THE ROTHLEY POST YOUR FREE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
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Sia’s ride raises money for children
HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS in Rothley and Thurcaston feature in a major new planning document for the area. Residents can have their say about Charnwood Borough Council’s vision for the borough, set out in its Local Plan. A six-week public consultation on the Charnwood Local Plan 2021-37 begins on July 12 and ends on August 23. The plan identifies how the borough will meet increased Government targets for new homes, as well as providing employment land and critical infrastructure. It sets out the location of land and infrastructure needed for the development required to support the growth of the borough up to 2037. One of the major housing allocations
A ROTHLEY school girl has cycled 80 km to raise money for children in India. Sia Patel (7) saw how badly India had been affected by a devastating surge of Covid-19 after watching CBBC Newsround at school and wanted to do something to help. “The news today made me feel sad, and I would like to help by raising some money,” she said. She completed a 28 day, 80 km cycling challenge for Save the Children. Regardless of the weather, she got out on her bike and completed her challenge accompanied by her parents, mum Priti and dad Amit, and younger sister Aarya. She smashed her target of £200 by raising £1368 on her JustGiving page. The money will go towards food, medical supplies and school resources for children in India.
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Pic: Sia raised money for children in India by cycling 80 km
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School extended & 70 new homes built PLANS FOR 70 new homes and a new school building at Rothley’s primary school have been approved. Charnwood’s planning committee considered the application at a meeting on June 17 and voted six votes to five in favour. Similar plans, but with 80 homes, were refused last year as at that time, the council could demonstrate it had more than five years supply of housing land in its development plan, sufficient to meet government housing targets. Now the council only has a 3.34 year supply. Charnwood’s planning officers were recommending approval. They recognised there were harms associated with the development but considered that on balance, the harms did not outweigh the benefits. The new detached school building will provide six additional classrooms which are urgently needed, says the school. It has been struggling to accom-
No. 149
Local sites for housing
modate the demand for places. Additional parking will be created, including 13 spaces for school staff and 40 spaces for dropping off pupils. The
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70 new homes from page 1
ROTHLEY SCHOOL
NEW SCHOOL BUILDING î
NEW HOMES ì
Plan shows location of new homes and new school building
LA would need access across the strip of land between the road up to the allotments and the school perimeter fence. That strip of land is owned by Rothley Temple Estates, who have indicated they would not be willing to grant the LA such access. So my concern is that our community, the Parish Council, our MP
and our Borough Councillor have been badly misled into believing that the LA has a deliverable plan to meet the needs of the school. So by all means, please object to the expansion of houses, but please don't do so on the basis that there is an alternative deliverable plan
for the school.” Resident Joanne West expressed her disappointment on Facebook. She said: “I think that this development completely undermines the hard work put in by the Parish and Borough councillors to develContinued on page 3
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existing multi-use games area will be relocated. A total of 491 objections to the plans were received. These included concerns about increased traffic and highway safety, the loss of an area of local separation and the incapacity of local facilities and infrastructure. Leicestershire County Council had funding in place to extend the school without the necessity of linking the school extension to 70 new homes. Reverend Rob Gladstone, who represents the church foundation of the school on the governing body, posted on Facebook: “Please do not oppose the current proposal on the basis that the Local Authority have a deliverable and workable plan for the school. They do indeed have the money, but their plan fails on three critical counts, which make it unworkable and undeliverable. 1). It plans for 4 new classes - however their own pupil forecast as far back as February 2020, predicts that the school will have a deficit of 175 places by January 2024. That is equivalent to 6 new classes needed. 2). The reason the new school was built was because Sport England (rightly in my view) would not allow any further building over the old hard play area with its marked out pitches. The LA now plan to do exactly that by building their extension over the ball court with no provision for its adequate replacement, meaning that no outdoor PE and Sport will be available to nearly 600 children for the majority of the school year when the playing field is not in suitable condition. 3). Even were that not an issue, in order to build their, the
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Local sites continued from page 1 in the plan is for 1950 homes at the Broadnook Garden suburb, south of Rothley. The planning permission for this site has been approved. A 1.2 ha site south of the village of Thurcaston (HA69) is identified in the plan for a housing development of 31 homes. The site is described as a former rectory, and arable field with a single dwelling with mature garden and trees. The site does not have planning permission and is not owned by a developer with the intention to develop, but the landowner is actively promoting the site for development, say the Borough Council. Site HA51 in Rothley is a 2.37 ha site with a development potential of 49 dwellings. Its current use is described as “horse paddocks and agricultural land.” Site HA52 in Rothley is located at 971 Loughborough Road and is allocated nine dwellings in the plan. There is no current planning application for these sites, but their inclusion in the Local Plan means that any application is likely to be supported by the borough council. Clr Richard Bailey, lead member for planning, said: “The Charnwood Local Plan 2021-37 is critical to the future prosperity and protection of our borough as we emerge from the pandemic and look towards ensuring our undoubted assets realise their full potential. “This is a key strategic document in a key period in the borough’s history, and I would encourage residents, businesses and all our partners to get involved in the public consultation.” Representations will be collected by the council but will be heard by the Planning Inspectorate. This means that representations must meet the Government’s standard. The Charnwood Local Plan 2021-37: Identifies 154 hectares of employment land to support the creation of 8,900 jobs in the borough and lead its pandemic recovery Meets the borough’s housing need the target figure set by the Government by allocating land for the development of 1,111 new sustainable and well-designed homes each year up to 2037 Focuses development towards intensifying and extending existing urban and suburban areas and larger villages, thereby creating accessible community hubs Continued from page 2 op a Neighbourhood Plan based on the views and the needs of the people who live here. Built into that was preferred site options for future developments of housing supply. This was not one of them. In fact, this was never consulted on with residents at all. The relationship between the school dealing directly with planners is wrong in my humble opinion. A view shared by many others, and when democracy is flounced, villagers have quite rightly become very upset by their views as per Neighbourhood Plan being ignored. Huge health and safety issues for the children attending that school will be compounded by extra houses. The visual impact on our conservation areas and heritage sites have not been considered. I feel very saddened by what has come of this.” • Another viewpoint is expressed by County Councillor Leon Hadji-Nikolaou on the Your Say page of this issue (pg 11).
while protecting nearly 279 square kilo- 3 metres of open countryside Plans for the critical mass of development needed to secure infrastructure including five new schools at Loughborough, Shepshed, Barrow, Anstey and Syston - as well as health services, roads and public transport networks Will bring in an estimated £200 million in Section 106 money to pay for other improvements to facilities and amenities Once approved by the Planning Inspectorate, the document will replace the current Charnwood Core Strategy, adopted in 2015.
