES trawberries are an easy fruit to grow in your own garden or balcony, they are ideal for growing in containers, grow bags and hanging baskets. Buy them as young plants in May and plant them directly into the ground allowing 45cm between plants, or three plants in a grow bag, or individually in 12 inch pots. Remember when planting the crown of the plant (where the roots and stem join)

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The Library free to join!

Free Wifi access Free computer and internet access Free book reservations for City residents Study support Tuesdays and Thursdays 4.00 pm - 6.30 pm Toddler time Wednesdays 9.30 am - 11.30 am

Adult Learning Courses We offer courses covering a wide range of subjects from first aid to NVQs, delivered by qualified tutors.

Some courses lead to qualifications while others are for leisure or personal development. We offer fee remission to those who are unemployed, seeking work and in receipt of a state benefit.

Community Groups ER Crew Street Dance classes for ages 8+, Mondays 5pm - 7pm Local history Group, Tuesdays 10am - 12pm Lunch Club; a two course dinner for £3.30, Tuesdays 12pm Knit and stitch club, Thursdays 1pm - 3pm

Advice and Support There is a free phone provided by Leicester City Council at the BRITE Centre, from which you can contact any City Council service including housing, council tax and refuse removal.

We have a lot of information about organisations and services that could help you with anything from finding out about children’s playgroups, help with getting a job, to buying a walking frame ~ just ask!

Stop Smoking Service - every Tuesday 9.30 am - 5.00 pm - Just pop in or phone 0116 2954141 to make an appointment with our friendly advisor.

Room Hire The Brite Centre has rooms to hire for communities meeting, training, conferences and private parties. If you are a community group looking for somewhere to meet, then you can hire a room for as little as £3.90 an hour.

0116 299 5476 130 Braunstone Avenue Leicester, LE3 1LE communityservices@leicester.gov.uk www.leicester.gov.uk/communityservices

Braunstone’s Biggest Bash is Back Braunstone Carnival & Sports Festival Saturday 29th June Fullhurst Community College, Imperial Avenue Show Arena Local troupes Dance Live Music Sports Festival A range of indoor and outdoor activities ~ buy a wristband for £2 and have sporty fun all day Children’s Fun Fair & Inflatables Craft & food stalls Cream Teas Entry Children under 16 years ~ free!

Adults ~ only 50p Braunstone Community Carnival will be an alcohol free, family fun event.

Alcohol will not be on sale and may not be brought on site. Visitors may be subject to bag checks.

There is no on site parking, so please walk to the event or catch the Braunstone Hopper (see back page). However, disabled parking is available at the Imperial Avenue entrance.

You can book a stall for free if you are a Braunstone community group or for only £10 if you are from outside Braunstone To book stalls or for general information Contact Tracy Renshaw on 07834908576

Volunteers needed

Make Mollie Move his May, Braunstone Residents’ Network is supporting local charity Make Mollie Move in hosting a fancy dress sponsored fun run to raise money for Leicester resident Mollie Shaw.

Ten year old Mollie suffers from Rett Syndrome, a genetic disorder which can cause severe physical and mental disability. The aim of the event is to raise as much money as possible to buy Mollie a specially adapted wheelchair which will allow her to get about by herself.

The fun run will take place on Saturday 25th May at the West End Working Mens Club, with all runners being asked to meet outside the club between 11 – 11:30 am. A refreshment stall will be at the event provided by the Braunstone Residents’ Network. After the run, volunteers and fundraisers are invited back to the Working Mens Club for a free karaoke disco organised by Steven Finch.

Sponsorship forms can be picked up from West End ly Working Men’s Club on Kel Braunstone Avenue or from the b-connected office at 45 Wellinger Way.

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raunstone Residents Network are on the hunt for new and enthusiastic volunteers to help with local community projects.

Volunteers are needed, from April, for the extra Foodshare venues.

Duties will include greeting attendees, unloading and packing food, as well helping to serve refreshments.

If you like to get involved in the Braunstone Residents Network committee, volunteers are needed to help support events, fund raise and attend committee meetings.

