Do you know of anyone living in Groby who might benefit from financial assistance? THEN CONSIDER the Thomas Herbert Smith’s Trust Fund. The Fund provides and supports with the object of improving the conditions of life for inhabitants of Groby. It has interests in social welfare by providing facilities for those who are sick or in distress, aged and poor. It also considers applications involving recreation and other leisuretime activities. So who was Thomas Herbert Smith? Well, he was a Groby businessman, who died in 1961 after which a charitable trust was set up from his Estate with aims interpreted to assist individuals or groups who are experiencing hardship in one or more of the ways listed above. So if you know of a Groby resident or group that might benefit from the Trust please let the Clerk to the Trustees, who administers the fund on a day-to-day basis, know by telephoning 01162 835345 or by e mailing andrew_york@sky.com or by post at 6 Magnolia Close, Leicester, LE2 8PS and he will help with making the application.
Next Issue of Spotlight is out on 14th March. DEADLINE for Receipt of Articles and Adverts is SATURDAY 29TH FEBRUARY. DON’T MISS OUT!
GIRLGUIDING NEEDS YOU! DID YOU KNOW that we have thriving Rainbow, Brownie and Guide Units in Groby with almost 100 girls and women taking part in fun activities every week? We also have waiting lists with 50 keen girls who want to join in Girlguiding too. We are looking for some new Leaders and Helpers to join our current teams of adult volunteers working with Rainbows and Brownies (girls aged 5-10) either regularly at weekly meetings or to help out behind the scenes. This is due to some of our current amazing Leaders leaving later this year and also our wish to decrease the number of girls on our waiting lists. Can you help us? There are a variety of roles, large and small, with a range of time commitments for any adult of any age, female or male. You may have experience of working with young people but this is not essential, as support and training will be given. There is lots of information at www.girlguiding.org.uk about what we do if you would like to find out more. We know that there are many people in the Groby area who lead busy lives but also realise that volunteering is very rewarding and would like to be able to help out in some capacity. Volunteering offers vital help in our community but did you know the benefits can be even greater for you, the volunteer! A raft of recent research has shed light on the amazing benefits to your health and wellness that are gained by connecting with the community, making friends and learning new skills. Giving to others has been shown to reduce stress, combat depression, keep you mentally stimulated, and provide a sense of purpose! So, what are you waiting for? If you would like more information about this exciting opportunity to get involved in Girlguiding in your community, please contact us on girlguiding.groby@gmail.com We look forward to hearing from you soon!
FANCY A EUROPEAN TREK - P2 • GROBY MEADOW RE-OPENS - P5 • NT ARTICLE - P6 JOTTINGS - P7 • GROBY WI - P10 • OZZY O’SHEA - P12 • PROPERTY FOR SALE - P13 COUNCIL CLIMATE PERFORMANCE - P14 • WELCOME BACK GROBY SINGS - P15 GARDENING SOCIETY NEWS - P15 • SMALL ADS - P20 • MARTIN CARTWRIGHT - P22 TED HOLLICK - P24 • WORDSEARCH - P26 • CHRISTIANITY EXPLORED - P27
2
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
Groby & Field Head Spotlight
Letter
Fancy a European Trek in May?
Groby Village Society Programme 2020 Thursday February 27 From Mother’s Knee to University Alison Coates Thursday March 26 A.G.M. - Meeting to be held at the Library Thursday April 23 Lady Horsemen of the Road Bob Massey
PO Box 8, Markfield, Leics. LE67 9ZT
Telephone
01530-244069 Email us at: info@ grobyspotlight.co.uk Visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk 3,500 copies distributed 11 times a year (no issue in July) to homes and businesses in Groby, Field Head and The Brantings. 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.
NEXT ISSUE OUT ON: 14th March 2020 DEADLINE: 29th February 2020
I AM PLANNING to walk this trek on 13th May where I fly into Budapest (Hungary) and walk through to Croatia, Slovenia and end in Triest (Italy). A Four Country Walk of over 300 Km (190 miles) over 11 walking days with a rest day in the middle at Ljubljana (Slovenia). Is there anyone else interested in joining me on this self guided walk? If so, please contact me on: cosmic784@hotmail.com for more info. www.europeanpeacewalk.com/
Ash Kotecha
Winners!
BGLC U16 Girls Badminton THE BROOKVALE Groby Learning Campus U16 Girls Badminton Team pictured here, have just won the Hinckley and Bosworth Badminton competition. They progress onto the county finals later in the year!
Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. Joseph Addison
Thursday May 28 A Storm in a Teashop Ann Featherstone Thursday June 25 South Africa - A walking Safari Wendy Martin Thursday July 23 Hotels in the Sky Mike Ogden Thursday August 27 The Closed Country of Yemen Mike Kelly Thursday September 24 Our Rare and Unusual Wildflowers Dave Hollis Thursday October 22 Lost Windmills of Leicestershire Mark Temple Thursday November 26 Oasts, Coasts and Orchids Peter Amour December ~ No Meeting ~ Meetings are held at Groby Village Hall Starting at 7.30pm unless stated otherwise. For Further Details Contact Hon. Secretary Mr. P. Castell Tel. 0116 287 9842 e-mail:- pcastell42@gmail.com Non Members are welcome
Don’t forget to send us your NEWS! Email: info@ grobyspotlight. co.uk Thanks.
I just realized my countertop is made of marble. I have been taking it for granite all these years.
16-18 Leicester Road, Groby, Leicester, LE6 0DJ
01162 871809
groby.exservicemensclub@gmail.com
f@TheGrobyExServicemensClub
ENTERTAINMENT COMING UP Sat 15th Feb ~ ALI ~ Outstanding Female Vocalist Sat 22nd Feb ~ LOUISE CLAIRE ~ Easy Listening Female Vocalist Fri 28th Feb ~ LADIES NIGHT ~ SEE POSTER ...> Sat 29th Feb ~ CARL MERRY ~ The Man With Many Voices Sat 7th March ~ ZOE SNOW ~ We welcome back this Excellent Lady Sat 14th March ~ LAURA ELSON ~ Excellent Local Singer
MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS You have until
29th February 2020 to renew your membership!
After this date you will fall into arrears and will have to pay a £12 penalty fee plus your membership fee! Pop in to the club and see the Bar Manager or Assistant Manager to renew!
HAPPY HOUR TUESDAY 25th FEBRUARY 5PM-7PM
ALL DRAUGHT BEERS WILL BE £2.50 per PINT
RACE NIGHT TUESDAY 17TH MARCH (St Patrick’s Day) A Fun Horse Racing Games Night - 7pm start. GUINNESS will be £2.50 per Pint. (Only Available in Concert Room)
LIVE FOOTBALL COMING UP IN FEBRUARY & MARCH! Friday 14th February: ......................... Wolves v LCFC .............................. 8.00pm kick off Saturday 22nd February: .................. LCFC v Man City............................ 5.30pm kick off Friday 28th February: ........................ Norwich v LCFC ........................... 8.00pm kick off Monday 9th March: ........................... LCFC v Aston Villa ......................... 8.00pm kick off Saturday 14th March: ......................... Watford v LCFC............................. 12.30pm kick off Sunday 22nd March: .......................... LCFC v Brighton ............................ 2.00pm kick off
FRIDAY NIGHTS AT THE CLUB On Friday nights there is no entertainment but there will be BINGO. We now have a new entertainment system from CONNECTED ENTERTAINMENTS called JIGSAW this system is in holiday parks all over the country and we can play a variety of games, show music videos, bingo games etc. On Friday nights - along with bingo you can request your own songs to be played on the big screen.
GROBY EX-SERVICEMEN’S CLUB HAVE A LOT PLANNED THIS YEAR!
WHAT A YEAR IT’S GOING TO BE! COME ON DOWN TO THIS GREAT CLUB!
4
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
Letter
Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council
Pavement parking is unacceptable PAVEMENT parking in general has become totally out of control. There seems to be no consideration for pedestrians, especially the old, infirmed, partially sighted, blind and those with pushchairs and prams. On my daily walks around Groby there are a multitude of cars parked on the pavements where and when it is totally unnecessary. As well as cars the most typical offenders are Builders, Roofers, Garden Maintenance, Delivery Van, Kitchen Fitters, Double Glazing and General Maintenance Van / Lorry drivers, who seem to think it’s acceptable to drive on to and block pavements off, its unacceptable, and in the majority of cases completely unwarranted. In the case of workmen in general there are legal procedures they can go through to temporarily block pavements off, by applying to the Council for a licence or permit (TTO’s) providing they put alternative arrangements in place for the safety of the general public. It has unfortunately become a habit, because I genuinely believe some drivers are not conscious of what they are actually doing, effectively driving without due care and attention. However there are obviously the ones that like to stick their fingers up at the establishment. To those, who don’t care, please consider that a loved one of theirs, having to negotiate a pavement parked car, could get knocked over and possibly sustain life changing injuries or even loss of life. No one is invincible. The Police themselves who’s main purpose is to manage and protect the safety of the general public, do not seem to be bothered in enforcing the Highway Code section 145 (see below) which is actually a criminal offence. Highlighting the fact that unfortunately, they seem to have become an emergency service rather than upholding the safety laws. I believe the government have a huge role to play regarding this problem, and I know this issue has been debated in parliament on many occasions, but If they were to amend the law to become a civil rather than a criminal offence, Local Councils, which have closer ties to their local communities, could then control pavement parking through Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO’s), that I believe would be a more efficient way of tackling this issue. In the meantime can I please ask those who engage in this activity, to think twice before possibly putting someone’s life in danger. Even to those who only partially park on the pavement, it’s unsociable and can be very inconvenient. Please read the refreshers below extracted from the Highway Code. Yes that booklet you read to enable you to pass you driving test. These recommendations / laws are to ensure the safety of everyone, not the few.
