February 2017 groby spotlight online by Michael Wilkinson

Welcome new use for former Barclay’s branch

THE FORMER Barclay’s bank branch on the corner of Ratby Road and Fir Tree lane has a new occupier at last. The branch never re-opened after structural damage was caused by a ram raid and theft of the hole in the wall cash machine. After standing idle for some time, and speculation that it would become a takeaway or a Bargain Booze outlet, residents will be pleased to hear that it will shortly re-open as a a clinic providing treatments for sports injuries, physiotherapy and aromatherapy. As the Spotlight went to the printers some internal alterations had been made to the premises but more work is needed before an opening date can be set. The premises will be trading as The Natural Elements under the guidance of the Principal Ms Annie Rea, a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, who has over 20 years experience in musculo-skeletal physiotherapy. Looking back over those 20 tears Annie thinks that one of the highlights was getting a client back to horse-riding after 25 year lay-off and allowing her to go on a ranching holiday to USA.

Norman Griffiths

Groby Sings REHEARSALS for the next Groby Sings event: Rock & Royal - start from 20th February at Groby Club. Songs from The King & I, Queen and Elvis will be featured. Performances take place on 1st & 2nd July. For more information, see page 29.

LETTER

Heather’s Charity Hair Chop!

THE LAST TIME I wrote to the Spotlight was in November 2016. I had decided to cut my long hair to donate to The Little Princess Trust, who make real hair wigs for child cancer sufferers. I also wanted to raise enough money to fund the making of a wig, which is £500.

On the 3rd of Dec, me and my family went to Georges salon on Allandale rd for a very special hair appointment. I was very excited but nervous at the same time. My brother JJ said I was nervcited!!! I met Sophie who was going to cut my hair. She was lovely and made me feel chilled. She put my hair into 4 plaits and when I was ready and mum was filming Sophie started to cut!! I was very quiet when it was being done, each plaid being cut slowly until they were all in my lap. It was weird to see my long hair like that, but I knew that it was going to make a poorly child happy and feel a little bit normal again. A big smile came across my face. Then the pampering began, Sophie washed my hair and gave me a head massage, while a beautician painted my nails as a treat from mum and dad, they were so proud of me. While Sophie was restyling my hair I had a lemonade and a hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows. Everyone made a fuss of me in the salon and I felt like a real life princess. Once Sophie had finished I stared at myself in the big posh mirrors at my new haircut, another big smile came across my face. I loved it! Over the rest of December I watched the donations grow and grow. My school Lady Jane Grey has been brilliant. I was allowed to collect donations at the Christmas fayre,I was chosen to take part in talk the talk and spoke in front of a large audience at Groby College, and thanks to an amazing idea of Jake Marston in yr 6 we raised £126.62 on the last day of school. Everyone was allowed to wear something Christmassy instead of uniform but they had to donate 50p each to The Little Princess Trust. At this point I had raised £500 on my just giving web page and had £438 of cash donations. I had enough money for one wig and nearly enough for two. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 ...>

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Graphics Teachers Win Another Top Award!

Will you please help us find some Friends? ALMOST 2 MILLION people in the UK are Dementia Friends. They are just nice ordinary people like us - all ages.

CONGRATULATIONS to Mr Lishman and Mrs Dixon, Graphics Teachers at Brookvale Groby Learning Campus for achieving another ‘Good Schools Guide’ award this year for Graphic Design. The subject has now won a total of 15 national awards over the last 6 years, in which 1 has been awarded this year due to the results of the girls at GCSE. Mr Lishman and Mrs Dixon, pictured above, are both delighted with the awards and incredibly proud of the students for their hard work, effort and commitment to succeeding in their area. Without the students and their passion for the subject, these awards wouldn’t be possible. WELL DONE!

March brings National Bed Month IF YOU ever have trouble sleeping, March is the month to sort yourself out. The Sleep Council website will help you review your sleep patterns, and make the most of your hours in bed. Go to www.sleepcouncil.org.uk/ for a better understanding of why you may not be sleeping, and what to do about it!

They have simply taken the time to attend a one-hour Information Session to learn a little about dementia and how it affects individuals and their families and friends. The idea is that the more people who understand a little - the more dementia-friendly our communities can become. That’s really important and valuable. This big Alzheimer’s Society’s initiative has been running for a few years now and wants to achieve 4 million Dementia Friends by 2020. Please will you help? Kathy and Doug are two local volunteers, known as Dementia Friends Champions, trained by the Alzheimer’s Society, offering to run these Information Sessions in our villages or further afield. All we need is a bit of help: • to find a cost-free room in which we can organise a public Session, or • to be invited to a club, society or any group meeting, or • to be invited to a place of work where staff can help make it dementiafriendly, or • to arrange a simple coffee morning or similar to which perhaps friends, family and neighbours are invited. The Sessions last up to an hour and are friendly, simple, interesting and enjoyable to set up and attend. There is no cost, no commitments or involvements or volunteering or fundraising. It’s a big and important ambition - to help make our villages “dementia friendly”. So please - if you think you may be able to do your bit to help anywhere in our villages or further afield - do get in touch for a chat about what it’s all about and how you could help us find some Friends. We are: Kathy Gill (Groby) - keg123@ntlworld.com 0116 2291903 Douglas Maas (Markfield) - dem@idnet.com 01530 242534 Thank you very much.

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Residential development site in Groby

SANSOM HAMILTON & CO are offering for sale by Private Treaty a residential development site comprising an attractive farmhouse together with a range of traditional buildings. The property - Home Farm, Markfield Road, Groby, Leicester LE6 0FT - has planning consent (ref: 15/00743/FUL) for conversion of three of the barns into residential dwellings, extension of the cottage, and retention and extension of the farmhouse. The farmhouse is in need of refurbishment and modernisation. The development site will be sold subject to a covenant to restrict the number of dwellings on the site to 5 (the planning consent is for 5 dwellings). Additional land is being offered for sale by separate arrangement. For more information, or to arrange a viewing appointment, contact Martin Sansom at Sansom Hamilton & Co on 01530 274548 or email: mjs@sansomhamilton.co.uk

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Live & Local

Groby Ex-Servicemen’s Club Leicester Road, Groby Tel: 0116 287 1809 Friday 24th February: - LOTTIE T’VAY - Excellent Female Vocalist Saturday 25th February: - DOUBLE TROUBLE - We Welcome Back These Girls To The Club Friday 3rd March: - ANDY PLIMMER Good Male Solo Saturday 4th March: - MARIO MEGARO - Very Energetic Male Vocalist Friday 10th March: - AMANDA JAYNE An Evening Of Easy Listening Music Saturday 11th March: - MOD STORY Fantastic Local Duo Friday 17th March: - RUTH LOUISE Stunning Female Vocalist Saturday 18th March: - GUY SURTEES - Ska/Reggae - A Night Full Of Mixture

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The best way to read a bedtime story DO YOU want a closer tie with your children? Read them a bedtime story at night - from a book. It is much more effective that using a kindle or tablet device. A recent study by the University of Sussex has discovered that children feel less of a physical and emotional connection with their parents if they are read bedtime stories from an electronic device. It may be due to the fact that children know they could be watching a film or playing a game on the same device. Or it may be that a book allows for closer physical contact during the reading of the story. As one researcher noted, “The use of digital technology and the activity of reading seems to exist n two somewhat separate spheres.”

Heather’s Charity Hair Chop From page 1 Me and mum went round some local businesses to see if anyone could take the total to £1000. Success! Cathy Stephens and the Stamford Arms very kindly donated the last £62 I needed. I was so happy and amazed that I had smashed the amount I originally wanted to raise and actually doubled it! Christmas was 4 sleeps away eek. I woke up on Christmas morning to lots of lovely presents but the best one was when mum announced at breakfast that GE in Groby had donated a massive £500 after being inspired by me! 3 wigs funded! I was gobsmacked. What an awesome Christmas present. I was invited to GE to meet Len Graves, the plant manager who organised the donation. He wrote in the invitation letter “many members of staff have been deeply touched by the nature of the cause and the compassion Heather has shown. It’s wonderful to see a young member of our community expressing such a mature compassionate sentiment and is with great pleasure that we have been able to sponsor her” Len was very kind and impressed with me. I’d like to say a massive THANKYOU to Len, Paul and Francis for organising it. So now is the last part of my fundraising journey, I finally get to package my hair up and send it to The Little Princess Trust all 14” of it. I hope somebody will be happy with my hair when it is made into a wig, and it will help their confidence in every day life and make them happier. My web page is still active if you would like to donate, you never know we could make it 4 wigs ;) www.justgiving.com/heathershairchop Thanks for reading - and thanks to everyone who donated!

Love Heather x

Letter

Public Space Protection Orders AS EXEC MEMBER for Community Safety at HBBC , I am compelled to set the record straight in light of Cllr’s Cartwright and Hollick’s misguidance as it was my Officers that introduced these orders. First of all, only dog fouling and the taking of New Psychoactive Substances (they are not ‘legal highs’ any more as they are illegal now), have a Borough-wide ban but this still needs to be enforced. Secondly, the drinking in public places ban, such as outside off licences, is not Borough wide. The previous order was not a No Drinking Order but a DPPO or a Designated Public Place Order. The Public Space Protection Order replaces that along with the control of dogs in public places, especially in children’s play areas on parks, but individual Parish Councils have to sign up to this and offer evidence of breaches of the PSPOs. There are 24 Parish Councils in the Borough. Groby Parish Council did NOT sign up to this. Therefore Groby is not covered by these orders and no signs or notices will be placed in your village. Perhaps readers may wish to contact Cllr’s Cartwright and Hollick and ask why they didn’t press for this protection.

Cllr Chris Boothby

Executive Member for Community Safety

Don’t forget to send us your news! Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk Thanks. I exercised today just to make sure I still don’t like it.

This February, your dog could help change someone’s life

THE GUIDE Dogs charity is calling on the dog owners of Britain to unleash the power in their dogs and support them on Walking the Dog Day, 22nd February. The money you and your four-legged friend raise will help train more guide dog puppies and change the lives of people living with sight loss. There’s no wonder why dogs are one of the most popular pets in the UK. Their loyalty and love are never called into question; they love, comfort and protect, and their remarkable intelligence means that they can be trained to do all kinds of things – like becoming a guide dog for someone with sight loss. “One of the best things about Dogs Unite is that it is designed entirely around the owners! This is the sponsored dog walk that can be done anytime, anywhere, and any how! We’ve heard some fabulous stories from past participants; from walking in onesies with friends, to personal distance challenges, Walking the Dog Day is a chance for dog owners to get creative and put the fun in their fundraising for Guide Dogs!” – Jo Rowan, Marketing and Events Coordinator for Guide Dogs. You can register for a free fundraising pack and super-hero dog cape at www.dogsunite.org. uk/walk.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk Spotlight on County Council consultations with Norman Griffiths

Highways Maintenance and Traffic Sensitive Streets CONSULTATION is the name of the game nowadays and for consultation junkies the County Council currently has two that you can participate in. You can have your say on highways maintenance plans, a very wide subject which our County Councillor will write about. Tucked away in it under the heading ‘Environmental’ is something which has been a source of irritation between County and Parish Councils for years. “Maintenance of Grass verges, trees, hedges, flower and shrub beds,” it says “contributes very little to the serviceability or sustainability of the network but there are aspects of safety and quality of life which need to be considered. Stakeholders acknowledge that these are not key assets but nonetheless expect that they are maintained to a high standard. We will endeavour to reduce the council’s commitments in these areas by involving communities and particularly Parish Councils more directly in the upkeep of their local highways. These options will only be progressed when they can be demonstrated to be at least costneutral to the council.” Cynics will think that this means that it would be

nice if they could pass on to Parish Councils even more of the bill than they do already.

Traffic Sensitive Streets You are also invited to share your views on the Traffic Sensitive Streets review. Readers will know how frustrating it is when a planned journey is delayed because of roadworks. Congestion and delays are welcomed by no-one, including bus companies who cite them as reasons why they cannot keep to their timetables. If roads meet certain criteria, or by agreement with the majority of undertakers known to have apparatus in the street concerned, they can be classified as ‘traffic sensitive streets’. This allows Highway Authorities to control any works on that part of the highway with the objective of minimising disruption to road users. Highway authorities and undertakers should not work in the carriageway of traffic sensitive streets at sensitive times unless there is no alternative, but this may only apply to certain days or even to certain times of day. Putting aside the A50 the main sensitive routes locally seem to be from the A50/A46 roundabout and along Sacheverell Way, with a short spur from the roundabout up

Leicester Road which can be subject to rush hour queues. If there is a traffic sensitive street in the centre of the village it is probably Ratby Road near Fir Tree lane where congestion is severe at the start but particularly the end of the working day, when cars are queuing bumper to bumper to leave the village. You may be able to think of other stretches that are traffic sensitive, but read what a County Hall spokesperson had to say before you rush off to participate in the consultation before the 20th February deadline. “Whilst we are seeking views, this consultation is primarily aimed at works promoters and we are not seeking requests for additional streets to be included as all streets that meet the criteria have been included. We are happy to receive comments on the proposed traffic sensitive network and the period of designation from the public, however it is unlikely that any requests for additional roads could be justified within the criteria.” If you are not a ‘ works promoters’ and want a recommendation on whether to participate in the consultation or put the kettle on it sounds as if a cup of tea is the better option.