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JULY 2021
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Fun filled class is keeping people fit OUTDOOR FITNESS training sessions are taking place five times a week in Mountsorrel, on the Memorial playing fields next to the leisure centre. They are led by Mountsorrel’s Hayley Phillips, who has worked in the fitness industry for over 17 years. Hayley, a qualified personal trainer,
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said: “When leisure centres closed during the first Covid lockdown, I really missed fitness coaching. I still wanted to help people keep fit so, in May last year, I offered free HIIT sessions via Facebook Live. “In June, we were able to meet in larger groups for outdoor exercise, and so I launched Hayley Phillips Outdoor Fitness. “We meet on the Memorial playing fields next to the leisure centre five times per week, and sessions run all year round. Some people are not ready to go back to indoor exercise, and others really do enjoy the outdoor group environment in the fresh air, come
rain or shine.” She added: “I’ve received many comments from members that our sessions have really helped them mentally and
emotionally as well as physically, and it’s been brilliant seeing people grow fitter and stronger. Many members had not exercised much, if at all, in the past. However since Covid, it really hit home how important good physical health is. It’s lovely too that my members have made new friends or reconnected with old friends. It really is a great community to be part of.” If you’d like to find out more, contact Hayley on 07715 642079. Hayley said: “I absolutely love going to work and seeing so many people from all walks of life each day, coming together, having a laugh while keeping fit and well.” Pics: (top) the Mountsorrel class & (left) personal trainer Hayley Phillips The next issue of
THE ROTHLEY POST will be published on Sep 10. The copy deadline is Aug 27.
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Find an extra 10,000 homes, says government LEICESTER CITY’S draft Local Plan, which included 611 new homes on land south of Thurcaston, and 660 new homes and a 1200 place secondary school on an area of open space off Greengate Lane, has been derailed after the government said the city council must find 35% more houses.
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targets within rural areas. Inside Housing magazine reports that local authorities most affected by the changes have described the government’s plans as “unrealistic.” A spokesperson for Leicester City Council told Inside Housing: “We are very concerned by the government’s recent decision to impose this huge uplift on Leicester, which seems to have been made without any assessment of demographic, market needs, delivery or capacity issues. “In December, we concluded a consultation on our draft local plan which confirmed that almost 8000 of our previous 2036 target of 30,000 homes could not be accommodated within the tightly drawn city boundary. The impact of the new uplift increases the 8000 figure to around 18,000 additional homes over the plan period. “It will not be possible to accommodate anything like the scale of development within the cities boundary while meeting local and national policy imperatives.” Leicester City Council’s draft Local
Plan was published in January 2020 and put out for public consultation which ended in December 2020. It contains plans for: ■ 660 new homes and a 1200 place secondary school on an area of open space near Greengate Lane. The draft plan states: “ the allocation leads to the loss of green wedge but is outweighed by the strategic opportunity of the two sites, as a natural extension of the already approved and partially delivered main Ashton Green development [3000 homes].” The next issue of
THE ROTHLEY POST will be published on Sep 10. The copy deadline is Aug 27.
Pic: the location of sites featured in the draft Local Plan, now being rewritten after the government called for an additional 10,000 new homes
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Leicester City’s plan, currently in limbo after the government made the announcement in December, contained a target of 29,104 new homes by 2036. This must now be increased by an additional 10,000 new homes. A Leicester City Council spokesperson told the Rothley Post: “The production of the local plan has been delayed by the government's unexpected decision to apply a 35% uplift to Leicester City Council’s housing target last December, soon after consultation on the draft plan had concluded. “This has significant implications for our plan, which we need to work through carefully. Consultation on the submission draft has been delayed and is now likely to take place in late 2021 or early 2022. “ In December 2020, the government announced a new standard method for the calculation of local housing need, which included a 35% uplift for the 20 largest cities and urban areas in England, including Leicester. The move followed discontent among Conservative backbenchers about the impact the previous formula would have on largely Conservative voting rural areas. Imposing a 35% uplift on cities means the government can meet its target of delivering 300,000 homes per year without increasing the housing
THURCASTON
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Latest news from Sustainable Rothley Market Stall The stall at the Friday morning market (at the Royal Oak car park) is proving popular. It’s a collection point for used pens and crisp packets, there are seeds and seedlings to give away or swap, and you can report any grotspots in the village that need clearing. There will also be a small selection of books about environmental issues, vegan cooking and gardening. Alison has been making bags for market shopping. The next dates are 2nd and 30th July, and 27th August, all being well, 9am-1pm. Plastic free Rothley Now that everywhere is opening up, local organisations and businesses will be approached again about rethinking plastics use. If you have a local business and you’re interested, get in touch. Please take a reusable mug with you if you’re heading out for a coffee, and take your rubbish home. Climate Coalition Big Green Week 18–26 September. Sustainable Rothley is planning to run an event during the week, which is part of preparations for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow from 31 October – 12 November 2021. Ideas and offers are very welcome. Leicester Cloth Nappy Library Having a baby? It might not be the first thing you’re thinking of, but babies can easily use 5000 disposable nappies, and they all go into landfill. Leicester Cloth Nappy Library hires trial kits of funky patterned nappies at £8 for two
Pic: Alison Riggall, Lynne Atkinson, Heidi Mascus and Kathy King at the Sustainable Rothley stall weeks – and supports parents trying them out. leicesterclothn appylibrary@g mail.com, run by volunteers. More landfill alternatives Rothley Pharmacy
will take out-of-date medicines to be disposed of safely, and Superdrug is collecting tablet blister packs. Green Homes Grant Leicestershire County Council is working with E.ON to provide fully-funded measures for qualifying households with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D, E, F or G. Measures include solid wall insulation, air-source heat pumps, solar PV, loft and cavity wall insulation, windows, doors and smart
heating controls. Available to homeowners with an income no greater than £30,000 or in receipt of qualifying benefits, or who qualify via Local Authority Flexible eligibility. Next meeting Thursday 22nd July 6-7pm. Venue to be agreed. Contact Sustainable Rothley at sustainablerothley@gmail.com, or drop in at the stall.