Tim Dakin The Offical Highway Code: Revised 2007 Edition [Latest version] 145. You MUST NOT drive on or over a pavement, footpath or bridleway except to gain lawful access to property, or in the case of an emergency. Laws HA 1835 sect 72 & RTA 1988 sect 34 244. You MUST NOT park partially or wholly on the pavement in London, and should not do so elsewhere unless signs permit it. Parking on the pavement can obstruct and seriously inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or with visual impairments and people with prams or pushchairs. Law GL(GP)A sect 1
LGBT+ History Event, Wednesday 19 February AN EVENT to celebrate LGBT+ History Month is being hosted by Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council, Leicester LGBT Centre and Leicestershire Library Service on Wednesday 19 February in the Britannia Centre from 10.00am to 1.00pm. LGBT+ History Month is an annual celebration that provides education and insight into the issues that the LGBT+ community faces. Representatives from the partnership will be on hand to speak to passing residents and visitors outlining future events and to gain an insight into what support is required in the borough. Information will be available from a host of national and local organisations. Council Leader Stuart Bray said “This event is very much an information exchange and we want to hear from members of the LGBT+ community. We particularly welcome students and young people as it is important that we listen to our younger generation. This is your opportunity to have your say; get involved in future events and raise the profile of the LGBT+ community locally.” Barwell-based LGBT+ Rights Campaigner Mathew Hulbert said “It would be fantastic to see lots of people engaging with our group and showing a keen interest in the programme of events that we are launching. They are not only for our local LGBT+ communities, but also for straight allies and, indeed, for people who would just like to learn more.”
Eating Disorders Awareness Week: 2nd – 8th March A STAGGERING 1.25 million people in the UK are living with an eating disorder. And every one of them is affecting other people by that disorder. In fact, it is reckoned that as many as five million of us in the UK are struggling to help someone whom we care about, who has an eating disorder. If you know anyone with an eating disorder, or if you have an eating disorder, there is a website may help. Please go to: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/edaw
Before the crowbar was invented most crows drank at home.
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
5
Groby Community Meadow Re-opened GROBY COMMUNITY Meadow has re-opened after a winter break, enabling the Gun Club to hold their annual event and a chance for the meadow to dry out. The new foot bridge has been completed, so now all the meadow can be enjoyed once again. The Groby CIC AGM will be held on 18/03/20 at 7pm at the Parish council offices, all are welcome to attend and any support for our village amenity would be greatly appreciated. The meadow needs insuring and we have costs for maintaining strimmers and the mower etc, if you wish to contribute to the meadow please contact the Parish Council Offices. Many thanks to County Contractors for once again sponsoring the meadow, their support and yours is vital for keeping our meadow open.
Business Breakfast joins Innovation Week LEICESTER Marriott Hotel will once again play host to Blaby District Council’s popular Business Breakfast event, joining the line-up for Leicester Innovation Week. The Council’s Business Breakfast takes place on Thursday 27 February, starting at 8am. As usual a complimentary breakfast will be on offer as well as expert speakers taking about innovation to support local SMEs. A talk on support for innovating enterprises will be given by Anjuu Trevedi from the University of Leicester, whilst funding and support programmes available will be discussed by Julian Bowrey from Innovate UK. More information can be found on the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) webpage. (www.llep.org.uk)
Are your double glazed windows STEAMED UP or
MISTY?
There’s no need to replace the whole window we will replace the glass unit for you.
Repairs to ALL PVCu and Aluminium Windows & Doors
Just call our small, friendly firm - whether it’s one window or a full house - with approximate sizes, and we’ll give you a price OVER THE PHONE or a free call out if you prefer.
Window Services Repair & Replacement Specialists: Est. 1982 167a Dominion Road, Glenfield, Leicester LE3 8JB
Telephone/Fax:
0116 287 5395 I’ve been telling people about the benefit of eating dried grapes. It’s all about raisin awareness.