Nagging doesn’t work NAGGING your spouse or children to do something can be a very frustrating experience – mainly because it rarely works. Now an exhaustive study into how you can get people to do things has found a more powerful way: if you can ‘trigger’ someone’s emotional response, they are well on their way to taking action. Thus the more any particular ‘goal’ resonates with you at an emotional level, the more likely you are to do it. For example, psychologists at the research group Mindlab found that when it comes to saving money, people are most motivated to do so by their desire to buy a house, do home improvements, prepare for retirement, and take holidays. Perhaps not surprisingly, saving just to support one’s children ranked close to the bottom for emotional appeal.

We cater for buffets, outside catering, corporate catering, events, funerals, weddings, sit down meals and chef specials. Take-away is also available! Exciting Thursday themed nights start in March! Please book and pre-order to avoid dissapointment

Located at the Groby Ex-Servicemen’s Club. 16-18 Leicester Road, Groby, Leicester, LE6 0DJ. Offering a wide selection of delicious homemade food cooked fresh to order, including children, bar and full main menus. Saturday breakfasts 9am - 2pm Sunday Carvery 12pm - 5pm (please book to avoid dissapointment)

Only £8 for a years membership at the Groby Ex-servicemen’s Club. Club memberships aren’t needed for Thursday’s and Sunday’s in the restaurant. Non members can be signed in as a guest by other members. All non-members welcome! Search & like “Ben’s Kitchen” on Facebook to keep up to upto date with our menus and events. Selection of fresh cobs available at the bar Monday - Wednesday. OPENING HOURS: Thursday 6pm-10pm | Friday 12pm-2pm & 4pm-10pm Saturday 9am-10pm | Sunday 1pm-5pm. Find BEN’S KITCHEN on Google Businesses and Trip Advisor. For any enquiries, catering information, buffet menus, pre-orders and bookings please call Ben on: 07873685308

I understand where you’re coming from. Could you go back there?

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Attention! WW1 Comes To Brookvale YEAR 9 STUDENTS at Brookvale High School had one ‘bomb’ of a day on Tuesday 6th December when they had an English lesson with a twist. Ismail Dale, Local Heritage Education Manager for Historic England and the English department, organised an event made up of talented re-enactors and World War One experts, hired to perform at Brookvale Groby Learning Campus. Here is a look at what happened on the day: The first section was hosted by re-enactor Richard Cartwright, who was a recruitment Sergeant trying to recruit new men for the war using propaganda posters. He explained about the soldiers’ role in the war. This gave them a real insight into the recruitment process of the soldiers. Next, the students learned about the soldiers’ kit from Garry Cartlidge, Project Leader for Newarke House Museum. He talked about the gear soldiers had to carry, passing all the items to the students to look at. He passed boxes containing smells from the trenches including sweaty feet and dirty linen! Students finished this section singing, ‘Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag.’ The third section was presented by re-enactor, Jed Jaggard, who dressed up as a young soldier. Again, he had so much information about the war and really brought it to life. He showed students the soldiers’ kit including grenades and a rifle with bayonet, describing life in the trenches. Artefacts, including the gun, were passed round to show the weight of them. In the final section, Madeline Coburn, creativity Consultant, performed the Zeppelin Doggerel, a poem about the bombing of Loughborough due to their lights being visible from the air. To finish, researcher, Penny Smith got students looking at local soldiers and the part they played in the war. We were also lucky enough to have Media Consultant, John Coster working with a small group of students, helping them take photos, videos and conduct interviews in a professional way. Overall, everyone had a great day. The actors swept the students away to that era giving them a day to remember. Student Liam Corry said, “Very interesting…never seen anything like it!” “Very enjoyable… I loved it!” Student, David Aucott.

Written by school reporters: Alex Randle, Tyler Marlow and Yuvraaj Dhugga

Boys Noise at the King Power

ON MONDAY 9th January a group of boys from Brookvale took part in a project called Boys Noise. A singing project organised by Leicestershire Schools Music Service and Leicester City Football Club. The aim of the project is to get more boys singing through linking singing and sport. As part of the project the boys had the opportunity to go to the King Power Stadium for a day of singing with Paul Smith a member of Voices 8, a professional acapella group. Later in the year the boys will do more singing and sporting activities and sing as part of a choir at a concert at De Montfort Hall in June. You may even see them performing before the start of a game. Watch this space!

Mrs White, Head of Music

To Advertise in the Spotlight, call Mike Wilkinson on 01530 244069

INTERVIEWER: Why did you leave your previous job? ME: Because once they fire you, they won’t let you stay.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Groby Gardening Society News Annual General Meeting OUR ANNUAL General meeting took place on a cold and wet January 12th evening. It was heartening for the committee to see a splendid turnout for this important, although often under-rated meeting. Much of the business was completed with little fuss, although a change in the committee membership was announced. After years of really sterling service, Graham expressed his wish to stand down. After acknowledging Graham’s contributions, Roy asked for volunteers to fill the vacancy. Everyone was pleased that Liz agreed to serve. In passing, Roy suggested that 2017 probably would be the last that Cis and he could serve on the committee. Eric was able to report that our charity raising efforts resulted in £386 being equally divided between our local Groby library and The Mablethorpe Children’s Home. After planning our monthly programmes for several years, Beverley and Helen are standing down from this very important role. Roy expressed the urgent need to find replacements as the 2018 programme has to be started early into this 2017 year. Not to fill this role would result in the demise of our Society and this next year, our 40th anniversary year, would then be our last. To the great relief of all, Liz, Carole and Pam have volunteered to accept this position. They can count on everyone’s support, especially those who have filled this position in the past.

Trips during 2017 THERE WILL be three such trips during this year with our June evening visit being the first. This is on June 8th to Ridgewold farm garden near Wymeswold. More details will be available nearer that date for directions and the signing board to give an idea of numbers as the farm will provide tea, coffee and cakes etc. The

second trip is our three day trip to Hull. (July 26th, 27thand 28th)Staying at Willerby Manor, we will visit Normanby Hall, Harlow Car gardens and, of course, Hull, the 2017 City of Culture. The signing board will be available at the next few monthly meetings. We finish our visits by a day trip in September to visit Bob Brown’s “Cotswold Flowers Nursery” and Pershore College. Again, more details will be made available at the monthly meetings.

A problem for plants AS WE START another cycle in the garden let’s spare a thought for a problem that plants have, but one that rarely, if ever, crosses our minds. Plants that have flowers want to attract lots of the right sort of insects to help distribute their pollen. What they don’t want is the wrong sort of insects-the sort that might eat them rather than pollinate them. If plants produce scents to attract pollinators, they are just as likely to attract herbivores that can detect the scent and follow the trail to the source. The problem is acute because flowers are likely to be tasty, nutritious and less tough than leaves, for example. While

losing flowers to herbivores is disastrous- no flowers, no seeds, it is amazing what scientists have discovered about a white flowered petunia they studied in America. These white flowers are pollinated by nocturnal hawkmoths and their main enemies are a beetle and a cricket that both feed at night. The plant produces a sweet smelling scent, beloved by our perfume industry, but also loved by the two aforementioned beetles. Cunningly, the plant produces other scents that “put off ” the unwanted insects. But, these scents only act over very small distances, so the unwanted insects are still attracted to the flowers (potential pollinators), but are less likely to tuck in once they have arrived. Although the off-putting scents work on some beetles and crickets, we humans find them alluring. So alluring that they can be found, allegedly, in some “Lush” soaps and Body Shop products. Incidentally, coloured petunias do not adopt this strategy as they have no need to do so as they are pollinated during the daytime, when these pesky insects are not around!

Future Meetings •

March 9th “A-Z” by Mick Eaton

•

April 13th Celebrate Springtime with a members’ evening. (see article above)

•

May 11t“Clematis” by Jeff Bates

If you like the sound of what we get up to, why not come along to a meeting and try us out. You will be most welcome. Our monthly meetings are held at 7.30pm on the second Thursday of the month in the United Reformed Church rooms on Chapel Hill. Details about membership and the events programme can be obtained from Eric Atherton. (Tel. No. 01162876637) or E mail e.atherton637@btinternet.com

Alvar Johnson

National Trust Leicester Association NEWS THE SHUGBOROUGH Estate, near Stafford, was acquired by the National Trust in 1966 but almost immediately handed over to Staffordshire County Council on a 99 year lease. In 2015 the County Council asked the NT if they could surrender the lease and in mid 2016 the property was returned to the Trust. Overall this is a perfect example of a country estate. It includes an historic mansion which was built in the 1690’s and enlarged and improved in the 1740’s and 1760’s. The estate has always been the home of the Anson family who were the Earls of Lichfield and whos most famous son was Patrick Litchfield, 5th Earl, the society photographer who died in 2005. The 900 acre estate includes rolling parkland which is Grade 1 listed. It was created by Thomas Anson, 1695 – 1773, and is peppered with follies including a Chinese House and Greek Revival buildings. There are also formal terraced gardens leading down to the river, a walled garden, an arboretum and a model farm. The whole estate is set in an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Trust has already begun a ten year project to restore every aspect of the property to its former glory, but the whole property will remain open to the public at all times. The National Trust will reopen the property to the public on 21st March and it will welcome visitors 364 days a year. • THE NT LEICESTER ASSOCIATION has an afternoon meeting on Wednesday 22nd February at St Guthlac’s Memorial Hall, Holbrook Road, Leicester at 2.30pm when Rev Paul Sinclair will present a talk entitled “Would You Be Seen Dead in a Sidecar?” There is also an evening meeting on Tuesday 14th March when Alex Gordon (NT) will present an illustrated talk on “The History of Belton House”. The meeting will be held at The Braunstone West Social Centre, St Mary’s Avenue, Braunstone at 7.30pm. Admission to both meetings is NTLA members £2.50, visitors £4.00 including refreshments. For details of the NT Leicester Association and its Talks Service for other organisations please call 0116 2229133.

Alan Tyler, Publicity Officer I may not be able to walk the walk or talk the talk, but if you need somebody to drink the drink, then I’m your man.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Kilometres are shorter than miles, so I’m taking my next trip in kilometres to save on petrol.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

The Removal Of The 28 Arriva Bus Service and Service Changes to the 26 Bus Route. Residents will be aware that I have written letters to the Chief Executive of the County and Borough Councils on behalf of residents. I also copied my letters into our MP. I also wrote to Simon Mathieson the Area Managing Director of Arriva strongly objecting to their proposals to remove the 28 bus taking away the Bus Service from Pymm Ley lane, Sycamore Drive and Glebe Road area of Groby. I said this would have a devastating effect on some of the elderly and vulnerable residents and cause them difficulty accessing vital services such as the Doctors and Post Office. As a result of my letter I met with Simon Mathieson on Friday 27th January at the Arriva garages in Thurmaston to discuss the residents and my concerns in relation to the loss of the 28 bus service. I explained that the loss of the service would cause transport difficulties to some of the elderly, infirm and vulnerable residents who could be left stranded at home. Although we had a very positive meeting Simon stated the change would have to go ahead. He cited low usage and also problems getting in and out of the city centre, due to hold ups and traffic jams often meaning one or more of the buses were late. He stated that they were duty bound by the traffic commissioners to keep to a time table. I put a suggestion that the 26 bus could come into Pymm Ley Lane from the Leicester Road then to turn right into Glebe Road, then onto Highfield Rd and Oaktree Close back onto Ratby Road before going around Stephenson Way and Woodbank Road and the reverse route on the return journey. I appreciate this would not cover the whole of the 28 route on that estate, but it would help a lot of elderly people. Simon informed me that he would see how the new 26 bus route runs over the first 3 or 4 weeks and would review the times and see if my proposal was workable. I also arranged a further meeting with Simon Mathieson for all Councillors at Hinckley and Bosworth to discuss Arriva’s plans through the Council’s Chief Executive that took place on Thursday 2nd February at the Borough Council’s offices. I did this in order that Councillors would be able to question Arriva’s plans across the Borough of Hinckley and Bosworth including the services for Groby and Ratby. At that meeting Mr Mathieson confirmed that he was looking at the proposals we had spoken about the previous

Friday for the 28 route. I asked him how many letters of objection he had received over the 28 he said about 9. When asked how many councillors had contacted him he told me just myself and my colleague from Ratby. I again challenged their passenger numbers on the 28 route as residents had told me that sometimes the drivers never registered the pensioners passes. He said he found that difficult to believe as they would lose revenue doing that. I also raised the point that Arriva had been poor in Advertising and consulting the changes with the community. Mr Mathieson said they would start putting out notices at the bus station the following day Friday 3rd February. I stressed they needed to put the time tables and leaflets out showing the changes into the local shops in Groby. I am sorry to say that from Sunday the 19th February the 28 bus service will cease and no longer serve the Oak Tree Close Glebe Road, Pymm Ley Lane, Pine Ave, Chestnut walk and Hawthorne Rise and Sycamore Drive. The No 26 then take over the service to Woodbank Road and Stephenson Way. I have done everything I can do to try and protect this service for the residents of Groby. This has been a commercial decision by Arriva which is out of the County Councils hands. I will await an update from Mr Mathieson after the changes have been running a few weeks with regards to my proposal. We agreed to keep in contact. Please note that these Changes are due to take effect on the 19th February. I have collected 500 time tables for the new service and placed them in the, Groby Library, Post Office, CoOp, Wilsons, and Price Gate store and also on the Parish Councils offices. Groby is not the only village facing the revision of the bus routes Ratby has had changes to the 27 and others have been made across the Borough. I would still urge residents to still object and write to: Simon Mathieson, Area Managing Director Arriva Midlands (East), 4 Westmoreland Ave, Thurmaston, Leicester, LE4 8PH.