Rare birds nesting at quarry PEREGRINE FALCONS are nesting again at Mountsorrel Quarry.
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The birds are nesting within the quarry walls and the chicks are being fed by both parents, who can be seen hunting in and around the quarry regularly. Trevor Warren, works manager at the quarry, said: “We are delighted to know we have peregrine chicks at the quarry again this year. It is a privilege to see these beautiful birds flying around the rock faces and makes working here
even more rewarding.” Peregrine falcons have been sighted at the quarry since at least 1989, successfully raising chicks and boosting the peregrine population. The quarry has provided the birds with sanctuary over the years, although visiting pigeons are not so impressed with their presence – with some going as far as hitching a ride on a dump truck rather than risk flying out of the quarry. In the UK, the birds are usually found in the uplands of the north and west and rocky seacoasts. Their numbers decreased dramatically in the 1960s due to human persecution and the impact of pesticides in the food chain. Improved legislation and protection have helped the birds to recover, but they remain a schedule 1 listed species under The Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Pics: Peregrine falcons pictured at Mountsorrel quarry
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AN HISTORIC footpath in Rothley has been reinstated, and a new interpretation board erected to explain its historic significance to passing walkers. Lord Macaulay’s Walk follows part of the old carriageway laid out by Thomas Babington over 200 years ago; an oak tree-lined route which originally ran from an old lodge (near what is now the slip road from the A6) to Rothley Temple, now part of Rothley Court Hotel. The interpretation board has been sited at the favourite point on the walk of Baron Macauley (1800-1859). The board was the idea of local historian Terry Sheppard, who was invited to unveil it in front of a group of invited guests. In a surprise for Terry, the board also included a plaque with words of tribute for him from Rothley Parish Council, thanking him for all the work he has done for the village over many years. Terry said: “It was good to see the
Macaulay Walk interpretation board project come to its conclusion. The board sits well on the walk, and is positioned so that the reader can see Rothley’s ancient parish church in the distance. “Then there was the great surprise. Fixed to the board’s support pole I found an engraved plate from the Chairman of the Parish Council giving appreciation to my heritage work in the parish. I was very moved by that, and also by the accompanying gift, a framed portrait of Lord Macaulay. I felt showered by kindness and warmth.” Later that day, Terry was invited into
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Lord Macauley’s Walk There are two significant features about this spot. Before the era of Macaulay, it was the site of an endeavour by Thomas Babington in 1819. Newly retired after 16 years as one of Leicester’s two MPs, Thomas wanted an alternative to riding through the village to and from his home, Rothley Temple. He marked out a route for a new carriageway across his land from a new Lodge on Pic: Thomas Babington Pics: The unveiling of the interpretation board on Lord Macauley’s Walk by Macauley (1800-1859) the Turnpike Terry Sheppard (also pictured left) Road (the old such piece of local history when in 1683, A6), across the Brook by a new bridge, Rothley Church of England Bartholomew Hickling left a cottage and Primary Academy to view and over the park in front of the Temple. the recently installed history several pieces of land in trust for the All new, and defined all the way by an setting up of a school in Rothley. Follow- avenue of specially planted trees. When wall, which has been sited ing on from this Terry had a guided tour the carriageway got to this spot, he on the school playground of the school, meeting children and staff. made use of the hedge here that marked for children to get some • Access points to Lord Macauley’s idea of the chronology of the boundary of his Brookfield Farm. Walk include the footpath at the end of historical periods and The other significant feature stems events, over two millennia. Loughborough Road at the point where from the many summers the young Thothe slip road leaves the main A6, at the Terry, a good friend of the school, mas Babington Macaulay spent at the top of Farmers Way, and on the track provided some information on local Temple, and the use he made of this spot. leading from Town Green Street as it historical events which has been weaved Babington & his wife Jean kept open approaches the golf course. into the national and world timeline. house for their In the photo, Terry is viewing one nieces and nephews throughout the summer & autumn. Thomas Babington Macauley was even awarded his own space at the Pic: Thomas Babington Temple, nestling in (1758-1837) a study at the base of the old tower between the chapel and the hall, with a doorway into the corner of the dining room. He used the room above as his bedchamber. Macaulay's biographer, family insider George Trevelyan, records that Thomas Babington Macauley’s favourite walk was a mile of field road and lane which leads from the house to a lodge on the highway; and his favourite point on that walk is a slight acclivity from which the traveller from Leicester catches his first sight of Rothley Temple. This is the acclivity, or high sloping place, recorded by Trevelyan, the favourite spot of Macaulay’s. In 1857, two years before he died, Pic: Terry at Rothley Church of England Academy’s history wall, with teacher & history lead Joe Clarke (left) and Academy Director Fiona Riley Macaulay was elevated to the peerage. He took the name Baron Macaulay of Advertise in Rothley, after the place of his birth, and THE ROTHLEY POST affection for his uncle after whom he was named. 47 x 57mm £20 • 47 x 116mm £36 It is very heartening that the County 98 x 57mm £36 • 98 x 116mm £60 Council and Charles Church have joined together and sought to mark this historic 1) Decide what size you want place with this new public footpath, Lord 2) Send us a sketch of your ad Macaulay’s Walk. 3) We design, publish And here we have one of those helpful This Siz & send e interpretation boards which will tell the you the gist of this story to all the future wanderWednes bill ers along this way. +VATdays ■ Terry Sheppard CALL 0116 4422067 for an advertising rate card,
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JULY 2021
Board erected, local historian thanked
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Village gardens opened again, for charity HUNDREDS OF visitors enjoyed a return to normality, spending the afternoon visiting colourful and interesting gardens in Thurcaston & Cropston in June. The open gardens weekend was back, after taking a year out in 2020 due to Covid-19, with 16 gardens open for visitors to enjoy. Organiser Linda Bennett said: “Feedback has been very good with visitors commenting how grateful they are for the opportunity to get out and enjoy an event like this.” As well as enjoying the gardens, visitors were able to buy plants, cakes, jam, books, greetings cards and original artworks at the event, which was raising money for the local Air Ambulance.