This is the perfect opportunity to get your voice heard.

The BRITE Centre From April 22nd, Braunstone Foodshare will run fortnightly at two extra St Peters venues.

United Reformed Church (URC)

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Brass is Back on’t miss live music on the park when the Hathern Brass Band performs a set of popular tunes on Sunday 23rd June from 2.00 pm to 3.00 pm

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To add to your cultural enjoyment visit the Braunstone Park Art Club Exhibition at the Stable Block from 1.00 pm to 4.00 pm

Plastic bag appeal nfortunately, Braunstone Foodshare is no longer able to receive free carrier bags from local supermarkets. Therefore they are appealing to local residents to donate any unwanted or unused carrier bags. Bags can be donated at any of the Foodshare venues.

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Any old iron will do e met with local man Alan Rosak, who has an interesting hobby and we wanted to find out all about it! Alan has spent the last 11 years creating sculptures out of bits of old metal. He told us that he learnt welding a few years back and when he was made redundant from his job, his interest in welding really took off and he spends up to four hours a day creating wonderful masterpieces. Alan said “It gives me a real buzz and I find it really therapeutic. I started with a butterfly and have gone on to do life size sculptures of all things, from a flamingo to a German soldier. The reason I chose to do a German was because it was more difficult with all the weapons and the helmet and I wanted to give myself a challenge.�

We asked Alan where he gets all the metal from and he explained that he gets it wherever he can, his family will drop off the odd table leg and he has even been known to buy up old spoons at car boot sales to help with his creations. Alan would like to encourage other people to take up being creative and doing something positive with their spare time.

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Art in the heart of Braunstone

Art in the park exhibition

Community art

osemary was born and raised in Braunstone, she has seen so many changes take place over the years, Rosemary is an active member of St Peters Church and puts most of her spare time into helping with organising events for St Peters.

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I never go out Reading and watching television A dog

10.00 am - 11.30 am EW 10.00 am - 12.00 pm

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10.30 am - 12.00 pm 2.00 pm - 4.00 pm 2.00 pm - 4.00 pm 5.00 pm - 7.00 pm 6.00 pm - 9.00 pm 9.30 am -12.30 pm 1.00 pm - 4.30 pm

Don’t like cats Boy David, cant remember the author’s name A good place The Carry On films Just an ordinary person

10.00 am - 12.00 pm 5.00 pm - 7.00 pm

10.15 am - 11.15am

NEW11.00 am -12.00 pm

Friendly

2.30 pm - 3.30 pm 5.00 pm - 7.00 pm 6.00 pm - 8.00 pm

Florida

12.00 pm - 3.00 pm

I never go away now

12.00 pm - 2.00pm

NEW 12.00 pm - 2.30 pm

People to be more clean (litter and dog mess) Not got one My Feet

1.00 pm - 3.00 pm 1.00pm - 3:30pm 2.00 pm - 3.30 pm 3.00 pm - 5.00 pm 3.30 pm - 6.00 pm

I wrote a history story in a book Did what I could to help others

10.00 am - 12.00 pm 10.00 am - 1.00 pm

Felicity Kendall

50+ Aqua Fit, Leisure Centre Children’s cook and eat, Summers cafe Let’s Walk Braunstone, Stable Block, Braunstone Park Golden Years Group (Bingo!)

Blessed Sacrament Church Indoor Bowling, Trinity Methodist Church, Cheerleading OAK Centre Bingo, Cort Crescent C.C. Over 60s CAB drop-in 45 Wellinger Way 60+ Citzens’ Advice appointments 0116 223 2251 Braunstone History Group BRITE Centre Library ER Crew Street Dancing for ages 5+, OAK Centre Coffee & Chat St Peter’s Church Call 0116 292 3377 Free guitar lessons, Summer Cafe Garage Sale 45 Wellinger Way Cheerleading Women’s Group, Oak Centre Women of Wisdom co-operative Call Eileen 07769 315 184 Nappucino, Summers Cafe The Nappy Library, Summers Cafe Knit & Natter, BRITE Centre Art Group, Summers Cafe Puzzle PM, BRITE Centre Friendship Club, Trinity Church Family Allotment, Rancliffe Allotments Friday Pop-in, Blessed Sacrament Church Sew ‘n’ So’s Needlecraft OAK Centre

Dear Alert, I am writing this letter with much regret that we have lost the 302 bus service that ran through the Braunstone estate. I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has taken petitions round, and even signed the petition.