The Klondyke Appeal Update I have been made aware that the Appeal against the Borough Council’s refusal to grant lawful use on the Klondyke site has now been rescheduled to take place at the Borough Council’s Offices in Hinckley on the 4th and 5th April 2017.

Klondyke Enforcement On the 5th September last year I carried out a site visit to the lower part of the Klondyke with the Executive Member for planning and the Borough Council’s enforcement officer.

County Councillor’s Report We discovered that there had been a clear breach of planning control and a letter was sent to the occupier of the plot. However following the initial letter that was sent to the occupier raising the breach of planning control no further change has occurred on the site. Therefore, the enforcement officer is in the process of preparing an enforcement notice to take action to cease this particular use at the bottom of the site. I will monitor this action and make sure positive action is taken.

Suspicious White Transit Van On Tuesday 31st January I was contacted by a resident in Ratby informing me that two men described as Eastern European were found by his wife on his property when challenged they said they were looking for scrap and left in an old white Ford Transit or Mercedes van unfortunately they did not get the registration. He stated that he has seen this van driving around Ratby recently. I had had the following message sent to me by the police earlier that day Please be aware. We have been made aware of a white transit van, registration YR51 LHO, which has been going around farms on the Leicestershire/Warwickshire border. It was last seen in Ratcliffe/Pinwall scoping out scrap metal. Please report any sightings to 101.

Groby Pool: Anti-Social Behaviour Residents will be aware that for the past 18 months I have taken this issue up on behalf of residents. Over the past couple of weeks I arranged another meeting with the Police and Council officers, we are now looking at putting strategies in place to reduce the ongoing inappropriate behaviour at Groby Pool. The following joint statement has been put out. Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and Leicestershire Police have been actively working in partnership to respond to an increase in reports of anti-social behaviour at Groby Pool over the spring and summer months. Over the last few months there has been an increase in patrols by the local neighbourhood officers, while staff from the local council’s street scene team regularly attend to clear litter. The police and council will continue to explore a number of different options to address the issue of anti-social behaviour and will continue to consult with our communities to ensure the views of all those who use Groby Pool are considered.

Tel 0116 2394336 or 07808 585825

Email: ozzyoshea@hotmail.com We would encourage anyone who witnesses any anti-social behaviour, including anti-social driving, littering and sexualised behaviour, to report it to Leicestershire Police on 101 or by contacting the council’s Endeavour Team on 01455 238141.

Payment Diversion Alert Fraudsters are emailing members of the public who are expecting to make a payment for property repairs. The fraudsters will purport to be a tradesman who has recently completed work at the property and use a similar email address to that of the genuine tradesman. They will ask for funds to be transferred via bank transfer. Once payment is made the victims of the scam soon realise they have been deceived when the genuine tradesman requests payment for their services. Protect yourself • Always check the email address is exactly the same as previous correspondence with the genuine contact. • For any request of payment via email verify the validity of the request with a phone call to the person who carried out the work. • Check the email for spelling and grammar as these signs can indicate that the email is not genuine. • Payments via bank transfer offer no financial protection; consider using alternative methods such as a credit card or PayPal which offer protection and an avenue for recompense. If you believe that you have been

The dinner I was cooking for my family was going to be a surprise, but the fire trucks ruined it.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

From Ozzy O’shea a victim of fraud you can report it online http://www.actionfraud. police.uk/report_fraud or by telephone 0300 123 2040. Fake Amazon Emails Claim You Have Placed An Order Action Fraud has received several reports from victims who have been sent convincing looking emails claiming to be from Amazon. The spoofed emails from “service@amazon.co.uk” claim recipients have made an order online and mimic an automatic customer email notification. The scam email claims recipients have ordered an expensive vintage chandelier. Other reported examples include: Bose stereos, iPhone’s and luxury watches. The emails cleverly state that if recipients haven’t authorised the transaction they can click on the help centre link to receive a full refund. The link leads to an authentic-looking website, which asks victims to confirm their name, address, and bank card information. Amazon says that suspicious e-mails will often contain: • Links to websites that look like Amazon.co.uk, but aren’t Amazon.co.uk.

•

Attachments or prompts to install software on your computer. • Typos or grammatical errors. Forged (or spoofed) e-mail addresses to make it look like the e-mail is coming from Amazon. co.uk. Amazon will never ask for personal information to be supplied by e-mail. You can read more about identifying suspicious emails claiming to be from Amazon by visiting https://www.amazon.co.uk To report a fraud or cyber crime, call us on 0300 123 2040. I would like to thank residents and councillors for your continued support. Should you need my help or advice on any matter or issue, I pride myself on always making myself available to residents and councillors and getting straight back to you. Remember I am only a phone call or email away. Kind Regards

Ozzy O’shea

Working for you

Tel 0116 2394336 or 07808585825 Email: ozzyoshea@hotmail.com

Reminder to renew garden waste collection service

ALMOST a year after the introduction of a payment-based garden waste collection service in Hinckley & Bosworth, the Borough Council is reminding residents that they will need to renew their subscriptions by 31 March. To ensure the service continues uninterrupted, subscriptions should be renewed as soon as possible because bins that do not display the correct 2017/18 sticker will not be emptied after 1 April. Therefore residents are advised to make payment by 17 March to allow 10 working days for the sticker to be delivered. Renewals can be made online at www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk/ gardenwaste, where the council has made significant improvements to the system that was used 12 months ago. Alternatively, call the council on 01455 238141. Payments can be made by either credit or debit card, but residents should be aware that a small surcharge is made for credit card payments. The price has been frozen and remains at £24 for 2017/18. Those who have already set up a direct debit don’t need to do anything, and should receive their new bin sticker soon. The sticker can be placed on the bin as soon as it is received. So far, 74 per cent of households that previously used the garden waste service have continued to do so since the introduction of the charge. Garden waste is still collected on a fortnightly basis, closing only for two weeks over Christmas and New Year. This means that each collection costs just 96 pence. Payment for the service can be made at any time throughout the year. For those who choose not to subscribe to the service there are other options for disposing of their garden waste including: 1. Composting at home - garden waste and other material can be recycled by purchasing a low cost compost bin from www.getcomposting.com 2. Taking garden waste to a Leicestershire County Council Household Waste & Recycling Site (see www.leicestershire.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/waste-and-recycling)

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Groby loses up to 11 new af fordable homes Norman Griffiths reports some bad news on housing

At least 30 affordable homes needed

IT LOOKS AS if up to eleven new affordable homes planned for Groby will not now become available. A housebuilder which insidermedia.com describes as being run by one of the wealthiest families in the Midlands, has been frustrated in its search to find a housing association with the cash to buy affordable homes it was required to build on their Brant site in Groby. Jelsons is part-owned by Robert Jelley and family, who are the fifth generation of the Jelley name to run the business. The family appeared at number 38 on the 2016 Insider Rich List, two places higher than the 2015 ranking, with estimated assets of £145m. But it seems that wealth doesn’t make it any easier to deliver on your statutory obligations. The site at the Brant was subject to a Section 106 agreement which included a requirement for Jelsons to provide 11 affordable houses, and to transfer them to an affordable housing provider. They approached 10 Registered Providers on three separate occasions but were unsuccessful in identifying a Registered Provider who would purchase the affordable housing. A spokesperson for Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council (HBBC) explained that the reduced borrowing capacity Registered Providers are currently experiencing has impacted on their build programme in general, and their ability to purchase on Section 106 sites in particular. It seems that the Brant is the first occasion on which this has affected a site in the Borough.

Cash payment in lieu of homes “Discussions between the developer and Borough Council officers reached an agreement that a commuted sum in lieu of on-site provision would be best able to meet the future need for affordable housing,” the spokesperson added. “This would allow a range of options to be pursued, which include a contribution towards the development of new affordable housing, acquisition of existing homes for affordable housing or increasing the number of types of affordable housing on an existing scheme.” A commuted sum of £365,000 has now been paid to Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and is currently being held on account. At present the council is considering

which option would give the best value for increasing affordable housing supply, and for spending the money as close as possible to the Brant site. “It is best practice and expected that commuted sums will be spent as close to the original site as possible,” the spokesperson explained. “Council officers in Development Management and Legal Services are working together to establish procedures to run in parallel with other Section 106 financial contributions to ensure there is an effective process to notify and consult on affordable housing commuted sums. This will then start the dialogue on the most appropriate use for this and any future contributions in the Borough.” Those in need of an affordable home locally may find it difficult to accept the Borough Council view “that a commuted sum in lieu of on-site provision would be best able to meet the future need for

affordable housing,” as even if the funds are allocated to buy Groby homes on the open market the 3 least expensive currently for sale on online agents Rightmove.co.uk would cost £400,000 to acquire. Locally there is concern about the arrangement for two reasons. The first is that the agreement reached between Jelson Homes and the Borough Council was reached without any involvement of the Borough Councillors for Groby or the Parish Council, which is serving a Freedom of Information request on HBBC. The second is that Groby needs these affordable homes and the additional 11 were seen as a welcome addition to the housing stock. Affordable Homes surveys have failed to find a suitable location for an ‘exception site’ which would allow homes to be built on land on the edge of the village which would not normally be given planning permission for development.

St David’s Day – time for daffodils

1ST MARCH is St David’s Day, and it’s time for the Welsh to wear daffodils or leeks. Shakespeare called this custom ‘an honourable tradition begun upon an honourable request’ - but nobody knows the reason. Why should anyone have ever ‘requested’ that the Welsh wear leeks or daffodils to honour their patron saint? It’s a mystery! We do know that David - or Dafydd - of Pembrokeshire was a monk and bishop of the 6th century. In the 12th century he was made patron of Wales, and he has the honour of being the only Welsh saint to be canonised and culted in the Western Church. Tradition has it that he was austere with himself, and generous with others - living on water and vegetables (leeks, perhaps?!) and devoting himself to works of mercy. He was much loved.

As far back as 2006 Richard Windley, the Leicestershire and Rutland Rural Housing Enabler, concluded that Groby needed to find a site to build a new development of up to 24 affordable homes to help residents who cannot afford accommodation locally to stay in the village, or those with a strong local connection to return. But his search for a ‘rural exception site’ was unsuccessful. A second Housing Needs Survey questionnaire was circulated with the Groby and Field Head Spotlight in 2013 in order to produce an up to date review of the need for affordable housing within the parish. It showed that the need had increased to 30 affordable homes. The response was excellent with a a return rate of about 28%. A total of 806 completed survey forms were received. The 2013 study looked at house sales in Groby over the previous 12 months to try and determine the lowest entry point to the housing ladder for a small family home. It was estimated that with a 20% deposit and a mortgage of about 3.5 times annual income a housebuyer would need an annual household income of around £34,000 to buy the cheapest 3 bed home currently on offer. Income statistics from 2007 suggested that less than half of the households in the parish could comfortably afford an entry level home if they were not already satisfactorily housed. Recently Communities Secretary Sajid Javid announced that housing providers will be able to apply for their share of a £7 billion fund to build affordable housing. It has been made available to housing associations, local authorities and private developers for the building of thousands of affordable housing, shared ownership and rent-to-buy homes. In response to the announcement the Chief Executive at the National Housing Federation, which describes itself as ‘the voice of housing associations’ said:“We are delighted to start the new year on such a strong footing with such a clear show of faith from the Government in our sector. This funding and the relaxed restrictions for building affordable homes will enable housing associations to provide the right mix of houses.” With all this going on villagers may be puzzled by the apparent unwillingness of any Housing Association to acquire the homes at the Brant.

Never trust a man who says ‘Trust me’. And never trust a woman who says ‘It’s fine’.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

News from Elizabeth Woodville Primary School OUR SCHOOL has been showcasing our musical talents this month with a live music assembly in school and a spectacular concert as part of a massed choir.

and parents could come along and have a free lesson to get them started, what an amazing opportunity. We’re looking forward to seeing an Elizabeth Woodville pupil band and orchestra in action in the future!

Young Voices 2017

Year 4 Strings Project Our budding musicians in Year 4 have been enjoying their whole class strings lessons in partnership with the Leicestershire Schools Music Service, they have been learning to play a variety of instruments such as the violin, viola and cello. We look forward to hearing their ensemble performances soon.

Silver Music Quality Mark Success! We were delighted to receive the Music Quality Mark Silver Award at a special awards ceremony on Friday 27th January, in recognition of our fantastic musical curriculum and the opportunities we provide for pupils. Congratulations to all staff and pupils for this wonderful achievement.

Rice Bowl Football Tournament ELIZABETH Woodville School’s hardworking and determined Y5 and 6 Rice Bowl team have continued on their journey to the final of this year’s Rice Bowl. On Friday 27th January, a group of singers from Year 6 travelled to the Genting Arena in Birmingham to take part in the Young Voices event. In total 6,653 children from all over the Midlands were involved in this amazing children’s choir and we felt incredibly privileged to be singing in this exciting concert. Following an afternoon of rehearsals, the choir performed to an audience of thousands of family and friends. It was truly an experience to remember for the children and teachers. Over the course of the concert our pupils sang with performers such as soul / jazz artist, Natalie Williams, the Beatbox Collective and X-Factor singer Tabby Callaghan! Olivia summarised the thoughts of us all when she said, “That was the best day I have ever had!” Well done girls we are very proud of you. We are already looking forward to performing again next year in Young Voices 2018!

Learn to Play Day!