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Pics: visitors enjoy the gardens
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News from Rothley library Donation pays for extra parking A DONATION from Tarmac’s Mountsorrel Quarry has allowed the Rothley and Mountsorrel Heritage Centre to expand its car park.
Opening hours are currently as follows Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 2.30 – 4.30pm Saturday 10.30am – 12.30pm Further extended opening hours are planned for the autumn. New Books We have a huge range of new books in the library. They are just waiting to be taken out! Book loans are free, and there are no charges to reserve a book or indeed any charges should the book be overdue. There couldn’t be a better time to come back or join your local library.
Noticeboard all details printed free Summer Camps Return To Rothley Following the success of last years camps, Marvel Sports Coaching will be hosting a series of summer camps this summer for 5 to 14 year olds at Rothley Park Cricket Club. For more information and to book please visit www.rothleyparkcc.co.uk
The £2500 donation was used to create additional car parking spaces at the back of the original car park. Trevor Warren, works manager at Mountsorrel quarry, said: “We are pleased to have been able to continue our partnership with the Heritage Centre, helping them to create the new car park so more visitors can enjoy the centre.” Steve Cramp, Managing Director at Rothley and Mountsorrel Heritage Centre, said: “Since the Heritage Centre opened in 2016, our car park has often been full. We actively encourage walking and cycling to the site, but the centre is some distance from public transport routes. “The limited parking was resulting in many people not being able to visit and missing out on being able to learn about our local heritage. Creating additional parking has been so important as the
site continues to grow, yet obtaining funding for car parks is notoriously difficult. “We are extremely grateful to Tarmac for recognising our predicament and having the vision to provide a grant for the materials needed. The extra 17 parking spaces have made a huge difference and given us the confidence to continue to improve the Heritage Centre. Visitors returning when we reopen will notice many new additions and new areas of interest, which it would not have been justifiable to add without Tarmac’s grant for our car park.” Tarmac supported the initial creation of the heritage centre by providing the land required for the project, as well funding of over £680,000 through the Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund. In line with government guidelines, Rothley and Mountsorrel Heritage Centre reopened on May 17, including the museums, Granites Coffee Shop and nature trails. Pic: the expanded car park at the heritage centre
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Summer Reading Challenge Great News - the Summer Reading Challenge is back, following cancellation last year. Wild World Heroes: Summer Reading Challenge 2021: Wild World Heroes is a celebration of reading, nature and action for the environment. Developed in partnership with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Wild World Heroes will inspire children to stand up for the future of our planet. The Challenge focuses on taking action for nature and tackling real-world environmental issues, from plastic pollution and deforestation to wildlife decline and nature loss. Children taking part in the Challenge will be able to join six fictional characters 'wild heroes' - to help solve some of these threats, learning about the importance of the environment while helping to restore nature levels in the neighbourhood of 'Wilderville'. Wild World Heroes is brought to life with bespoke artwork by award-winning children’s author and illustrator, Heath McKenzie. Dates The challenge starts for Leicestershire on Saturday July 3, and runs to Saturday September 5. Ages For 4 – 12 years (including children who will be 4 by August 31) A limited number of stickers will be supplied for under 4s as well. Format Children can join in the fun by reading, listening to or sharing six library books or eBooks throughout the summer and will be able to collect special sticker sets, including some smelly ones, for their colourful collector’s folder. On their first visit A registration card will need to be completed for each child. Children will be given a folder, a pencil, plus the first and second sets of stickers. On their second visit On completing the challenge, chil-
dren will be given a fridge magnet, the third set of stickers, a medal and a certificate. Online – children can sign up for the online digital challenge via The Reading Agency website from June 19.
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YOUR SAY...