6
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
National Trust Leicester Association TO CELEBRATE its 125th anniversary the National Trust will, throughout the year, be arranging special activities such as tree planting, beach cleaning, tea parties and even dancing in the great outdoors. On 29th February the Trust will ask the nation to make a leap for nature by pledging a simple act that will make a difference to nature on their doorstep, which hopefully will become a long term habit. At the beginning of spring the Trust will also give people the opportunity to take part in “blossom watch”. They will help people to greet the dawn by opening up property rooftops and viewpoints around the country to watch the sunrise. Throughout the year a touring photographic exhibition will celebrate the thousands of staff, volunteers and supporters who make up the Trust and keep its special places enjoyable. relevant and forward looking. As Europe’s largest conservation charity, with 5.6 million members, the Trust cares for and protects more than 500 properties open to the public, not just for the present but also for the future. So they have launched plans for the future. To help tackle climate change the Trust plans to be carbon neutral by 2030. Already in the Peak District, staff and volunteers are planting thousands of tiny sphagnum moss plugs. These plugs store water, bind the peat and capture carbon, storing millions of tonnes of it underground. Also the decision to move away from fossil fuel will continue by switching to renewable energy sources. In addition emissions will be reduced from the Trust’s farmland and their complete estate of over 35,000 buildings. Another action is for the Trust, in conjunction with partner organisations, to plant 20 million trees by 2030, many near towns with public access. Tree cover will increase from 10% to 17% of Trust land. A final ambition is to create green corridors for people and nature from cities to the countryside.
• THE NT LEICESTER ASSOCIATION has an afternoon meeting on Wednesday 26th February when Dr John Sutton will present a talk entitled “The Assassination of JFK”. The meeting will be held at St Guthlac’s Memorial Hall, Holbrook Road, Leicester, at 2.30pm. There will also be an evening meeting on Tuesday 10th March at The Braunstone West Social Centre, St Mary’s Avenue, Braunstone, at 7.30pm. Roy Mitchell will present an illustrated talk entitled “Richard III and his Interment” Admission to 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
Supporting you in your home We are leaders in the community helping people to live at home indepenently. Our friendly and supportive staff have been providing assistance to our clients for over 25 years our staff have full references, an enhanced DBS and have completed extensive training. At Bosworth Homecare we build and tailor packages of support to meet our client’s individual needs. Our support plans can be any combination of the many services we offer including, medication, personal care, assistance with domestic tasks and shopping. We also support our clients to hospital appointments, social activities and offer a befriending service.
Domestic Duties • Shopping • Meal Preparation Medication Assistance • Personal Care Support with Social Activities, Hospital Appointments and a Befriending Service
Tel · 01455 292648
We have been rated GOOD by the Care Quality Commission and became the first homecare provider to achieve the local authorities Dignity and Respect Award. If you would like to discuss any support needs for yourself or your loved one please contact our dedicated team.
Friendly and Compassionate Carer’s also required to support our clients in your area
Email · managementteam@givecare.co.uk | www.bosworthhomecare.co.uk Bosworth Homecare 7a Main Street Market Bosworth CV13 0JN
The Last Day By Andrew Hunter Murray THE WORLD has stopped rotating due to the close approach of a white dwarf star, and the majority of the planet is divided into two uninhabitable zones, one frozen and the other sunscorched. Fortunately for the United Kingdom, it exists in the temperate meridional strip, and now rules over stretches of western Europe with totalitarian ruthlessness. Ocean scientist Ellen Hopper, employed on a rig in the North Atlantic, is whisked to London by government operatives. Her former Oxford tutor has earthshattering information to impart, but dies before he can do so. What follows is a taut, thrilling runaround as Ellen, aided by her ex-husband and brother, works to uncover her tutor’s secret while keeping one step ahead of those who will stop at nothing to discover it before her. Shaky science aside, The Last Day is an impressive dystopian techno-thriller. Murray paints a grim picture of a draconian isolationist Britain, with some vivid descriptions of a muchchanged London, and the novel’s climax has a neat twist.
I bought a Womble pepper grinder today. It’s rubbish. Everything’s either Underground or Overground.
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
7
Jottings
News in Brief with Norman Griffiths
Millennium Green turns yellow GET DOWN to the Millennium Green near the A46 roundabout if you want to enjoy some early seasonal colour. Many daffodils are in bloom and there are more on the way. Though it seems rather early, in previous years some have bloomed before Christmas. The Green is managed by volunteers and like all other bodies needs a ‘succession plan’ so that the good work can continue into the future. If this is something you would like to be involved with you can contact Christine Tordoff on 0116 2991868 or David Fawkes (after 6pm) on 0116 2255712. If helping with the management doesn’t appeal you’ll be very welcome if you just want to join the litter picking on 9 March or weeding on 13 April. You can find out what plans there for 2020, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, at the Annual General meeting at Park House, Stamford Street, Glenfield, LE3 8DL on Wednesday 26th February at 7.30pm.