Having reached the final last year at the King Power Stadium, our team are striving to repeat that amazing feat. A tough draw against much fancied Ashby Willesley saw teachers, Mr. Coleman and Mr. Price facing their old school. A tremendous performance saw our team win 1-0. A fantastic team effort with standout displays from defensive warriors, Joe Smith, Finlay Stafford and Ben Window ensured that Willesley were limited to few chances. A predator-like finish from Shyam Ghaghda late in the first half, squeezing the ball past the keeper from a tight angle propelled Elizabeth Woodville into the Semi-final.

Meet the Beasts As part of Year 5 and 6’s topic ‘Beast Creator’ we had a visit from Dr. Stuart Wood, who joined us for the morning to educate us on a wide range of weird and wonderful creatures. Arriving with a large bearded dragon on his chest, Dr. Wood instantly captured the children’s attention. Jeff the 5kg Boa Constrictor stole the show, with all of the children (and staff!) braving the opportunity to handle Jeff. Other creatures involved in the day included: a tarantula, scorpions, lizards, and much more. Dr. Wood even donated some Giant African Land Snails to our school which we have named; Morgan, Wasilewski, Drinkwater and Huth, much to the delight of Leicester fan and headteacher, Mr Pridmore!

Meet the author: Tom McLaughlin The children were inspired by our new team of incredible music teachers in a very special musical assembly to launch our new ‘Learn to Play’ instrument tuition. Pupils were amazed to hear our teachers introduce them to a range of instruments by performing together as our own Elizabeth Woodville Band! To show how exciting it is to learn a new instrument the music teachers demonstrated a lesson with some of our staff. Miss Randle our pianist taught Mrs Robinson to accompany her on the piano, Mrs Taylor performed ‘3 blind mice’ live after only a quick lesson by our Flautist, Mrs Banks. There was also an introduction to the fife and saxophone too. Guitar teacher Mr Bramford then inspired everyone with a charged performance on his electric guitar, including hits by Ed Sheeran and the Red Hot Chili Peppers! He then called up Mr Pridmore to strum a chord which everyone enjoyed! The finale involved our live band performing ‘The lion sleeps tonight,’ it was a wonderful experience that motivated everyone in the hall to pick up an instrument. This was followed by two free taster evenings so children

Tom McLaughlin kickstarted our ‘Nose in a Book’ theme with an inspirational day of workshops for all our pupils. As Tom is both an author and an illustrator, he was able to share his handy hints and tips on how to draw characters and create stories! The children were truly enthused and motivated to become budding authors and illustrators themselves.

I am at my most dangerous when I almost know what I am doing.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

2/13/2017

Word Search Puzzle

OCCUPATIONS Wordsearch Forgot username or password?

Passcode/Create N

IF YOU can spot the titles of 12 OCCUPATIONS in this issue’s Wordsearch puzzle, you could Free Resources win yourself a meal and aSolutions for Districts drink. This month we are offering a tasty prize of: A Main Course for Two, plus A Bottle of House Wine at The FieldHead Hotel.

What We Offer

Who We Are

Teachers

To go into the draw, all you have to do is find - and mark a line through - 12 NAMES OF JOBS OR OCCUPATIONS. These can run vertically, horizontally or diagonally (and backwards!). Send your entry to: MY DREAM JOB, Groby & Field Head Spotlight, PO Box 8, Markfield, Leics. LE67 9ZT to arrive by Saturday 4th March 2017. T Y A I U N J N W L F D R L T J R Remember to include your name and address. The first all-correct S N L T S W X Q Z S A R F S N E O entry drawn out of the hat will win the prize. Good luck!

I R O H M T I G K W J Y I Y H B F G P O K W Q O J O V S L J P H R U O H P T R Q Y C S W Y R A L P I D L O D J C F P L K T T R J H W C B O T W X B E T H S B G J Q G M K B I O E A A W P R N O R A G V B L H B G R E N G I S E D N O I H S A F O R B X P A V R N M X D K U B Y W R A G W H X O L K I W O U E U E R C P K N D H K G Y Y T S F R R R C I H M S C W E B D E V E L O P E R M E T C E T I H C R A I K H R S M H R P Q C T S I G O L O H C Y S P P A N E L B E A T E R V D T I W I L P C L Y E S Z G L L I U I L T Q

Here are the 12 occupations you have to find:

ARCHITECT • BRICKLAYER • CHOREOGRAPHER FASHION DESIGNER • HAIRSTYLIST • MICROBIOLOGIST PANEL BEATER • PHOTOGRAPHER • PSYCHOLOGIST STOCKBROKER • TICKET INSPECTOR • WEB DEVELOPER Name: ................................................................................................. Address: ................................................................................................ .................................................................Postcode: .............................

Last Month’s Wordsearch Winner The first correct entry drawn out was from: SARAH LEMMON of Farr Wood Close, Groby. Congratulations! Your prize will be with you soon.

Big Knit continues – let’s keep knitting! ARCHITECT BRICKLAYER CHOREOGRAPHER FASHIONDESIGNER The Big Knit 2016/17 has just HAIRSTYLIST been re-launched following a MICROBIOLOGIST highly successful Phase 1 just PANELBEATER completed. PHOTOGRAPHER Thanks to the wonderful band PSYCHOLOGIST of STOCKBROKER knitters across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutand, the local TICKETINSPECTOR Age UK has just sent off a magnificent WEBDEVELOPER

41,000 little hats to help older people stay warm and well in the winter. It could not be achieved without them. Now we face an even bigger challenge and need more help - to create as many little woolly hats as possible for Age UK and innocent’s Big Knit before 17th July 2017 with an increasedCreated by Puzzlemaker at DiscoveryEducation.com local target of 52,000 over that period! Each winter, one older person dies every seven minutes because of the cold weather. With the fantastic support from knitters up and down the country, The Big Knit has raised vital funds to support local and national winter projects to help older people keep warm in winter. Knitters in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland are being called upon to create little hats to adorn innocent smoothie bottles, which will be sold in stores nationwide from November 2017. For each be-hatted smoothie sold, innocent will donate 25p to help Age UK fund national and local winter projects. Whilst patterns can be obtained from Age UK, many knitters let their imagination run riot, last year producing designs including a giant squid, fruit, soldiers, peas in a pod, cupcakes and an ice cream cone topped with a classic flake! Please send completed hats to Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland at Lansdowne House, 113 Princess Road East, Leicester LE1 7LA or drop them in at one of our shops.” Knitters can contact Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland to get a free hat pattern or for more information about The Big Knit – telephone: 0116 2992233 or log onto: www.ageuk.org.uk/leics

I tried to share a kebab with a homeless man I saw sitting on a bench last night. He told me to get lost and buy my own.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Martinshaw School News Snippets Year 6 visit Warning Zone WARNING ZONE was first launched on 17th October 2006, bringing together information and expertise from across the public and private sectors. It combines vital messages on personal safety and online safety in a single stimulating and memorable experience which helps to prepare youngsters for increased independence and their transition into early adolescence. Year 6 attended, and were delighted to find that this most serious of subjects was taught using a mixture of games and educational subjects to improve their knowledge of E-safety. This was followed after lunch in a similar vein learning about the safety issues surrounding water, electricity, road, fire and train safety. A tremendous amount of information to take in in one day, but the students found it all both enjoyable and, of course, extremely useful.

Enterprise Week NOW SOMETHING the whole school looks forward to as all the budding ‘Arfur Daleys’ start rubbing their hands together: ‘ENTERPRISE WEEK’. Each class is given a small amount of money which they must turn into a profit. A lot of the work and selling is done at break and lunch time, so in other words the children are learning in their own time. Sneaky or what ? Early years baked cakes, made bird feeder fat balls and hosted ‘stay and play’ with parents. Year 1 produced and sold bags of popcorn of various interesting flavours. This enterprise turned out to be quite lucrative and was constantly sold out. However, form teacher Mrs Euden muttered to me that if she never saw another bag of popcorn she would be quite happy. Year 1’s River enjoyed all of the experience especially weighing the produce into the bags where accuracy was essential, then selling it and collecting all those lovely 50 pence pieces. Year 2 produced ‘Jolly Jars’ stuffed with sweets, which must have been the bargain of the week at only 50 pence. Luka enjoyed stuffing the jars with ‘Fun Gums’, i.e., gummy toothbrushes and teeth (the mind boggles). However Ashley, with an entrepreneurial glint in her eye, preferred the selling part. Year 3, baked chocolate pizza, up to their respective armpits in pizza dough and chocolate sauce with a liberal topping of mini-marshmallows. Yum, Let’s guess what a large number of families were getting for tea this week, judging by the amount sold. Year 4 produced a quiz, a treasure map along with a toy stall. I would defy any grown ups to try and get past them without having a go. Year 5/6 between them came up with so many different and clever ideas to make money that the list is too long to mention them all, but it covered everything from a penalty shoot out to name that bear.

I must, however, mention the ‘Car Wash’. I wrote earlier about this exercise was a great learning experience. Well year 5/6 learned about survival in freezing weather conditions. Take the coldest day of the year and wash cars, rinsing them down in cold water. I have it on good authority that, because of icicles on their eyelashes, they actually washed one car twice, without knowing it. However, I am happy to report that they only made the owner pay once. Very generous I thought. I must commend the leadership qualities of class teacher Mrs Thurlow, who led from the front throughout and, in fact, looked soggier and colder than her young charges.

Matt Dickinson visit ON MONDAY 30th January Years 1 and 3 enjoyed an exciting visit from well known camera man, explorer and mountaineer Matt Dickinson. He spent the first part of the day with year 1 talking about his time in the Polar regions and then the rest of the morning and afternoon with year 3. He showed videos and photographs of his time climbing and filming on Mount Everest. He talked about ‘yellow snow’ (make your own mind up about that one), exploding toffee crisps and he showed personal pictures of the damage caused to his fingers by frost bite. Apparently a local Sherpa offered to save him a trip to hospital by chopping off his damaged fingers with a rusty axe. The generous offer was hastily declined. Inspired by Matt, the students produced written work, including stories about a fictional character who they would most like to be their ‘tent buddy’. He went on to tell the children about a future planned trip to Mount Everest filming and accompanying a group of Ghurkas. He invited them all to keep in touch with him by email when he is on the expedition.

EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) Chinese New Year GUNG HAY Fat Choy (Happy New Year). As EYFS learned about Chinese New Year. They made a ‘blossom tree card’ and learned about the significance of that and a Chinese lantern. They went on to make Chinese paper drums and listened to Chinese music. Working in groups they then produced fortune cookies and red envelopes that people put under their pillows in anticipation of a gift of money and sweets. They learned how important the RED envelopes were and how they bestow happiness and blessings on the receivers. And the Piece-De-Resistance, they made their own Dragon head with children as the tail and performed a Dragon Dance around the school spreading Chinese New Year joy and happiness throughout the building. And they and their teachers enjoyed every minute of it, especially when the families came in to see both the dance and the wonderful work that they had produced..

Owen Lawrence

Make yourself indispensible at work by hiding everything.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Groby Meadow - working parties, the AGM and more IT’S THE TIME of the year when the working parties that help maintain Groby Meadow on Newtown Linford Lane take a break but as we leave winter behind we’ll need to start work again very soon. In fact we’ll be starting them again on Sunday 26th March, 2.00 pm until 4.00 pm. We do rely heavily on help from the local Community and Shareholders for this essential work so if you can help please keep an eye on the Meadow notice board for further details. Working Parties were busy throughout 2016, on the second Sunday of the month, but numbers attending were down slightly on previous years so all volunteers will be warmly welcomed.

Annual General Meeting EARLIER in March we have the Groby CIC AGM in the Parish Council Rooms at 7.00 pm on Tuesday 7th March. All shareholders are welcome, together with anyone who has an interest in the Meadow, wants to volunteer or even find out how to become a shareholder.

A look back at 2016

for chocolate Easter eggs. The weather was kind to us and those who attended had an enjoyable morning. We are supporting a further event on the Meadow this Easter, Sunday 16th April from 10.00 am until 12.00 noon and hope that it will be well attended. We also supported the Village Christmas Fayre by providing a safe area for Santa’s reindeer to graze before they visited the village. We would like to support this again, if Santa is visiting Groby in 2017. During 2016, we received some financial support from the Thomas Herbert Smith Trust and this will enable us to carry out some maintenance to the Meadow boundary this year. As we are a non-profit making organisation, we rely on grants such as this and would welcome any financial support from local residents. We will be looking to launch a further Share option later in the year, so if anyone would like to purchase further shares or knows someone who would like to support us, please contact the Groby Parish Clerk.

Groby Pool Car Park problems ON A LESS positive note, we have continued to be troubled by issues emanating from the Groby Pool car park, involving men who are frequenting the area for anti-social behaviour. We have highlighted the activities to the Police and Borough Council and are trying to work with them to eradicate the problem. The Meadow is an area for local residents to enjoy with their families and the type of behaviour expressed by a small minority will not be tolerated. If you are on the Meadow and suspect that there is this type of activity taking place, please contact the Police via 101. This will support and assist the Police.

Alistair Cooper Chair Groby CIC

Book Spot Belonging and Becoming Creating a Thriving Family By Mark Scandrette and Lisa Scandrette, LionHudson, £9.99

The last year has been a fairly quiet one for the Groby CIC and the Meadow, but there have been a couple of ‘firsts’. In April we held the first Easter Egg Hunt for children from the village. This event was organised by the local Rotary Club and supported by Pricegate and the Parish Council. Approximately 50 children turned up on Easter Sunday morning with their parents and spent a couple of hours trying to find golf balls that were hidden in the Meadow, so that they could exchange them

Many of us feel overwhelmed about the prospect of raising children, especially if we’re in demanding jobs or having to deal with the pressures and stresses from everyday lives. Reflecting on difficulties from our own families of origin can increase our doubt and insecurity about being a good parent. And positive examples of family life can seem few and far between. This book offers a compelling vision of what the family can be. The authors share wisdom from the joys and struggles of their own life, and practical guidance for creating a healthy and deeply rooted family culture. Whether you’ve been a parent for some time, you’re just starting out, or you’re only starting to think about it, this book will inspire you to take new steps towards a thriving family.