The Rothley Post welcomes your views and opinions on any subject. Letters, which must include your name and address, (though not necessarily for publication) can be posted to: The Birstall Post, Unit 109, Greenacres, The Sidings, Leicester LE4 3BR, or email: editor@birstallpost.co.uk
70 new homes It is with great frustration to see the approval of 70 houses in the area of separation between Rothley and Broadnook on the 17th of June 2021. The village has already suffered huge burdens of developments. You may now think the village has become an urban one rather than part of the country pattern of local communities. A Council officer expressed his serious concerns: “The provision of large scale housing developments on green land outside of the village of Rothley represents a conflict. Further development in Rothley would severely undermine the overarching principle of urban concentration and regeneration”. Rothley already lacks many of fundamental amenities. Previous permissions, even for large ones, have only given small bits of help. The new development will also make the already existing dreadful congestion and substandard road safety around the school much worse. Broadnook is so close to Rothley and comes with 2000 houses. The application should have been reviewed together and the consequent impact should have been the major issue. The 70 houses in Rothley are placed exactly in the area of separation between Rothley and Broadnook, reducing the area of separation to approx. 110 yards. This is not a meaningful area of separation! As regards the school issue, it will suffice to quote the information provided by a council officer to me on the
12th of October 2020. I quote: “I have spoken with the County Education and they have confirmed that a plan for the expansion of the school (without the ROTHLEY PARISH Council‘s annuadditional land or housing) has been al parish council meeting was drawn up and is ready for submission held on May 17. to the County Planning Authority for Councillor Percy Hartshorn was electplanning permission. However the applied chairman for the forthcoming year cation has not been submitted at the and Councillor Roger Gross was elected request of the head teacher who has vice-chairman. requested (that) they delay the submisA request was received from the chair sion of the application.” It is obvious, that the expansion of the school did not of Rothley Heritage trust to be a site editor on the village history section of need the extra 70 houses. the website. It was agreed that the Parish I regret to say that approving buildCouncil pay for training costs with the ing in the area of separation between Rothley and Broadnook does not estab- website provider. Newly elected County Councillor Leon lish and maintain trust. Overruling and Hadji-Nikolaou was congratulated on his minimizing Rothley’s neighbourhood election in May. He said his priorities plan, which was approved by 89% of the vote, does not maintain trust. Ignor- were traffic and parking issues in the village and planning matters. He intends ing 400 letters of objection does not to compile a list of roads that are causmaintain trust. Notably, many of these ing the most concern and liaise with objections came from the parents of County Council highways. He would like children who attend the school. to see eco-friendly buffer zones between A recent planning application in developments, wider roads, more adeQueniborough was rejected, based on quate parking on new developments and the area of separation. This has been more open spaces. clearly highlighted by the publication It was reported that more than half of which I quote: “Hallam Homes Applica- those who voted, voted in favour of the tion refused. Charnwood Borough Coun- Rothley Neighbourhood Plan, which has cil Plans Committee refused the been drawn up by the Parish Council. application P/20/1605/2 application for The plan should help with objections to erection of up to 200 dwellings, all matters reserved except access. Land at Melton Road Queniborough LE7 3FL, at their meeting on 25th March 2021. It was refused by 8 votes to 4 on the grounds of the damage it would cause to the area of separation between Queniborough and surrounding communities. The Neighbourhood Plan policy on separation was sited as one reason for refusal. https://www.queniboroughpc.org.uk/ne ws/2021/03/hallam-homes-applicationrefused Ravaging the area of separation and belittling our neighbourhood plan have already set a very dangerous precedent for Charnwood. On 17th of June 2021 I passionately urged the Plans Committee to reject this application. Sadly, the vote was lost by a very small margin, 6 votes to 5. I have supported the Parish Council and concerned residents in opposing this application. I especially thank the Rothley residents who came to demonstrate and support our village. Cllr Leon Hadji-Nikolaou, MD, FRCS (Eng). Rothley and Thurcaston Wards DOBBIES GARDEN Centre has
Parish Council notes
JULY 2021
(Charnwood Ltd)
THE ROTHLEY POST
large planning applications. The chair thanked Cllr Gross for his work preparing the plan over the previous five years. A FULL meeting of Thurcaston & Cropston Parish Council was held on April 23. It was reported that the Memorial Hall reopened for the Dance Academy on April 12, in line with government Covid-19 regulations. It was agreed to purchase two Tommy figures from the Royal British Legion to commemorate VE Day. These will now be available for remembrance Sunday, 2021. The total cost is £350. The annual meeting of Thurcaston & Cropston Parish Council was held on May 6. Councillor Mark Charles was elected as chairman for the forthcoming year, and Councillor Sue Graham was elected vice-chairman. The council agreed to establish an open spaces committee, and hold four meetings a year. Five councillors were appointed to the committee, plus one non-councillor. Sergeant Kilsby from Charnwood police will be invited to the next meeting to talk about a community partnership forum.
Sainsbury’s in Rothley garden centre, Dobbies
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opened a new-look food hall in its Rothley store. The garden centre chain, in partnership with Sainsbury’s, is bringing a range of food and grocery products to the store. Shoppers at Dobbies’ Rothley can now enjoy a range that includes over 3,000 products, giving customers a choice of food to take home, including ambient, chilled, fresh and frozen produce, as well as other grocery, household and toiletry products. Graeme Jenkins, CEO of Dobbies, said: “It is fantastic to see our new look food hall open, with a diverse range of Sainsbury’s products now available for
customers. This new food and grocery offer provides convenience and a wide product selection for our customers. “A big thank you to everyone who has worked hard to bring this partnership to fruition. We hope customers enjoy our new look food hall.” In line with Government guidelines, the food hall is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday, Sunday 10:30am to 4:30pm with social distancing measures in place. Find out more at www.dobbies.com The next issue of
THE ROTHLEY POST will be published on Sep 10. The copy deadline is Aug 27.
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íFOOTBALL CLUBHOUSE
íALLOTMENTS
CRICKET PITCH
CRICKET PAVILION è
Police Covid fines
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New recreation area planned AN AMBITIOUS £1.6 million project providing outdoor sports pitches with a pavilion and clubhouse, allotments, provision for children and young people and landscaped parkland is planned for land off Halstead Road. The Halstead/Cufflins Park project (HCPP) is being led by Mountsorrel Parish Council and supported by the Mountsorrel Sporting Alliance (MSA). The MSA was set up in 2019 following discussions between local sports clubs, with members concerned about the future of sport and recreation in Mountsorrel. It is calling for extra playing field space, rationalised pitch disposition to accommodate all clubs and age groups, and additional changing and social facilities. The HCPP aims to resolve all these issues. The scheme has a cricket pitch and pavilion, and two senior football pitches. Junior football would move to the memorial playing fields, replacing cricket at that location. The HCPP incorporates the existing Halstead Road playing field, owned by Charnwood and leased to the Parish
Council, the Jelson site, which will be transferred to the Parish Council, and land owned by Tarmac, which would be leased to the Parish Council. Some of the funding for the project is in place, including the section 106 contributions from Jelson when planning permission was granted for the Halstead Road development of 250 homes, and from the West Cross Lane development by Charles Church. A new planning application by Jelson for 50 homes off Halstead Road would also generate section 106 contributions that could fund the scheme. Mountsorrel Parish Council has identified a shortfall in funding of £810,000, which it hopes to make up once planning permission and land agreements are in place. The Football Foundation has been identified as a source of grant aid. Outline planning permission for the scheme is expected to be submitted to
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Charnwood this summer. Chairman of Mountsorrel Parish Council Kate Walker said: “This is outline planning permission for an exciting development in our village. Detailed planning will follow, which will include feasibility and cost funding exercises, and these will ensure the project is sustainable and financially viable.”