This is alarming IT USED to be a daily occurrence but we seldom hear car alarms going off nowadays. Often a household alarm sounding is linked to the restoration of mains power after a service interruption, suggesting that the back up battery may need recharging or replacement. Thankfully they are generally switched off quite quickly, but there is one internal alarm that just seems to go on, and on, and on. This one hasn’t just been sounding for minutes, hours or days. It has been ringing for years. The bell, which can be heard from the doorway of empty premises on Churchgate near the Clock Tower, presumably disturbs no-one so may well ring on until it wears out, the power is disconnected, or the premises are re-occupied. It’s probably Leicester’s longest running alarm, but can you nominate another?
Don’t forget membership fees WE MAKE so many recurring payments by Direct Debit or card that it can be easy to forget things like subscriptions or membership fees where we need to make alternative arrangements. Forgetting makes life more difficult for those organisations we need to pay and can be expensive for us. Checking that you have paid your dues on time could save you money. At Groby Club, for example, there are always some members who forget to pay by the deadline of the end of February. If you are in this group you only have a couple of weeks to renew your membership. Do it any later and it will cost an extra £12.
Building & Maintenance - Private & Commercial
GETTING READY FOR WINTER
Not fit for purpose? FOLLOWING the decision to leave the EU on 31 January the number of times each week we are warned of an “existential threat” has greatly diminished. It’s a good example of one of those expressions that seemed to pop up in interview after interview. A recent correspondent to the Daily Telegraph commented on a similar problem with some phrases. He wrote : “The overuse of the phrase ‘not fit for purpose’ has rendered it....Well, how shall I put it?” Exasperated by the overuse of a phrase? Let the Spotlight know.
Housing Needs Survey READERS MAY recall that last year a Housing Needs Survey was conducted for the Parish. All the results have been collated and a report prepared. “I have now had the go ahead from the Borough Council to circulate the report,” said Philippa McKenna (Project Delivery Manager at Midlands Rural Housing,) “so my next step is to contact the Parish Council to see how best to go about it.”
New Roofing Garage Conversion Specialist Interior Refit - Extensions
07734405374 contact@countycontractorsleics.co.uk www.countycontractorsleics.co.uk @CountyCon County Contractors, Groby, Leicester
To the person who stole my glasses. I will find you. I have contacts.
8
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
Futsal Success
Diary of a Somebody
Woodbine Willie: bringing love with cigarettes and the Bible HERE’S A ‘SAINT’ that the Church of England remembers from the 1st World War - the Revd. Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy MC, or ‘Woodbine Willie’, as everyone knew this popular, much-loved army chaplain on the Western Front.
By Brian Bilston
IT’S JANUARY 1ST and Brian Bilston’s life needs to change. His ex-wife has taken up with a new man, a motivational speaker and marketing guru to boot; he seems to constantly disappoint his longsuffering son; and at work he is drowning in a sea of spreadsheets and management jargon. Brian’s resolution is to write a poem every day; poetry will be his salvation. But there is an obstacle to his happiness in the form of Toby Salt, his arch nemesis in the Poetry Group and rival suitor to Liz, Brian’s new poetic inspiration. When Toby goes missing, Brian is the number one suspect. Part tender love story, part murder mystery, part coruscating description of a wasted life, and interspersed with some of the funniest poems about the mundane and the profound, Diary of a Somebody is a unique, original and hilarious novel.
BROOKVALE Groby Learning Campus Year 10 Girls Futsal Team participated in Area tournaments on Thursday 16th January at Heath Lane Academy. Showing amazing skills, confidence, teamwork and attitude the girls were able to secure their fourth win in four years. The girls took wins over Hastings High School, Hinckley Academy and St Martins, and despite dominating the game a draw was achieved against Bosworth Academy. The girls will now go on to represent Hinckley and Bosworth at the upcoming county tournament, with the hope that they will also take the County Cup for the fourth year in a row. Well done girls!
Depressed doggie? IS YOUR pet depressed? Seriously. It seems that more and more pets are developing mental health problems, according to some research by Compare the Market. Certainly insurance claims for pets being treated for mental health problems have gone up by 50 per cent. In the past year alone, insurers have paid out more than £750,000 for dogs with depression, cats with anxiety and similar ailments. In fact, treating your pet for a mental health complaint has become so commonplace that even eight of the 10 cheapest pet insurers now offer such cover.