Once in a while, someone amazing comes along ... and here I am.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

A Point to Ponder

Do we still need a bus stop outside the Leicester Road Co-op? The changes to the bus services from 18th February will mean the withdrawal of the 28 Groby to Leicester link. It’s not so long ago that there were 3 buses an hour linking some of the residential streets to Leicester but now there is to be just one, the 26 Coalville to Leicester service. The 26 will once again wind its way through Woodbank Road, past Martinshaw shops and down Stephensons Way where it will return to Ratby Road, a section of the route abandoned three years ago, a controversial change which Arriva explained was to ‘improve the timekeeping’ of the service. With the withdrawal of the 28 the bus stop outside the Co-op will only have only one bus an hour stopping there from Monday to Saturday and none on Sunday. Miss that bus and passengers will watch 3 buses turn off the by-pass and stop opposite the post office before the next 26 arrives an hour later. It has always puzzled some that there was no sign on the shelter advising travellers that a more frequent service was available a few minutes walk away. It’s perhaps controversial to consider removing a bus stop, and there may be some, particularly elderly passengers, who value being able to travel down to the Co-op stop by bus. They would have to walk back from the post office stop to do their shopping. But on the return journey when they are carrying their groceries there would be no change as

the bus stop opposite, in front of the Stamford Arms, would still be there. In addition to the 26 it will also continue to serve the Coalville bound 29 buses. Perhaps most passengers who catch the bus towards the city on this stretch of Leicester Road walk to the post office anyway because of the frequency of the service. With just one bus an hour is the Co-op stop really justified? Those who are doubtful might argue that taking this stop away releases the lay-by to provide additional on street parking spaces outside the supermarket, as the only two on this stretch of road are opposite the Stamford Arms near Chaplins the butcher. The point to ponder So the Point to Ponder is this – would any benefits in replacing the bus stop with additional

much needed village centre short term parking outweigh any disadvantages? What do you think? Let the Spotlight know your view and share your thoughts with other readers. Even if everyone agreed that on balance it it would be worth doing it wouldn’t happen ‘overnight’ as the timescale in making such changes is quite protracted, especially with County Council budgets stretched, and there would need to be formal consultation with residents. But what if there are no buses? There is concern about effect the withdrawal of service 28 will have on residents in the Glebe Road and Pymm Ley Lane area who depended on the service to get to the village centre. Groby’s County Councilor told the Parish Council this month it would result in some

residents experiencing difficulty getting to essential village services such as the post office and doctors. A proposal has been made which attempts to mitigate the impact by re-routing the 26 from Coalville. If adopted it would ensure the continuation of a bus service to some of the 28 route. Arriva is considering this suggestion from County Councillor O’Shea that the 26 continues to serve part of the withdrawn 28 route. A spokesperson for Arriva confirmed that the route they are looking at would mean that the 26 from the City would turn into Pymm Ley Lane, Glebe Road, Highfield Road and Oak Tree Close. When it reaches Ratby Road it would then turn right past the allotments and then left to serve Stephenson Way, Martinshaw shops and Woodbank Road before continuing towards Ratby. “We are nervous of the amount of time this will take.” he added. “That is why we are waiting to see how the first few days go to determine if we can do this or not.” It would take the reverse route when city bound. The 26 would no longer stop in the village centre at the post office, the Stamford Arms or the Co-op. If this Pymm Ley Lane option is viable and adopted the bus stop outside the Co-op would be redundant and no longer served by any route and could be given an alternative use. The Stamford Arms stop opposite would be unaffected as it would continue to be used by the 29 buses to Coalville.

Norman Griffiths

Groby cat news ... from Lindy Hardcastle I KNOW Spotlight doesn’t usually run lonelyhearts ads but I’m hoping you will make an exception in this case. From my bedroom window I can see a beautiful silver birch which used to be home to a pair of wood pigeons known to us all as Plip and Plop. Plip – or possibly Plop -fell victim to our little cat Ava two years ago. How a half-grown kitten managed to kill a full-sized pigeon – let alone drag it through the cat-flap – is a mystery to me. The sight of Ava in my back lobby, sitting on a dead pigeon’s chest, gnawing, will stay with me for ever. Now Plop- or possibly Plip is keeping a lonely vigil in the silver birch, cooing plaintively, so far to no avail. How can we find him/her a mate – Pigeon post? We are looking forward to Spring, always an exciting time in the garden – the first snowdrops coming through, the hellibores and winter heather coming in to bloom, the frogs arriving in our living room brought in by excited cats who quickly lose

interest when the frogs play dead. In the kittens’ first spring with us, moving all the furniture, collecting up a bucketful of frogs and returning them to the pond became as much a part of our morning routine as the Guardian crossword. Fledglings fared less well – they flap and squeak – bringing out the cats’ hunting instincts. We did manage to rescue a young woodpigeon from Olaf – possibly one of Plip and Plop’s babies. It didn’t seem much hurt and I put it in the front bedroom to recover, leaving a window open so it could fly off when it recovered. I forgot about the half-roof outside the window. When I went to check next morning I found a rather smug kitten and a very dead pigeon. Unlike our poor bereaved pigeon, Olaf is revelling in being an only cat since his poor bullied sister move up north. Little Ava, exiled to Skipton, has, appropriately enough, taken up residence in a Frozen themed tent in my grand-daughter’s

bedroom. She’s a placid little creature but she defends the tent fiercely against all comers. Everyone knows it is impossible to train a cat but Olaf has been very successful in training us. He never jumps up onto our laps but hurls himself dramatically on to floor, paws crossed, purring loudly for us to fuss him. The only time he jumps up is when we are asleep in bed, mewing and purring, demanding attention. 4 o’clock in the morning is his favourite time. Quite how and when chicken stopped being an occasional treat and turned into his staple diet I am not quite clear. As soon as he hears the table being set for dinner, he leaps onto his chair and waits to be served. In the morning he stays on the bed rather than following David downstairs to be fed, smugly secure in the knowledge that the master will soon return with our shared breakfast tray. Happy days.

Lindy

My wife is going to leave me in three weeks because my psychic abilities scare her.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

News From Groby Scout Group IT HAS been a great start to 2017 for the Groby Scout Group. Plans are afoot for many exciting activities across all of the sections, notably the District Swimming Gala in February and the first camps of the season beginning in March. However, it’s not just about planning (although there is an awful lot of that which goes on behind the scenes!) it’s also about ‘doing’! The Beavers, the youngest section of the group, took part in an amazing sleepover event this month – A Night at the Museum! – Beavers from across the district joined together at New Walk Museum for a sleepover with the Dinosaurs and the Mummies. An evening of fun filled activities organised by an army of leaders and helpers led to a massively successful event full of smiling faces and many memories firmly made. Many of the Beavers even quoted the sleeping with dinosaurs as “awesome”, however there were no noted reports of any artefacts coming to life during the night and running amok in the building, some of the beavers did report hearing snoring sounds during the night – fortunately the leaders accurately informed them that this was from the mummies! The Cubs enjoyed an evening out in Leicester taking part in an exploration of medieval Leicester. The tour began at Castle Gardens and they followed the path of the ancient city walls and learnt about the history of the city as they went. Visiting the city’s historic landmarks along the way they were keen to learn more about the history of our home, and they also proved that they all had an existing extensive knowledge of our history – especially when it came to talking about Richard the Third. This month’s Scouting facts – examples of how Scouting has impacted the entertainment world! • David Bowie’s first public musical performance was at a Scout camp on the Isle of Wight in 1958. David accompanied his friend George Underwood on the ukulele, while George played washboard bass and sang. • Rolling Stones rocker Keith Richards credits Scouts with nurturing his music career. ‘I got to be patrol leader within six weeks – I just shot to the top. Once I had a bunch of guys together, it doesn’t matter if it was the Scouts or a band, I could see my way clear to pull all their various talents together.’ • There’s a Scouting poster in both the EastEnders and Coronation Street cafes. • Liam Payne from world-dominating boyband One Direction is a former Scout, as is ‘reem’ ankle watch-wearing TOWIE star Joey Essex. • Georges Remi, aka Hergé, based his legendary comic-book character Tintin on a Scout. • Singer and DJ Jarvis Cocker donated the platinum disc for Pulp’s biggest ever album, Different Class, to his old Scout Group in Sheffield. • John Lennon and Paul McCartney went to Cubs together. If you would like to get involved, as a Leader or Helper, then please contact The Group Scout Leader – gsl@ grobyscouts.org.uk – we are always looking for volunteers who can help so that we can continue to grow the group and offer the scouting experience to even more children. YIS (Yours in Scouting)

Andy Stone – ACSL

One thing my dogs and I have in common is that we never want me to go to work.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

No Street Fair in 2017

Norman Griffiths looks back at the one-off event that ran for six years

ACK IN 2011 a small group of residents had an idea for a community event – a traditional street fair. It seemed a good idea but would need a bit of organising. The conversations that followed were held behind closed doors, but perhaps they went like this … “If we have stalls then the road would have to be closed for the day. Could be expensive, and road Some of the closures involve paperwork, signage and barriers. “But once the road is closed it’s safe for pedestrians and there could be more than just stalls. “Wait a minute, let’s think this through – what’s this “more than stalls” business? “Well the stalls are great for merchandising but how boring for the kids, and after all we do want it to be an event for everyone so perhaps we could have a bouncy castle. “Good idea, we could even have some rides or perhaps a climbing frame. “Well if we’re going in this direction how do we encourage people to linger rather than rushing in and out? If we want them to linger they’ll need something to eat and everyone needs a cup of tea, don’t they? “But some people don’t like eating standing up, especially if they’ve been around the block once or twice age wise, but we could rent tables and chairs. “A bit of entertainment would encourage them to linger, in fact we could be bold and have a stage and musical entertainment all day – singers bands and even school choirs. “And what about this – after the stallholders have gone we could carry on into the early evening with a ceilidh.” We don’t know if the discussion went quite like that but we do know that this small group got on with the job and it was such a success that they delivered a community event on Markfield Road for not just one year, but for six. The efforts culminated in the Victorian Christmas Fair last November, complete with Santa arriving on a sleigh with two reindeer. Over the six years thousands of visitors have passed through the gates, traders have returned year after year, and charities have raised valuable funds for good causes. The core committee have carried the burden of planning, administration and implementation, supported by a host of volunteers who have turned out to help on the day. The parish council helped, local businesses sponsored raffle prizes, and the Big Lottery Fund provided a grant to literally get the show on the road. Entertainers helped make the event more than just a row of stalls. The great unknown in 2011 was whether villagers would turn out for the Street Fair, but of course they did. Local businesses were pleased with the boost given to trade by the influx of visitors to the centre of the village and at Flint they reported an excellent trading day, adding that they would be very pleased to see a similar event in the future. And anyone who dropped into the Stamford Arms will remember that business was booming. Jim, the landlord at the Stamford, said that they didn’t know quite what to expect but he was very pleased with the way it all turned out. The musical mix at the Fair was outstanding. With a wide range of

2011 committee rest after a demanding day entertainment running non-stop all afternoon there was something for everyone, with soloists, Morris Dancers, Stanley Opera from Hinckley, Scottish dancers, punk rock, the Zufflers and punchy big band music from musicians from the Soar Valley Music Centre. The church grounds provided a useful balcony for many visitors to sit and enjoy the music. For many the high spot of the day was the chance to hear local blues and rock star Aynsley Lister, who also opened the event at noon. Performing solo Aynsley left the crowd shouting for more, always the best way to leave your audience. Residents at this first Street Fair couldn’t have forecast that within a few years he would be winning national awards for his singing, songwriting and guitar playing. As the Street Fair drew to a close The Zufflers took to the stage and in the evening Malarkey Ceilidh Band played for dancers and and those who just wanted to watch and listen. The evening finished with the prize draw and by 9 pm the road was open again. There was little sign of the months of preparation that had gone into the event. All that was left were the photos and memories of a successful day and a team of exhausted organisers. The committee, mainly but not exclusively made up of people of a certain age, has changed very little over the succeeding years. Each year there has been the hope that new blood would help spread the responsibility a bit more thinly but, just like most other voluntary activities in the village, this has proved elusive. Voters were given the vision of the Big Society a few years ago but the truth is that the village was dependent on volunteers long before the BS sound bite was coined. From parish councillors to the scouts, from school governors to the mums and toddlers clubs, from the village hall to the library, from the churches to the allotments, and all points in between, it’s volunteers that have been the backbone of village life. A number of local organisations have appealed for new volunteers in recent years and now the time has come when the Street Fair Committee has decided after 6 successful years it’s time to step back and take time out, so there is no Street Fair planned for 2017. This will be a disappointment to residents and traders but it doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the event. The committee have all the experience needed bring it back and put a smile on the face of the village next year. But they need to be passing on the mantle to a new generation who will preserve and enhance what has been achieved. They took a gamble and created something good for the village. The question for 2017 is who is out there prepared to take up the challenge? If you want to know more about how you can help make 2018 the year the Street Fair returned you can get in touch at grobystreetfair@virginmedia. com. You can look back over six years of photographs and articles online at www.grobystreetfair.tk.