Local election result AT THE local elections in May, your representatives at Leicestershire County Council were elected. The results were: Rothley & Mountsorrel Election May 6, 2021 Conservative candidate Leon HadjiNikolaou was elected. Leon Hadji-Nikolaou (Con) 1804 (56.0%) Liz Blackshaw (Lab) 1072 (33.2%) Michelle Elizabeth Nelson (Green) 203 (6.30%) Alistair Paul Duffy (LibDem) 141 (4.37%) Turnout: 31.5%
THE ROTHLEY POST
EAD HALST
The latest provisional figures released by the National Police Chiefs’ Council show that 25,416 fines were processed in the latest reporting period. The total processed in England is now 85,975 and 8,393 in Wales. Fixed penalty notices were processed for the following reasons: Large gatherings (£10,000 fine) 284 FPNs have now been processed relating to holding a gathering of more than thirty people in England and three in Wales. These include, but are not limited to, unlicensed music events, protests and private parties Participating in a gathering of more than 15 people (£800 fines) 1,647 FPNs have been processed under regulations requiring people not to participate in a gathering of more than 15 people. Face coverings 3,140 FPNs were processed between 15 June and 14 March for breaches of the Face Coverings Regulations in England. 547 of these fines were processed for failure to wear a face-covering on public transport. 2,593 fines were processed for failure to wear a face-covering in a relevant place, such as a retail setting. Businesses 687 FPNs were processed to businesses up to 14 March. The main reasons for the issuance of an FPN included: Businesses not enforcing face-covering regulations; businesses refusing to close during the emergency period or refusing to close during restricted hours, gatherings of more than the restricted number taking place within a business; businesses not adhering to the table service only rules. International travel regulations Up until 14 March 508 FPNs have been processed in England for those failing to self-isolate after arriving from a country on the UK Government Quarantine list. Three have been processed in Wales. Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, Martin Hewitt, said: “As the rules change in the coming days, weeks and months, we can expect crime, including violent crime, to return to pre-lockdown levels. All forces have robust plans in place to deal with violence and clamp down on violent offenders.”
JULY 2021
POLICE IN England and Wales have processed a total of 94,368 fixed penalty notices for breaches of Coronavirus restrictions up to 14 March 2021.
Junior golf at Rothley Park thriving THE JUNIOR Section at Rothley Park Golf Club is going from strength to strength, with junior membership doubling in less than two years. The Board of Directors decided to reduce junior subscription fees by 50%, and has put a lot of time and effort into ensuring youngsters thrive, guided by dedicated PGA professionals Katie Tebbett and Harry Schiltz. There will be starters and improvers programmes running throughout the summer, with the National Golf Access scheme allowing supervised playing on the course. Club Member, Brett Collins, was recently appointed as Junior Coordinator, and he will work with a host of club members willing to take the juniors out on the course and talk them through the rules of golf and course etiquette. Junior Captain, Eric Walker, has been a Junior Member for some years and is now enjoying his year in office. He said: "My parents got me into golf when I was younger. I started at Park Hill Golf Club on the par-three course when I was
Pic: Juniors enjoying a coaching session with Harry.
about five, and then got more interested when I joined Rothley Park because the junior section helped me improve. “I enjoy the social part as well as
For more information about Junior playing golf as it is a great way to meet Golf at Rothley Park, contact the Club new people, and with the handicap system, I can play with my friends of differ- Manager, Danny Spillane on 0116 230 ent levels and still compete against them." 2809 or visit www.rothleypark.com
Getting ready for REVIVAL in August EVERYONE IS looking forward to the return of the Mountsorrel REVIVAL this August, with organisers saying that 90% of the pitches have already been booked.
THE ROTHLEY POST
JULY 2021
The Mountsorrel Community Team (MCT) says the theme of
this year’s event, on Sunday August 8, is “Celebration”. Revival will begin with a parade at 11am, and there will be lots of things
happening around the village, including soapbox racing, games, rides, stalls, activities and music. Follow “Mountsorrel Community
Team “on Facebook or go to their website at www.the–mct.co.uk to see what’s happening and find out how you can support the event.