Studdert Kennedy (27th June 1883 – 8th March 1929) had been born in Leeds as the seventh of nine children. After reading divinity and classics at Trinity College Dublin, he’d studied for ordination at Ripon Clergy College, and served his curacy at Rugby. By the time war broke out in 1914, Studdert Kennedy was vicar of St Paul’s Worcester. He soon volunteered to go to the Western Front as a chaplain to the army. Life on the front line in the trenches was a desperate affair, but soon Studdert Kennedy had hit on a way of bringing a few moments of relief to the stressed out soldiers: as well as good cheer he gave out copious amounts of ‘Woodbines’, the most popular cheap cigarette of the time. One colleague remembered Kennedy: “he’d come down into the trenches and say prayers with the men, have a cuppa out of a dirty tin mug and tell a joke as good as any of us. He was a chain smoker and always carried a packet of Woodbine cigarettes that he would give out in handfuls to us lads. That’s how he got his nickname. He came down the trench one day to cheer us up. Had his Bible with him as usual. Well, I’d been there for weeks, unable to write home, of course, we were going over the top later that day. I asked him if he would write to my sweetheart at home, tell her I was still alive and, so far, in one piece… years later, after the war, she showed me the letter he’d sent, very nice it was. A lovely letter. My wife kept it until she died.” Kennedy was devoted to his men, so much so that in 1917 he was awarded the Military Cross at Messines Ridge, after running into no man’s land in order to help the wounded during an attack on the German frontline. During the war, Kennedy supported the British military effort with enthusiasm, but soon after the war, he turned to Christian socialism and pacifism. He was given charge of St Edmunds in Lombard St, London, and took to writing a number of poems about his war experiences: Rough Rhymes of a Padre (1918) and More Rough Rhymes (1919). He went on to work for the Industrial Christian Fellowship, for whom he did speaking tours. It was on one of these tours that he was taken ill, and sadly died in Liverpool in 1929. He was only 46. His compassion and generosity in the face of the horrors of the Western Front was immortalised in the song ‘Absent Friends’: “Woodbine Willie couldn’t rest until he’d/given every bloke a final smoke/before the killing.” He himself had once described his chaplain’s ministry as taking “a box of fags in your haversack, and a great deal of love in your heart.”
ELECTRICIAN A one-stop professional & reliable service ♦Fixed Wiring Testing ♦Landlord Certification ♦Expert Fault Finding ♦Fuse Board Upgrades ♦Extra Sockets & Lights ♦Electric Heating
♦Complete Rewiring (with minimal disruption)
♦Cottage Specialists ♦Electrics Showers (Inc. Plumbing) ♦Security (Alarms, CCTV, Lights) ♦Free No Obligation Quotes
Control Electrics (Leics.) Ltd
Call: 0116 268 2910 Cropston Road, Anstey, Leicester LE7 7BR
I’m dating a girl who loves to be covered in cheese. She’s a cracker.
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
9
Mikayla Wildgoose: England Debut!
Watch batteries and straps fitted while you wait All brands Waterproof testing available
SYKES JEWELLERS
CONGRATULATIONS to Year 10 student Mikayla Wildgoose, here at Brookvale Groby Learning Campus, for being selected for the English Schools FA U15’s squad 2019 - 20!
Tel - 0116 236 2510 8 Bradgate Road, Anstey, LE7 7AA www.sykesjewellers.co.uk
Mikayla will be off to the ‘International Training Camp’ in February! The picture shows Mikayla being presented with her England shirt before the game. Well done Mikayla - well deserved!
Quality local advice from a local person in Groby
70 OVER
AWARDS WON IN THE LAST 5 YEARS
Dale Knight has over 26 years’ experience working as a mortgage and protection adviser, covering your local area. With access to 12,000+ products from 90+ lenders across the UK, Dale can: • Help you through the process step-by-step. • Work out how much you can borrow. • Advise on how much it will cost. • Advise on how much protection you may need. • Do all the paperwork - you won’t need to worry about a thing!
What our customers say Dale talked through all the different options and has been open and honest throughout. Nothing is ever too much trouble for him, and he often makes himself available to fit around our schedule (work, kids etc). He is absolutely brilliant! Kari Jackson-Horn Dale has given us all the options we could possibly have, he has bent over backwards to find us mortgage lenders who would be willing to give us a mortgage in our circumstances Sandy Coleman
Contact your expert adviser Dale Knight on
0750 8619279 or
dale.knight4@mab.org.uk Your home may be repossessedif you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. There may be a fee for mortgage advice. The actual amount you pay will depend upon your circumstances.The fee is up to 1%but a typical fee is 0.3% of the amount borrowed.
When Earl Tupper, inventor of Tupperware, died, his funeral was held up as they couldn’t find the right lid for his coffin.
10
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
News from Groby WI
What’s in your child’s lunchbox?