Sometimes I can’t tell if my son is a lot like me, or if I’m a lot like a 4-year-old.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

News from the Parish Council Chairman Firstly, I would like to welcome our new Parish Clerk, Alexis Taylor. Alexis comes with a wealth of experience after many years in the role as Parish Clerk at Caythorpe and Mountsorrel. This knowledge will no doubt be a great asset to our Parish and whilst there are many things to catch up on we have some exciting times ahead of us. This isn’t a run of the mill Parish Chairman’s newsletter, it was never going to be. If you wish to find out about what upsets you, whether the council tax is going up or whether that planning application next door has been passed please visit our Parish Office, website or email us at: parishclerk@groby.com I have always believed that if you want something to happen, you have to make it happen and 2017/8 brings many challenges. I have always believed that getting involved ensures that things happen and this is one reason why I joined the Parish Council. This year we have vacancies for at least two Parish Councillors; this role is about enhancing your community, developing its needs and strengthening its strengths. It’s an unpaid role but the coffee and biscuits are free. Being a Councillor is more about that street, road or lane you live in. Has it a community spirit, a heart or vision and if it does that’s great but if not who will or can change it; well that’s you. I visited this village about six years ago. Hazel and myself were completing some research on whether the “Stamford” had a opportunity for us. It was a Saturday morning about 10am, the village was functioning as a village. It had a butcher, a flower shop, a newsagent, a bank, a post office, a village hall, a Mini Market, a library, two churches and a jeweller’s. “It’s beautiful,” were Hazel’s words. However, I felt something and decided that this was our moment in time; it’s a strange journey in becoming a “Councillor”. There are many reasons why people get involved personal groups, local concerns, fighting a nearby housing development or being involved in how “your money gets spent”. It is on schools, parking issues, overgrown trees, local parks or the BMX Track. A Parish Councillor can’t change any of the above but as a Councillor on a Parish Council you have an independent opinion, opinions become motions and motions make change. It takes time - I’ve learnt that since May - but changes are afoot and change gives me an opportunity. And that’s what I felt that morning six years ago, an opportunity to provide for the village, a big village but more importantly a community, that’s you. I would also like to thank some groups locally; the community Library group, the village hall committee, the Groby Sings choir, the Street Fayre committee, Bradgate Rotary Club, the CIC Field committee, GE Community group, Groby Juniors Football Club, Groby Players , and others - for having a go and making a difference in our community.

Brian Rigby - Chairman, Groby Parish Council

At the end of the day, life should ask us: ‘Do you want to save the changes?’

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Letter from Uncle Eustace

HENSTOCKS

On Weddings in Spring

Accountants & Tax Consultants 26 Fosse Road Central, Leicester LE3 5PR

The Rectory St. James the Least of All

ESTABLISHED FOR OVER 50 YEARS

My dear Nephew Darren Just as undertakers rub their hands in glee at the coming of Winter frosts, so hoteliers with banqueting suites become animated at the first signs of Spring. We have arrived at the first phase of the marriage season. As the days begin to lengthen and trees start to bud, young men find it irresistible not to propose to potential brides. Some people wait to hear the first cuckoo to let them know Spring is on its way; I wait to hear the first knock on the Rectory door from couples wanting to book their wedding. Naturally, my first job is to try to put them off; it would save them a great deal of money and give me many more free Saturdays. But I always fail, and so the big day is booked. Nowadays, there is such a time lag between booking a marriage service and it taking place, I sometimes think it would be easier to book the service first and then look for someone to marry at a later, more convenient, time. Last year, it was somewhat different with one couple. They were both in their late eighties (a good time to contemplate a first marriage, in my opinion) and asked if they could arrange to get married as soon as possible. The usual reason for a hurried marriage seemed unlikely at their age and so I asked why. Their answer was charming: “At our age, we might not still be here if the great day is much delayed.” Of course, booking a marriage is the simplest part of the whole procedure. There are florists to negotiate with - made even more complex should there be more than one marriage that day. One bride wants all white, the other red, and so one set of priceless flowers is trundled out of church by one set of florists while a competitor barrows in the next confection. Photographers are inclined to think aisles are racetracks, pews for standing on and that all church furniture is moveable - generally once the service has started. I place all photographers in the west gallery before the service and lock them in - apologising for my fit of absentmindedness afterwards. Courses should be offered at theological colleges on placating irate bellringers when the bride is half-an-hour late, cooling down organists when the happy couple ask to come in to an organ arrangement of a Led Zepplin number, and re-assuring the choir that the guests meant no disrespect as they made mobile phone calls in church while the choir sang Ave Maria, once we had disappeared to sign the registers. However, nothing will ever calm down a verger who has been left to sweep up several hundredweights of confetti once everyone else has gone home. Personally, I find a restorative sherry back at the rectory works wonders. Your loving uncle,

Eustace

WE CAN DEAL WITH ALL YOUR ACCOUNTANCY REQUIREMENTS OUR SERVICES INCLUDE ACCOUNTS PREPARATION (INC. LTD COMPANIES), PERSONAL & BUSINESS TAXATION, TAX PLANNING, BOOKKEEPING, PAYROLL & VAT. CONTACT US FOR YOUR FREE CONSULTATION

Tel: 0116 262 3202 Fax: 0116 261 9186 office@henstocks.co.uk

www.henstocks.co.uk

Nominate your favourite people and places for a Green Plaque MORE PEOPLE and places across Leicestershire are set to be honoured with a Green Plaque award. A fresh call has gone out for nominations in the latest round of the Leicestershire County Council scheme, which recognises the contribution to a local community made by an individual, a place or an event. Nominations close on Monday, 20th March when a panel of judges, including honorary aldermen, will whittle down the list to 12 contenders before the public are asked to vote on the top six to receive an honour. “We’ve already had some terrifically varied plaques awarded – from war heroes to comedians and even a racehorse – but we’re keen to hear about other people and places that have left their mark on the county,” said Councillor Peter Lewis, who has Cabinet responsibility for Green Plaques. Past recipients of a Green Plaque include railways pioneer George Stephenson, Monty Python star Graham Chapman and the John Taylor Bellfoundry at Loughborough. Last December, the Barwell meteorite, which fell in the Leicestershire village back in 1965, was the latest event to be commemorated with a plaque. To submit a nomination, and for more information, visit www.leicestershire. gov.uk/greenplaques

Exciting events coming up at Ben’s Kitchen BEN KNOWLES is a young chef running his own kitchen at Groby Ex-Servicemen’s Club. He caters for buffets, outside catering, corporate catering, funerals and weddings. Ben is planning regular themed nights on Thursdays, beginning in March. Club membership - which costs just £8 per year - is not needed for Thursdays and Sundays in the restaurant. To keep up to date with Ben’s menus and events, search for ‘Ben’s Kitchen’ on Facebook. (See advert on page 6)

Every Saturday morning 10.00am—12.30pm

Catch meets for play, craft, story & chat for pre-school children with a parent or carer 9.30-11.30am every Friday at Groby URC Chapel Hill Fair Cuppa for FairTrade refreshments in fairly traded mugs. Every Thursday 10.3012am at the Village Hall

Weekly events for children and young people

for 6’s to 14’s on Mon evenings, at 6.00pm or 7.45pm; for 15-18’s on Wed evenings at 7.30pm; for 15-18’s on Fri at 7.30pm. We meet at the United Reformed Church All of these activities, along with our work in schools, are provided by the two churches in Groby under the group name EXTEND.

For further information please see websites and church magazines St. Philip and St. James www.bradgateteam.org.uk Revd. Louise Corke 231 3090 Phil Holmes (Church United Reformed Church www.grobyurc.com Secretary) 225 3335 1733 Children and Families Worker John Fryer 07540 957926

Girls mature faster than guys because men don’t usually develop breasts until their mid-40s.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk THE LEICS. AND RUTLAND Federation went on their annual winter holiday. The following is a report by Annette Fowler who did the following report for me, I cannot tell you how many ladies fill the gap when the need arises, everyone in Groby WI “mucks in”. Many thanks Annette. On Monday 16th January 2017, a few of us from Groby WI packed our bags and joined the now annual trip to a Warners Hotel. This year it was to be BodelWyddan Castle, nr Rhyl, North Wales. We met at WI House,cases loaded onto three coaches, and we were on our way, stopping in Chester for a wander round and a cuppa. Arriving at the Castle by 3 pm - keys, rooms and tables in the dining room sorted out - it was then time to explore. On Tuesday the buses took us a trip to Snowdonia, which included visits to Caernarfon Castle, through Llanberis Pass, (up in the clouds, so ‘hats off ’ to the bus drivers), then out of the clouds on to Betws-yCoed. Time for lunch and a walk round a very interesting area. Unfortunately all the little trains etc. up Snowdon closed for January. It was good to see the area of Snowdonia in a different season you can see more of the countryside where the trees have lost their leaves. Waterfalls were beautiful. Wednesday off to Anglesey, via the new Britannia Bride (buses not able use the original Menai Bridge, where we stopped in Llanfair PG (the long named village no-one can pronounce) to look at the building where WI first started in 1915, (would never have fitted 3 bus loads inside). After a break in a shopping outlet, off to Bangor for a couple of hours. A few of us took a walk down to the Pier which extends out into the Menai Straight, and also down to the harbour. Thursday was a day off for the drivers, but there was a morning trip to Llandudno if we wanted. There was a tour round the castle arranged by the gardener, his face was a picture when around 70 people turned up, he usually only gets 20. Support was called for and everyone enjoyed a very interesting talk about the gardens and their future. The Castle holds a collection from the National Portrait Gallery of important persons from the area, all hung in the wonderful Castle rooms. The Castle was built as a Manor House in 1460 and was castellated around 1830. Warners have made it into a wonderful place for a holiday. Each day there was a different menu for areas of the British Isles: Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland, with entertainment to match given by 6 young people who, after they had served us at table, danced with us. We must thank Ruth from WI

Groby WI News

House for organising the great trip. Lovely break all round, meeting new people, making new friends. You should try it sometime. Here’s to January 2018. Wonder where that will be.

‘What it feels like to go blind’ John Flanner was our speaker this month. He called his talk “Fear Fun and Faith – what it feels like to go blind”. He grew up in Birmingham in a working family, mother, father, brother and two sisters. He described himself as very shy and timid of almost everything. He also thought of himself as very ugly. He was frightened of the dark, petrified of the dentist after experiencing having a gas mask to remove a tooth (I also can remember that!). It took him until 25 to get up courage to go again. However, his one passion was football which he would play, if he could, 24 hours a day. His Dad was well meaning but always shouted and was argumentative. He got into the usual boyhood scrapes but his biggest fear was girls, he believed they would think him ugly. John thought he was coming out of his shell and got himself an Elvis hairdo. He sprayed it with Cossack

hair spray and didn’t comb it for three weeks. When he was 19 and as usual playing football in a match, he found he couldn’t focus, he thought it was the weather, it passed. Later he banged into the goal post and his vision really got blurred. After a few weeks his vision was still blurred so he went along to the doctors and then onto the hospital. After numerous tests he was informed that his optic nerve was dying and that he would soon be blind. His mother always had bad eyesight but tests found he had inherited a condition through the female line. It eventually resulted in his brother and one sister also losing their sight. He now has a blind niece although her two siblings are fine. He was registered blind and was told he had to have a white stick. At first he refused but realised that if he didn’t have one he would be housebound. It affected everyday things - eating for example, cutting food up, even finding the plate. He even took his plate to his room so the family wouldn’t see him making a mess of eating. He had literally to eat his pride and ask for help. So his Dad took him by train on a training course to Torquay and then had to leave him. He was alone but of course there were others there

in the same situation. Eventually he palled up with a chap and they decided to be brave and go to the local pub for a meal. He ordered steak and managed to cut it up, it was lovely but his friend said his was really tough and eventually called the waiter over. When he explained, the waiter just laughed and said he was trying to cut up his tie! John then went on to explain his fear, one of many, that he wouldn’t work again. It was suggested he became an audio typist, a girl’s job so he thought but he did the course. He found work in the Civil Service and gradually began to build up his confidence, go to football matches again, the theatre etc. He even went ten pin bowling and learned to listen to the sound of the balls. He had lots of laughs, one blind friend said his glass eye had dropped out, a blind girl said she had 7 sets of different coloured eyes to match whatever she was wearing. The number of times he or his friends said they had put sugar on the dinner instead of salt, it was also quite common to wear different coloured shoes etc. He had never been out on a date but was at a disco with his Dad who played the piano and who loved cockles and mussels. He had some cockles himself and offered the woman next to him some. From there all were going onto his home to a party so he asked her to come as well. Her name was Sylvia and she asked him to dance, he had never danced before but he did. They were engaged just a few weeks later. His wife of course did most things a man would do, drive the car, decorating, washing up, he once found the sink full of gung he had used, I can’t remember what it was, but it took ages to get rid of it. They bought a house and he liked the atmosphere. When they got to the bathroom the wife just laughed but said nothing. He can see light and dark i.e. the concrete of the pavement, the walls in the bathroom looked black to him so he assumed that was why she was laughing. It was only later when she got around to decorating it that she told him that she allowed the children to scribble on the walls, he wondered why they always laughed in there and she told him it was covered with embossed wallpaper with nude women on it. He said he always had faith not particularly in God as a god but as a Dad. He believes everyone should believe in something! Unfortunately his talk came to a sad end. They were on holiday with friends abroad and his wife had a stroke. They eventually got her home but she has had three further strokes and is very ill and has dementia. A lovely man who made us laugh a lot and really gave us an insight into blindness.