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History society news
The most popular inn signs are symbols that indicate allegiance to the monarchy, e.g. the Red Lion (James I or John of Gaunt); the White Hart (Richard II); the Royal Oak (Charles II); the Swan (Henry IV-VII); or simply the Crown. At a more local level, heraldic symbols may tell you that the inn formed part of the estate of an aristocratic family. Some are straightforward, e.g. the Cavendish Arms, but others need more interpretation, e.g. the Peacock was an emblem of the Dukes of Rutland, and the Snake (from which Derbyshire’s Snake Pass took its name) referred to the crest of the Dukes of Devonshire. Other innkeepers preferred to reflect village life with names such as the Plough or the Wheatsheaf, and such names sometimes point to lost local industries such as the Lime Kiln. Many landlords also had second occupations, which may be indicated by names like the Blacksmith’s Arms or the Baker’s Arms. (They often followed the familiar pattern of adding “Arms” even when no actual coat of arms was involved.) The Chequers suggests that a simple banking service (an exchequer) was once provided there. When a network of turnpike roads was developed, coaching inns grew up to serve them, with names such as the Horse & Groom or the Gate Inn (where a toll gate would have been located). The Boat Inn may indicate that there was once a canal nearby, and there are many surviving Railway Inns and Station Hotels that have outlived the local rail service. Pubs named after famous people (e.g. Lord Nelson) hint at the date of their establishment, and the named person sometimes had a local connection. The
Wetherspoons pub chain is particularly good at maintaining this tradition. For example, their “Lord Keeper of the Great Seal” in Oadby is named after Nathan Wright, who was born in Thurcaston, held that office 1700-5, and later became Oadby’s lord of the manor. Even a simple name like the New Inn should prompt research into where the old inn was! Sadly, on this occasion, we could not follow Robert’s talk by discussing it over a pint, but we hope that the Society will resume face-to-face meetings soon. Our planned programme of events for the summer and autumn continues to be subject to revision, but details will be posted on our website. IT WAS lovely to meet other members in person on a beautiful June evening when the Society’s Peter Smith led a walk exploring the changing landscape between Thurcaston and Beaumont Leys. The layout of roads that we see today dates from 1799, when Enclosure completely changed the way the land around Thurcaston was farmed. The Enclosure Commissioners took the strips of land held in communally worked, open fields and re-arranged them into privately owned blocks. At the same, they specified where roads, footpaths and other rights of way should run. We do not have any detailed maps from before that time, but a small scale map published in Nichols’ History of Leicestershire, and the Enclosure Award itself, give us some clues.
The village was clustered around All Saints’ Church, with an area of common land or “waste” where Rectory Lane now is. Roads radiated out from here to neighbouring villages. In a field next to the church, a “hollow way” has been worn by the passage of feet and hooves on the path to Coffin Bridge, which was the route used by residents of Cropston to attend the church or bring their dead for burial. Near Park View Riding Stables, we crossed a section of the old parish boundary, marked by a wide, double hedge. The boundary was later moved
Pic: a ‘hollow way’ in the parish
to run along the backs of the houses in Thurcaston. The fields in between now fall within Leicester City, and the City Council’s draft Local Plan proposes that 600 houses could be built there in the next 15 years. The A46 Western Bypass was carved through the area in 1995. Beyond it, we entered Castle Hill Park, where Leicester University is currently running an archaeology summer school to excavate the site that the Knights Hospitaller occupied from 1240 to 1482. The system of paying annual tithes to the church was abolished at Enclosure. In compensation, the Rector was allocated additional “glebe” land along the west side of Leicester Road to support his income. A small pool at the back of the modern Glebelands estate is the source of the Thistle Brook, which runs through Thurcaston, crossing Leicester Road at the mini roundabout. The pool also marks the corner of the old parish boundaries with Beaumont Leys and Birstall. Alongside the Thistle Brook is a strip of land that was undeveloped until very recently. It marks the line of the Old Leicester Road, and a public footpath still follows it. The landscape is ever-changing, and we had to detour around the latest phase of the Ashton Green development before we could rejoin the footpath to pass under the A46 and across rough fields to Rectory Lane.
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Here, beside the path and now overgrown, there is another hollow way to remind us how many other people have walked this route in the past. On July 20, Anne Horton will lead us on a gentler walk to see points of interest along the Main Street in Swithland. From Thurcaston & Cropston Local History Society www.thurcastoncropstonhistory.org.uk
School places PRIMARY SCHOOL places at Birstall's Highcliffe and Riverside schools are available. A school spokesperson said: “Are you appealing your child's allocated primary school place? Our friendly primary schools in Birstall have limited places remaining, to start in September 2021. Highcliffe Primary School and Riverside Primary are both rated 'Good' by Ofsted, have beautiful spaces for Foundation years opening in Summer 2021, and are recognised internationally for their achievements. Get in touch with us directly to secure a place with us.” Riverside Primary, Wanlip Lane, Birstall T: 0116 2107373 www.riversideacademy.org.uk Highcliffe Primary, Greengate Lane, Birstall T: 0116 2967600 www.highcliffeacademy.org.uk JULY 2021
Photo © Mat Fascione (cc-by-sa/2.0)
RETURNING AFTER our Easter break, we met once more via Zoom and welcomed Robert Mee from Heanor, Derbyshire, whose subject was “Inn signs and Local History”. Most villages and towns have pubs or inns; can their signs and names provide clues that are helpful to local historians? Care needs to be taken because the names may just be fanciful and can be changed at the whim of the owner, but in some cases, they do point to aspects of history that might otherwise be overlooked. Bars and other drinking establishments have existed since at least Roman times and they have always been identified by signs – not least because most people were unable to read written names. Vines or grapes were common signs on the continent, but in Britain, an ale-house was often indicated by a holly bush outside the door, and the Holly Bush remains quite a common pub name today.
THE ROTHLEY POST
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New art gallery A NEW art gallery opened in Leicester in June. The Leicester Contemporary Art Gallery is located in the Midland Auction Mart on Market Street – the building dates back to 1876 and had most recently been used as a betting shop. Local artists have come together to form the company of artists, a community interest company that will support the gallery. The new gallery is the brainchild of Leicester artist Andrew Berks who hopes it will enrich the city and fill a gap left out of the city Gallery on Granby Street closed. There are plans for workshops, events and digital screenings, and if the gallery wants to hear from local artists who would like to showcase their work. The galleries opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 11 am – 6 pm.
A £450 million plan to transform Leicester’s hospitals has been agreed upon, and the new facilities could start to be opened to the public by 2026.
Pic: an artist’s impression of the new treatment centre at Glenfield hospital
Pics: images of the Leicester contemporary art gallery and works from the opening exhibition
Coffee shop open
THE ROTHLEY POST
JULY 2021
STUDENTS WELCOMED Loughborough MP Jane Hunt to their Mountsorrel coffee shop. Breward’s Coffee Shop, the latest community enterprise ran by Homefield College, is now open to dine-in customers and welcomed Jane as a guest. The coffee shop, on The Green in Mountsorrel, provides vital work experience for students with learning and communication disabilities, preparing them for the world of work and building transferable skills. Established during the pandemic, Breward’s opened in September 2020 for students to learn the ropes, followed by takeaway customers in November 2020. Now that restrictions are lifting, the college says students are excited to create new recipes to share with their dine-in customers. Student Samuel G works at Breward’s as part of his work-ready study programme. He said: “I love working in the coffee shop and serving customers. I’m looking forward to serving more customers now they can come in and sit down after Covid-19 restrictions”.