THE 16TH JANUARY and it was the first meeting of a new year! Our programme of speakers, theatre trips, monthly and weekly walks for 2020 look as interesting as ever and our first meeting was well attended as always. Our speaker was Jane Morris and I think the photographs begin to tell her story! Jane recalls seeing a balloon arch and was so impressed that she took ‘balloon art’ up as a hobby at first, but this developed into a business and the garage at her home was converted into her business premises. If you are looking for something a little different from the normal three balloon clusters or balloon arches to celebrate childrens’ parties, weddings and christenings or a table decoration for a special occasion then Jane can provide this. For her demonstration with us she chose Valentine’s Day and love as her theme and explained the use of different shapes and sizes of balloon, some air filled and some helium, some with confetti or tulle inside and some foil or latex. It was an eye opener to all of us I think, both the complexity of the art and the feeling that we were watching an episode of Blue Peter! To watch her twisting and tying the balloons and making bows without using string was amazing although the noise when she was doing this did make a few members uneasy to say the least! She explained that the decorations had to be weighted down with a small balloon filled with water, tied at the neck and inserted into the base of the decoration which would make it stable. Apart from her demonstration models, she also bought along a foil ‘Frozen’ themed balloon attached to a container of sweets which would be brilliant for a little girl’s party instead of the usual party bags, but she also does Spider Man, Paw Patrol and all the other favourite characters that children identify with. It was an interesting evening and the completed models were prizes in our usual raffle, I’m just glad I didn’t have to walk home with the large one! • THE NEXT MEETING is on Thursday 20th February at 7.30pm in the Village Hall and our speaker will be Julia Wallis talking about Honey Bees and Bee Keeping which I think will be fascinating. New members are always welcome.
Ruth Rolinson
TEN YEARS AGO, too many children’s lunch boxes contained processed ham sandwiches and packets of crisps. Sadly, today, little has changed. A recent study at Leeds University has found that the majority of lunchboxes still fall well below nutritional standards. Only one in five include any vegetables or salad. Less than one per cent have sandwiches with plant-based fillings, such as hummus. There is also a drop in various minerals and vitamins such as A, C and zinc. Even the bread is less healthy: as tortillas and wraps are gaining in popularity. But as one public health information officer points out, “given the choice of unhealthy food and drinks that are often marketed as ‘family packs’ or ‘good for lunch boxes’, it is hardly surprising that busy parents go for these options.”
0116 234 0548 We can take care of every detail, advise and help you on each and every step of the way. • Qualified Funeral Directors • Floral Tributes arranged • Hearse, Limousines and alternatives available • Monumental Service • Car parking available
• Online tribute and donation profile • Catering suite • Chapels of rest • Funeral plans available • 24 hour service
Funeral arrangements can be made in the comfort of your own home if preferred.
Talbott House, Leicester Road, Anstey, Leicester, Leicestershire LE7 7AT Email: talbotthouse@ansteyfunerals.com Website: www.ansteyfunerals.com
I find it so annoying when people get their sayings wrong. After all, it’s not rocket salad!
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
Church Magazine Bloomers
The Sustainable(ish) Living Guide
YOU KNOW what they meant, but what they said was ...
By Jen Gale
• At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be ‘What Is Hell?’ Come early and listen to our choir practice. • The senior choir invites any member of the congregation who enjoys sinning to see the organist after the service. • Next Thursday there will be try-outs for the choir. They need all the help they can get. • The Rector will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing: Break Forth Into Joy. • The Women’s Tea for next week has been cancelled. We are sorry for any incontinence this may cause. • The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday. • Attention Parents. There will be a conference on how to help your teen avoid pre-marital sex. The featured speaker will be Molly Kelly, a nationally known speaker on abstinence and mother of eight. • Ladies, please don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands. • Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married last weekend in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days. • Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered. • This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs Lewis to come forward and lay an egg on the altar.
11
FULL OF EASY, do-able and down to earth ideas, this book is a great guide for anyone who is worried about the state of the planet. Those who want to make a difference, but are struggling to know where to start. Those with busy lives, little time or energy, families and individuals. The author, Jen Gale, who describes herself as an ordinary, knackered mum, wrote the book after dragging her family into a year of buying nothing new, and trying to live a more sustainable life. Her introduction is straight talking, with her concerns on climate change. During her year she learnt that just because we can’t be perfect, it doesn’t mean that we can’t get started and we can’t have an impact. With quotes like, ‘ we don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world’, the book is encouraging and inspirational. The chapters cover: conscious consumption, zero waste, plastic free(ish), sustainable(ish) food, fashion, home, work, travel and transport. There is a chapter on ‘Activism(ish) which talks about ways of being active and making your voice heard that doesn’t involve marching with placards and super gluing yourself to a tree. The book is a guide, with lists, facts, references, ideas and diagrams, and very easy to read. It is book for ‘folding down corners, adding ‘post it notes’ and scribbling in margins. A book for dipping in and out of, trying one change then moving onto another. Her conclusion is brief, ‘ what you choose might not be the ‘perfectly green’ option, but it will be something that works for you, that you can keep up, and that does make a difference.