Margaret It’s hard to diet when your favourite exercise is chewing.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Sponsorship Kenya & Tanzania Expedition 2018 MY NAME is Rebekah Garratt; I am aged fifteen; I am a pupil at Groby Community College. I am volunteering with Camps International to go to Kenya & Tanzania in July 2018.

Forthcoming Events

I have had a passion for Africa from a very young age and I am very aware that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to work in this country. I am a regular volunteer for Ratby Community Cinema as well as being active in the Scout movement and I am looking forward to being able to use the skills I have learnt to volunteer in another country. The Camp international Schools Kenya expedition is to help local communities in Kenya by building wells and schools. To do this each volunteer has to raise their own funds for the trip. The cost of this is a staggering £4,500 per volunteer for the month long trip. I have to work very hard to raise this amount of money, one of my funding projects is to have the name and logo of local companies sponsoring me printed on to a banner that I will be using over the next 18 months. Each company will have an A4 size space on the banner and for this advertising opportunity it costs £50. This banner would be visible at the many events I will be attending including coffee mornings, fetes, the fortnightly Ratby Community Cinema, (where I volunteer), car boots and the Ratby Bank Holiday yard sale. I am also selling advertising space on my t-shirt that I will also be wearing at my fundraising event as well as Kenya and Tanzania for £200, I am sure you agree this is a really good advertising opportunity for those companies which take part. I have already raised £2,000 through a range of activities including raffles, coffee mornings and a quiz night. I have learnt many skills through doing this and I hope to learn many more. This is a great opportunity to advertise your company as a caring sponsor for an important cause and also very exciting for me! If you have read this and would like to help in any way – either by sponsoring me or donating an item that I may be able to auction off please contact me at: Rebekahg16@aol.com or on my Facebook page Rebekah’s African Adventure (where you can also find out about my prize raffles) and I will be happy to speak with you. Yours sincerely,

Rebekah Garratt

Volunteer for the Camps International Kenya and Tanzania expedition 2018

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Groby Village Society Thursday February 23 Reflections in Rhyme Delia Bennett Thursday March 23 A.G.M. Thursday April 27 Calke Abbey Gardens, Echoes from the Past Celia Sanger Thursday May 25 The underage Soldiers & Nurses of WW1 Peter Cousins Meetings are held at Groby Village Hall Starting at 7.30pm. Except for October which will be at Groby Library Starting at 7.30pm. For Further Details Contact Hon. Secretary Mr. P. Castell Tel. 0116 287 9842 email: groby.villagesociety@ tiscali.co.uk Non Members are Welcome

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Garden waste charge gives Borough Council £260,000 windfall Norman Griffiths hears that take up was better than forecast AT A TIME when Governments are cutting grants and restricting council expenditure and Council Tax increases, and income from the County Council is disappearing, news of an unexpected income windfall must be welcome news to the accountants responsible for balancing the books at Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. The good news for them is that the amount estimated to be collected for the current financial year from the £24 garden bin charge is set to be £260,000 more than they had expected. Charging for the collection of garden waste had been on the cards for a few years prior to the introduction of the fee in April 2016, and was narrowly avoided in 2015 when the Borough Council decided to use income from planning applications to plug the financial gap. But with the County Council withdrawing a grant for the service amounting to £350,000 a year, and Government limits on Council Tax increases, clearly something had to be done.

The consultation In late 2015 more than 2,000 people gave their views in a survey on the future of council funding in Hinckley and Bosworth. It asked whether residents would be prepared to accept an increase in council tax of approximately £16 per year or alternatively an annual charge for the garden waste service of £35 per year along with additional small percentage rise in council tax. The £16 Council Tax option would have required the council to carry out a local referendum at an approximate cost to taxpayers of £100,000, whatever the outcome. If a referendum resulted in a ‘no’ vote, then the council would be obliged to introduce a charge for garden waste in order to meet the shortfall. Overall, 73% of people who took part said they would vote in favour of the council tax increase in a referendum, but only 40% of residents overall said they would continue to use the garden waste service if a £35 annual charge was introduced.

The goalposts moved By the time the borough had to set the level of Council tax for 2016 the Government had moved the goalposts and it became possible

to raise an extra £5 from Council Tax without a referendum, but a separate charge would be needed for garden waste collection. This was the route taken, ignoring the fact that 73% of respondents in the consultation had indicated they would prefer the bin charge to remain part of Council Tax even if this meant an increase of £16 a year. The decision taken was to introduce a £24 brown bin charge and increase Council Tax in line with the new Government guidelines. The cost of providing the service for 2016/17 is forecast at around £26 for each of the 41,000 properties eligible for the service, or £8 per property just to make up the shortfall caused by the withdrawal of the grant by the County Council. The budget set by the Council assumed that only 20,156 bins would be paid for, despite the consultation suggesting that 16,400 (40%) might pay as much as £40 and 73% would pay £16.

The2016 take up Although - just like other surveys and polls - the overall consultation response was only about 5% of households eligible for the service, the result seems to have fairly reflected the view of residents. The latest figures indicate that more than 73% of eligible properties have now subscribed to the garden waste collection service. The total income collected as at 31 December 2016 was £747,000. Although this is nearly £400k more than the £350k grant withdrawn, the forecast net income for the year is £260,144 more than the budgeted net income once everything is taken into account. Given that the consultation indicated that 73% would pay £16 a year the forecast of a 49% take up seems overly pessimistic, and is one which has cost subscribing households £8 extra this year. But that is with the benefit of hindsight and the spokesperson added that: “This was an unknown situation and we based our original estimates on the experience of other local authorities for take up on their schemes. Yes, in hindsight, we could be seen as pessimistic in the original budget setting as to the take up of what has proved to be a very popular service with residents possibly due to a lower cost than most charging authorities.” Although the original bogey man responsible for the introduction of a charge was the County Council as it struggled to balance its own

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books by dropping the £350,000 grant, the focus has now widened to encompass the Government squeeze. “The charge is not levied in relation to a one off loss of income, but over the life of the financial strategy,” explained a spokesperson. “The Council has a four year Medium Term Financial Strategy for all its finances and the garden waste charge is an element in seeking to balance the declining external funding from Government and Leicestershire County Council who also have declining government support.” Revenue Support Grant funding to the Borough Council from the Government will be slashed from £1.25m in 2016/17 to £83,975 in 2019/20.

The future At the moment there is no master plan to make the service self sufficient through charging and eliminate the contribution from Council Tax. “There are currently no plans to increase/decrease the charge in future years but this will be something for members to decide each year taking account the circumstances at the time and the advice of officers,” the spokesperson added. The garden waste charge is not ring fenced and so the 2016 windfall surplus income will be allocated to reserves or balances to fund council services. Unless there is a further, but unlikely, increase in the number of subscribers there will be no further windfall in 2017/18 as the budget will be set to reflect the fee at £24 and the higher than anticipated uptake. So gardeners will have to pay up and look happy as it could be a lot worse. Around half of councils now charge for the service. The charges range from a modest £14 to some eye watering figures in the south of England where the 3 most expensive are to be found. If you enjoy your garden don’t move to Harlow (£96),Kingston upon Thames(£78) or Harrow(£75).

Compiled and published in the Parish of Groby & Field Head. Printed in Ellistown by Norwood Press. The Spotlight is a monthly compilation of articles, press releases, events, general items of interest and news items submitted to us by local residents, groups, associations, sports clubs and local authorities. The opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Spotlight Production Team. The inclusion of any group or organisation in this publication does not necessarily imply a recommendation of its aims, methods or policies. Groby & Field Head Spotlight cannot be held responsible for the information disclosed by advertisements, all of which are accepted in good faith. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information in this magazine, but no liability can be accepted for loss or inconvenience caused as a result of error or omission. Groby & Field Head Spotlight reserves the right to amend, shorten or refuse to publish articles and/or advertisements submitted for publication. All contents © Groby & Field Head Spotlight. None of the articles contained in this magazine are to be reproduced in any way without first obtaining written consent from Groby & Field Head Spotlight.

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Borough Councillors’ Monthly Report Withdrawal of the Number 28 Groby Bus service

dog, or any dog they are in charge of, to mess in a public place, may be issued with the fine. This used to be £50, but under the new Public Space Protection Order, this has now risen to £100.” To report a dog owner who doesn’t pick up after their dog please contact the Clean Neighbourhood Team on 01455 255977

SATURDAY 18th of February will see the end of the No. 28 bus service which up to now has served the village from the days of Hail and Ride 16 seat Fox Cubs to the present 37 seat buses. From Sunday 19th of February the replacement No. 26 bus from Ratby will additionally serve Woodbank Road, Stephenson Way, missing out the stops between Woodbank Road and where Stephenson way rejoins the Ratby road into the village centre. This, I am sorry to report, means that Oak Tree Close, Glebe Road, Pymm Ley Lane, Pine Tree Avenue, Chestnut Walk and Hawthorne Rise will no longer have a bus service. Councillor Cartwright and I along with several other Borough and County Councillors attended the arranged meeting with the Area Managing Director of Arriva Buses on Thursday 2nd February at the Hinckley Council Offices to discuss Arriva’s proposal to withdraw the number 28 Groby Bus service, a move which we both strongly oppose as it will deprive a large part of the village of any bus service. There are quite a number of residents in that area who depend on the No 28 to help get them into the village centre in order to access the Post Office, the Doctor’s Surgery, the Pharmacy and other village shops. The new service and timetable starts on SUNDAY February 19th even though we were told by Arriva that they would be holding a series of road shows in Groby and Ratby to explain the operational reasons (too few passengers etc. making the route not viable). It was also stressed that congested roads around Groby caused delays which had a detrimental effect on the timetable and in order to address these problems the changes being introduced would improve reliability and punctuality for their passengers. Martin and I both challenged the accuracy of the low passenger numbers quoted for the Pymm Ley Lane stage and whether they were recorded accurately. We both agree that cutting out the whole of this estate is a step too far and have asked the Area Managing Director to look again at including at least a part of the withdrawn section. If we are successful in achieving this and Arriva agree to trial it, it would then be up to the passengers to use it or lose it. We should also mention that

Martin Cartwright Call: 0116 287 4500 Mobile: 078 50 70 70 50 E-mail: hbbc@appliancehome.co.uk Write: Maverick House, 10 Pine Tree Avenue Groby, LE6 0EQ Groby is not the only area to be facing a revision of bus routes. The changes have been brought about due to the Traffic Commissioners raising concerns about punctuality and traffic flows.

Dog Fouling – We’re Watching You! A WINTER ANTI DOG fouling campaign has just been launched, aimed at dog walkers who don’t ‘scoop the poop’. Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council have joined forces with environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy in a bid to reduce dog fouling in the Borough. The campaign sets its sights on irresponsible dog owners, with recent research showing that dog walkers are more responsible and pick up after their dogs when they think that they are being watched. Feedback suggests that dog fouling tends to occur at night time and during the months with shorter days as some dog owners feel that they can’t be seen ‘under the cover of darkness’. So, the Borough Council will be using a series of ‘We’re watching you’ signs (pictured below) that will be visible after dark. Council Officers will be installing the glow in the dark signs and pavement stencils throughout the Borough during the winter months. At the same time, the Council’s

Ted Hollick Call: 0116 287 5955 Mobile: 07962 373983 E-mail: ted.hollick@tesco.net Write: 7 Shaw Wood Close, Groby, LE6 0FY Clean Neighbourhood Officers will be working closely with local schools offering educational presentations on dog fouling, called “the smelly truth”. There will also be regular patrols near schools and dog waste bags and ‘report it’ cards will be handed out to parents. Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services, Councillor Mark Nickerson

Former Barclays Bank Planning Permission Granted THE FORMER Barclays Bank on Ratby Road has received planning permission for change of use to a Physiotherapy and Natural Health Clinic. The application for two non illuminated signs has also been approved. The conversion is well under way but we are not aware of the official opening date.

Co-op Laundon Way Planning Permission PLANNING permission has been granted for the Co-op on Laundon Way Groby to replace their light green signage with the new corporate colours of light blue.

Ex-Servicemen’s Club Planning Permission FOLLOWING concerns over highway safety issues the new display board at the front of Groby ExServicemen’s club will be relocated alongside the boundary wall from its current position in the near future. The club has also been granted planning permission to build a smoking shelter away from the front entrance.

said, “The vast majority of dog owners are responsible people, who habitually pick up after their dog and dispose of the poo bags correctly, either in the nearest bin or by taking home to dispose of in their own household waste bin. “But feedback from residents has told us that those who don’t pick up after their dogs create a real issue as it’s by far seen as the most unacceptable and dirtiest type of litter. That’s why we have a zero tolerance approach to dog fouling and anyone caught allowing their

Study of future growth in Leicester and Leicestershire is released KEY EVIDENCE about the future need for housing and employment land in Leicester and Leicestershire has been published. The Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment (HEDNA) has looked at a wealth of evidence, including population, household and economic growth projections, to assess the need for housing and employment land over the next 20 years.