Leicester hospitals will be improved
One of the first dine-in guests was Jane Hunt MP, who as part of a visit to Homefield College sampled the delights of a homemade flapjack and fruit tea at Breward’s Coffee Shop, served by students Daniel and Ethan. Along with edible goods, Breward’s also sells a range of craft products, woodwork, artwork and cards made by Homefield students and residents. The coffee shop is currently open Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays during term time, 9am – 2pm, with future plans of Saturday openings and student internships over the holidays.
Much of the Leicester General Hospital site will be sold to help pay for the scheme, which includes a new £170 million treatment Centre at Glenfield hospital and a £107 million maternity hospital and new intensive care unit at the Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI). Andrew Furlong, Medical Director at Leicester’s hospitals, said: “[This] decision is a huge and welcome step forward on the journey to this once in a generation investment in local healthcare. “I have lived and worked here for over 20 years, and I’ve seen first-hand just how much we need to make changes to our hospitals. We have amazing staff, achieving amazing things, but in many cases in buildings and facilities that all too often let us down and with all the pressure that comes from staff and services being spread too thinly across three sites. “These plans will change that, enabling us to offer significantly improved care and outcomes for our patients and helping us to better manage many of the challenges we face now and in the future.” The scheme also includes a £39 million Children’s Hospital at the LRI in a refurbished and extended Kensington building. A spokesperson for the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland clinical commissioning group said: “The Leicester Royal Infirmary will become host to a new state-of-the-art maternity hospital, also providing a midwifery-led birth centre alongside the obstetric unit. Existing maternity services and neonatal services will be moved from Leicester General Hospital to Leicester Royal Infirmary, and breastfeeding services will be enhanced for mothers by providing postnatal breastfeeding drop-in sessions alongside peer support. “The Leicester Royal Infirmary will also see the creation of a new Children’s Hospital including a consolidated children’s intensive care unit, with the benefit of being co-located with maternity
services on the Leicester Royal Infirmary site. “The standalone maternity unit at St Mary’s in Melton Mowbray will be relocated at a new standalone midwifery unit at Leicester General Hospital to improve access to this service for women across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, and to ensure closer proximity to acute services for mums and babies in the event of an emergency. Responding to feedback received during the consultation, a partnership approach involving patients, clinicians and stakeholders will be developed to assess its long-term viability, phased over a number of years. “All outpatient services will be moved from Leicester Royal Infirmary and
Pic: the new maternity hospital
Leicester General Hospital to a new purpose-built treatment centre at Glenfield Hospital. “A new primary care urgent treatment centre will be created at Leicester General Hospital. Based on public feedback, there will be more scoping on proposals for developing services at the centre and further engagement with the public. Services could include observation facilities, a diagnostic service, GP access to imaging facilities, community outpatient services, and additional primary care services to provide family health care to people living in the east of the city.” “Strong views expressed around travel and access have been taken into consideration in the creation of a Travel Action Plan, which will see ongoing engagement and improvements to travel and access across the three sites. There will also be an increase in public car parking at the Leicester Royal Infirmary and Glenfield Hospital sites.”
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Club’s first social event Garden Social Event The Gardening Club’s first activity since the 2020 lockdown was held in May. The aim was to open some local gardens for Club members to mix socially outdoors. Three Club members who live close to each other in Cropston volunteered to open their gardens. This proved to be a great success, and although the weather could have been better, it didn’t have any effect on numbers. All three gardens were in excellent order, and visitors were very complimentary of each one. The allotted “resting place” at one garden, where there were hot drinks and cake, was a hive of activity throughout. There are many people to thank for the success of the afternoon with the committee and members helping. Special thanks to the garden owners without whose cooperation this would not have happened. It was great to see so many Club members at the garden social. The success of this event has made us give some serious thought to holding something similar later in the summer, but much planning will be needed. In the meantime, we are now planning our Club outing to the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park. This is booked for Friday 23 July 2021. The outing was booked for July 2020, but we were unable to run it then due to Covid. The next stage of the Government relaxation of restrictions will be in place and the coach company are very confident about providing a safe journey. There may be places available on this outing, so please contact Dave Haddon for more information. Contact Dave on (0116) 235 9758 or at david.haddon20@ntlworld.com
Public’s views sought on health MENTAL AND emotional health problems represent the largest single cause of disability in the UK.
From Thurcaston and Cropston Gardening Club
The next issue of
THE ROTHLEY POST will be published on Sep 10. The copy deadline is Aug 27.
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JULY 2021
Pics: some images of the Garden Club social event
One in four adults experiences at least one mental health problem in any given year. The NHS in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland is planning to invest in and improve the way adult mental health is provided– and the public is being urged to have their say. A public consultation runs until 15 August 2021, and everyone is asked to get involved and help shape future services. Andy Williams, Chief Executive of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), who is leading the consultation, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic meant we had to quickly change how we worked – introducing temporary measures – to keep service users safe while continuing their care. “We want to know what people think about the proposed improvements we’ve made during the pandemic and whether we should make them permanent. We also want to talk to people about other plans to improve mental health services when their need is urgent or when people need planned care and treatment.” “Whether you use services now or may do in the future, tell us what matters most to you and your family by participating in a consultation and completing an online questionnaire.” To find out more about the consultation, what is proposed, and to complete an online questionnaire, visit www.greatmentalhealthllr.nhs.uk To request a copy of the questionnaire for you to fill in at home or to arrange to complete it with a member of staff, telephone 0116 295 0750 or email beinvolved@LeicesterCityCCG.nhs.uk
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