Thank you once again even though we didn’t keep the bus.

We saved it for a few months, and what we showed the bus company is the braunstone estate is not an estate to be messed with.

Yours sincerely, Janet statham

07890 564 709

0116 291 4993

07890 564 696

Christ Church URC, Dumbleton Avenue, 6.00 - 7.00 pm Braunstone Housing Office, Gutheridge Crescent 12 noon -1.00 pm

Cort Crescent Community Centre 6.00 - 7.00 pm BRITE Centre Braunstone Avenue 6.00 pm - 7.00 pm

Dear Alert, A team of b-connected volunteers put on an Easter event, for families & children, hosted by the Summer Cafe at Cort Crescent Community Centre & funded by the Resident’s Network.

Mel & Kay were amazing hosts who helped to create a welcoming atmosphere. Prizes for the best Easter bonnets & colouring-in competition were generously donated by the Hallam Crescent East Co-operative Store & were presented to the winners by Karen & Ian. Finally, thank you to the Occupational Therapy students, Lesley & Sue, for catering for cake lovers with some excellent cupcakes.

Thank you to everyone who attended - including all the children and parents who made the event a huge success!

Jane Cawrey

Christ Church URC, Dumbleton Avenue, 6.00 - 7.00 pm

Dear Alert, We would like to say a huge thank you for all the contributions we have received for the garage sale! We take almost any donations, from clothes and shoes to bric a brac. Plus, all the money taken is ‘ploughed’ back into community events, so please keep the donations coming!

Thank you, The garage volunteers.

I would like to say a big thank you to Sue and Lesley for organising the “Talk Time” bowls outing and to Barwell Bowls club for making us so welcome. Thank you also to Sasha the driver of the mini bus for being so helpful and on time!

Looking forward to our next trip. Geraldine,. Talk time Volunteer

Paddy’s Leaving Do, taken by Angel

Produced by Neighbourhood Support Team Ably assisted by the A-Team Write, or send pictures, to Braunstone Alert, 45 Wellinger Way, LE3 1RG. Call 223 2256 or E-mail anne.short@b-inspired.org.uk Printed by Joseph A. Ball (printers) Ltd. We make every effort to ensure that information is accurate and up-to-date at the time of publication

PAUL PENDER AND SON Independent Funeral Directors

Stone Masonry Services Catering Buds Floral Designs p.penderandson@btconnect.com 0116 289 6608 2 Westover Road Braunstone Town Forest East 24 Hour Service Leicester Leicester LE3 3DT

Braunstone Hopper Carnival bus service

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by the Kingsway Flower Club an

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The Braunstone Residents’ Network Committee will be supporting buses to transport local residents to and from the Braunstone Carnival.

Times and routes will be advertised at a later date.. Please keep your eyes peeled for flyers, resnet facebook and b-inspired website up-dates for more information.

Or contact: 0116 223 2256

AN APPLE A DAY AtHockley HockleyFarm FarmHealth HealthCentre Centre

A A wide wide range range of of meals, meals, snacks snacks & & drinks drinks Monday Monday ~ ~ Friday Friday Flower arrangem ents on the them e of spor

t, hobbies and le isure.

All welcome - Re freshments availa ble

New LIBRARY CLUB at the BRITE - With regular

GUEST SPEAKERS Starting in June, the Club will meet once a month at the Brite Centre, where a guest speaker will talk about subjects such as, natural remedies from what you can grow in your garden, to the history of Leicester holidays.

To guarantee your place call the BRITE Centre on 0116 299 5476

Cream Cream teas teas ~ ~ Thursdays Thursdays from from 3.00pm 3.00pm Call Call Jo: Jo: 07950 07950 472 472 369 369