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk The report says there is a need for 117,900 homes in Leicester and Leicestershire between 2011 and 2036 to meet the demands of a growing population. This equates to 4,716 homes per year. It also identifies a need for up to 215 hectares of land for office development, 165 hectares for manufacturing, and 117 hectares of land for warehouse and distribution floor space. As the study period started in 2011, some of the development will already have taken place or land will have been identified by the local authorities involved. The study is an important part of the evidence base for Local Plans and the Strategic Growth Plan being prepared jointly by the City, County, Borough and District Councils and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP). The HEDNA is a key study which will form part of the evidence base for Local Plans and will feed into the Strategic Economic Plan being revised by the LLEP. Local Plans are prepared at Borough, District and City level and direct where development should, and should not, be accommodated. The Strategic Growth Plan is being prepared jointly by the city, county, borough and district councils together with the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership. This will provide a framework for the future growth of Leicester and Leicestershire up to 2050. The preparation of the Strategic Growth Plan is being overseen by senior councillors from each local authority. An initial consultation on the Strategic Growth Plan was held in 2016 and a second stage is due to be held later this year. The HEDNA looks at projections based on past population and demographic trends, with adjustments made (where necessary) for higher migration to support economic growth, and/ or to address affordability issues, responding to an analysis of market

signals and evidence of the need for affordable housing. The housing and employment needs evidence in the HEDNA will need to be brought together with wider evidence, including land availability and infrastructure, environmental, and other considerations through the planmaking process to identify where new housing can be delivered and to set future housing and employment land targets. Cllr Cartwright comments on the above report: “With the release of this long awaited report there will never be an acceptance of plans of this nature by affected residents until there is an assurance that growth will be matched at the same time by the provision of roads, schools, health facilities and all the other facilities which match and address the lack of the facilities needed. “Our current road system is close to capacity and on an all too regular basis massive delays and time lost to the economy being stuck in traffic is all to common an occurrence. “Similarly our schools, health facilities and hospitals simply cannot always cope with current demands let alone placing a further burden on these. “Until a comprehensive plan is produced indicating how these problems are to be addressed in conjunction with the growth we cannot expect people to willingly accept yet more unsustainable growth”.

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Groby Surgery Patients Group

Millions of ‘unnecessary’ GP visits are for coughs and colds A REPORT published by the Local Government Association(LGA) last November called for “a new culture of care” to reduce pressures on doctors and hospitals. It said that millions of GP visits are unnecessary, and for minor ailments such as coughs, colds, back pain and insect bites where patients could instead be helped to treat themselves. With one in five GP appointments for minor ailments, it is estimated that selfcare could save doctors on average one hour a day. Latest figures suggest that 5.2 million GP consultations are for blocked noses, 40,000 for dandruff, and 20,000 for travel sickness. Minor conditions and illnesses are responsible for approximately 57 million GP consultations and 3.7 million A&E admissions every year, costing the NHS more than £2 billion. The 3.7 million visits to A&E (19 per cent of all admissions) were for self-treatable conditions such as a sprain (38 per cent), flu (17 per cent), colic (13 per cent) and insect bite (13 per cent). The LGA, which represents more than 370 councils in England and Wales, said GPs can play a vital role in educating the public about self-care and how they can treat themselves without visiting the doctor or manage long-term conditions by taking preventative measures to stay fit. So what are the 10 most common minor ailments seen by GPs? • Back pain • Dermatitis • Heartburn and indigestion • Nasal congestion (blocked nose) • Constipation • Migraines • Coughs • Acne • Sprains and strains • Headaches You can find out the most effective ways to treat things like this at home, and save yourself a trip to the surgery. There’s lots of information online on www. thegrobysurgery.nhs.uk . Your local pharmacist can also give for lots of advice on health issues, including when to visit your GP. And there’s no need for an appointment. For a link to the NHS webpage that suggests treatments for the top

10 minor ailments listed below just Google grobylinx and follow the links to doctors. Alternatively to go straight to it type in http://www.nhs. uk/Livewell/Pharmacy/Pages/homeremedies-for-common-conditions. aspx. Another option is to phone the NHS 111 service if you need medical help or advice but it’s not a life-threatening situation. Call 111 if: • you need medical help fast but it’s not a 999 emergency • you think you need to go to A&E or need another NHS urgent care service • you don’t know who to call or you don’t have a GP to call • you need health information or reassurance about what to do next

The NHS is changing WEST LEICESTERSHIRE Clinical Commissioning Group (WL CCG) was established in 2011. CCGs are responsible for the planning and commissioning of health care services for their local area and have been established so that healthcare commissioning can be led by GPs and other clinicians. The CCG says that commissioning is about getting the best possible health outcomes for the local population, by assessing local needs, deciding priorities and strategies, and then buying services on behalf of the population from providers such as hospitals, clinics, community health bodies, etc. It is an ongoing process, and CCGs must constantly respond and adapt to changing local circumstances. CCGs are responsible for the health of their entire population, and are measured by how much they improve outcomes. Over the next five years, the services, and where and how they are offered, will change, so that they can continue to be delivered in a way that is safe for patients as well as in a way the NHS can

Letter

Praise for Groby Club’s Senior Citizen’s Party WE WOULD like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone involved with the Senior Citizens’ Party at Groby Club on 21st January. We were treated to a meal, bingo and entertainment. Thank you for a lovely afternoon!

Maureen &John Houghton (Field Head)

afford. The demand for services is growing more quickly than the resources, as people are living longer and the population is continuing to grow. The latest draft of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland’s (LLR) sustainability and transformation plan (STP) has now been published for further public discussion and feedback. This plan, which is available to view by going to www.bettercareleicester.nhs. uk addresses the development of local health and social care services over the next five years, and has been drawn up by health and care organisations from across the region. The plan explains how services can be changed to improve care and the patient experience while meeting increased demands. If you have an interest or view on the changes that are planned for the NHS, and would like a fast track to learning more you might wish to consider joining the Groby Surgery Patients Participation Group. You’ll get to hear what’s going on, what’s proposed and, if you wish, attend regional meetings and presentations. Contact reception if you are interested or email GrobySurgeryPPG@ btconnect.com.

Norman Griffiths for Groby Surgery Patients Participation Group

Small Ads • Electric drum kit for sale : Inc. Snare; Base; High hat; Crash; Ride; Middle, High and Floor Tom; seat and headphones – VGC £100 • 3 pairs of unworn walking / hiking boots – size 4 – Clarks; Ninewest and Timberland - £15 each • Pair of genuine Australian Ugg boots – plum – size 4 - £8 • 1940s style Hobbs evening dress; Red with small white polka dots; size 8/10 worn once £15 • Dune wedge evening shoes – black and white – 3” heel – as new - worn once – size 4 – cost £75 accept £30 • Antique brass ceiling light ; 3 candle bulbs and 2 matching wall lights with 2 candle bulbs…. Ex con. As new. £50 for set • River Island black Leather jacket – ladies – size 8/10 (biker style) £50 • Navy Blue Jack Wills Gilet size 8/10 – fur lined – VGC £10 For any of the above please Tel: 0748 4884139 • Lightweight stroller pushchair. Price £10 Tel 0116 2876684 IF YOU HAVE any household items which you’d like to advertise FREE in the Spotlight, please SEND DETAILS by post or email sorry, we can’t take them over the phone. Maximum EIGHT items please. Our postal address is Spotlight Small Ads, PO Box 8, Markfield, Leics. LE67 9ZT or you can email details to: info@grobyspotlight. co.uk. Please put ‘Small Ads’ in the subject line, and include your postal address (not for publication).

Some of us learn from the mistakes of others. The rest of us have to be the others.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

THANK YOU to everyone who supported Groby Sings Goes Technicolour. What a fantastic weekend of entertainment and enjoyment for everyone involved. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was truly ‘amazing’ in the first half, with each song flowing seamlessly into the next and introducing lovely harmonies. In the second half, the Groby Sings choir was very proud to perform the world premiere of Colour in My Heart, a beautiful new song written by our very own musical maestro, Paul Cox. Paul puts in a tremendous amount of work for every concert, arranging the songs to showcase all the different sections of the choir, sorting out all the copyright issues and leading the band on the keyboard at our concerts. As you read this, he will already be working hard on our next summer production, Groby Sings Rock & Royal, which will feature songs by Elvis and Queen and several well-known numbers from The King and I. Performances will be on 1st and 2nd July. Another new feature of Groby Sings Goes Technicolour was the addition of a brass section to our superb band. The powerful sound of all those extra instruments was perfect for Goldfinger, which introduced the second half. There was an authentic James Bond atmosphere and we could almost imagine Shirley Bassey performing with us. The choir was certainly inspired to raise the roof with Goldfinger before going on to bring out all the colours of the rainbow in song and ending with one of the choir’s favourites, Mr Blue Sky. It seems that Groby Sings is reaching out to an ever wider audience. A quick survey showed that people enjoying our concerts came not only from many areas of Leicestershire but also from London, Surrey, Somerset, Bristol, Kettering, Coventry, Nottingham, Yorkshire and Stockport, to name but a few! How lovely that our community was able to share our enjoyment with so many others who showed their appreciation with a standing ovation at each concert. Rehearsals for Groby Sings Rock & Royal will start on Monday 20th February 1.15-3.00pm or 8.00–9.30pm at Groby Club (Children/Youth Choir, age 7 and above, now also on Mondays, instead of Fridays, starting 20th February 3.40–4.40pm). Everyone is welcome to come and join us (no auditions) to sing, have fun and eat cake! Just come along to the Club to the session that suits you or contact our choir leader, Helen Hayes, on 07867963328 for more information.

Why do they call it multiple choice when you only get to pick one?

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Do you text and walk at the same time? IS IT POLITE to plod along a crowded pavement, texting? Is it acceptable to cross the road while typing an email? Should you talk on your phone in a crowded train? What about reading your emails while on a business call? Whatever your views, smartphone etiquette is rapidly evolving. And don’t be too fast to cast the first stone! Apparently nearly two thirds of us admit to texting or typing while we walk along in a public place. Nearly half of us also talk on our smartphone on a train, or in another confined space. And more than half of us have emailed or texted someone in capital letters – the digital equivalent of shouting, or using green ink. But these new habits bring new hazards. People trip over rough surfaces, or stroll out in front of traffic. A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents warns: “People should take care not to be dangerously distracted.”

Middle-aged people are ‘dangerously unfit’

Lizzie Warner - Archery Champion! Lizzie Warner, a Year 12 student at Brookvale Groby Learning Campus, began archery when she was 8 years old. She is a member of the Kirby Muxloe Archery Club which uses the Sports Hall at the College as their indoor facility; so she has been coming to the Brookvale Groby Learning Campus for the last 9 years. In recent weeks, she won both the junior and senior national championships, broke a national record and has just learnt that she is a finalist in the Leicester Mercury Sports Awards (where she was a winner in 2013). Lizzie produced outstanding performances at the indoor national archery championships to win both the junior and senior national titles. In the junior championships, where archers shot 5 dozen arrows at 20 yards, Lizzie started well, shot an exceptional 2nd half and won by a convincing 6 points with 3rd place a further 5 points back. Her score of 582 was a personal best. She is now the holder of both the indoor and outdoor UK junior titles. In the senior championships the following day, archers shot 5 dozen arrows at 18 metres in a qualification round. They were then ranked with the top 32 going forward to the knockout stages; head-to-head matches with ends of 3 arrows, the highest scorer gaining 2 points and the first to 6 points being the winner of the match. Lizzie shot 571 out of 600 in the ranking round, beating her personal best by a massive 26 points. She finished in second place behind guest archer Aida Roman of Mexico but was the top UK archer. In the knock-out stage Lizzie lost only 2 ends in her 4 matches to reach the final, winning 6-2, 7-1, 6-2, 7-1, beating previous two time winner Rebecca Martin in the semi-final. In the final she came up against Roman, a medalist at the 2012 Olympic Games. Lizzie made the Mexican fight all the way taking 3 points from her but eventually lost 7-3. Lizzie however, was already assured of the UK title; a massive achievement for such a young archer. WELL DONE LIZZIE!

What is Love?

MORE THAN eight in ten middle-aged people are in trouble. Desk-bound by day, with family pressures by night, they are drinking too much, are overweight, and they are not taking enough exercise. The Health Survey for England has found that 77 per cent of men and 63 per cent of women are either overweight or obese, and more and more of us have diabetes. It says that more than 15 million Britons are living with a long-term medical condition.

IN A SURVEY of 4 to 8 year olds, children revealed a simple but deep grasp of that four-letter word. • When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love. • Love is when my Mummy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK. • Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My mummy and daddy are like that. I think they look disgusting when they kiss, but they look happy. • Love is a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they’ve known each other so well. • My mummy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night. • Love is when daddy gives mummy the best piece of chicken.

If you enjoyed reading this issue of Groby Spotlight, please pass it on to a friend or relative after you’ve finished with it. Thanks!

I’m so lonely, I bought a plane ticket just for the airport pat-down.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2017 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Mums ... Pick up a bargain at the Baby & Toddler Clothing and Toy Sale! FOLLOWING the success of their first sale event last Winter, Groby Mums are having a nearly new sale at the Village Hall on March 4th 1.304.30. Scaling up from the smaller room of last year, the event is in the main hall to allow for plenty pushchair space and trialling of any wheeled toys! With ever growing children, and bags of hardly worn but outgrown clothes- Groby Mums have created an opportunity for you to grab really great bargains at their Baby and Toddler Clothing and Toy Sale. All items are ‘pre’loved’ but good quality, and with prices starting at only £2. As Village mums who themselves have made friendships through joint local activities, they also wanted to provide an opportunity for local mums and dads to meet .So please ,come along on the day, have a chat and a shop. Groby Mums would love to see you! Some tables may still be available, for further details please contact Rachel 07941 556866.

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If I’m ever on life support, I hope they remember to try switching me off and then back on again.