Reviewed by Janet Bishop
Oral Care Recycling - fundraising for Alzheimer’s Society I’M CO-ORDINATING a scheme in Leicestershire whereby I collect used toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes etc and send them off to be recycled and in return it raises money for our local Alzheimer’s Society. Please contact me for further information.
Lisa Dent
Email: lisa.dent@gmx.com
RUGS - we are CLEANING SPECIALISTS traditional Persian or Chinese, Gabbeh or Kilim, we even love Wiltons and Shaggy ones!
Hard floor cleaning On site curtain cleaning Rugs, including oriental and antique All types of upholstery, especially leather
01530 244900 ■ 07825 795558 www.sjscarpetcleaners.co.uk
WE ARE LOCAL AND IDEALLY LOCATED IN MARKFIELD
CHECK OUT QUALITY OF OUR SERVICE ON SJS GOOGLE REVIEWS FOR BOTH LEICESTER AND LOUGHBOROUGH
To that thief that took my anti depressant pills. I hope you’re happy now!
12
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
County Councillor’s Report from Ozzy O’shea Change of use of Land to the East of Wallace Drive Groby for 2 Gypsy/Traveller Pitches, Application 19/01407/FUL ANOTHER Application has been received by the owners of the land off Wallace for 2 Gypsy/Traveller Pitches comprising of two Static caravans, one day room two touring caravans and associated infrastructure. The last application was refused by the Borough Council in 2015 and also by a Planning Inspector on Appeal in July 2016. I have been liaising with the case officer Jenny Brader, and have arranged a meeting with the Director of Planning at the Borough Council. I am also speaking with officers in Highways at the County Council. This is an identical application that was refused in 2015 and lost at Appeal in July 2016. Residents can send their objections on both planning grounds and highway safety concerns to the case officer Jenny Brader at the following email address (Jenny.Brader@hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk) quoting this planning application number 19/01407/FUL. You can also send letters of objection to Jenny Brader, The Planning Department, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Hinckley Hub, Rugby Road, Hinckley, Leicestershire, LE10 0FR.
Parking On Woodbank Road, Groby
Outlook Email Scam NOTE: The Sender is not from Outlook Mail - its personal email address is a straight giveaway that it is a scam. New Notification <suzyq52@hotmail. com Thu 23/01/2020 09:13 • account@msn.com Outlook Mail You will be blocked from sending and receiving messages and your account will be closed, if you fail to upgrade to new version within 24 hrs of receiving this automated mail.
Click here to upgrade now
Please do not reply to this e-mail. Mail sent to this address cannot be answered. For assistance, log in to your email! website and choose the “Help” link on any page.
I RECEIVED complaints regarding parking on Woodbank Road Groby during January after the 26 Arriva bus had problems passing parked vehicles.
Customer Service Email ID # 1009. c 2020!, Inc. All rights reserved.
The bus drivers decided against going around the estate due to inconsiderate parking that obstructed their safe passage. The buses resumed their normal service the next day when the obstruction had cleared. I have spoken with Arriva they have asked me to make residents aware of the issues and to please park with consideration to allow the bus to freely pass. I appreciate it may not be residents but could be visitors.
Thank you
Advance Notice of a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order: 19th-21st February A TEMPORARY Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) is to be made for the following location: Sacheverell Way, Groby and Groby Road, Ratby. The purpose of the TTRO is to allow Leicestershire County Council facilitate carriageway patching and other associated highway works. Sacheverell Way will be closed at the junction of Laundon Way the junction nearest to Ratby. Groby Road will be closed from Sacheverell Way to the entrance with Groby Community College. The closure will also go along Groby Road, Ratby to its junction with Markfield Road. The TTRO will incorporate a temporary road closure and parking restrictions. The duration of the restriction is not anticipated to exceed a period of 3 nights commencing on the 19th February 2020. All work will be undertaken overnight.
FINALLY I would like to thank you all for your continued support. I get a pleasure out of helping people and trying to improve the community that I represent and live in. I want to remind you that should you need my help or advice, I always pride myself on making myself available to residents. Remember I am only a phone call or email away.
Ozzy O’shea Always Working for you Cllr Ozzy O’shea
Tel 0116 239 4336 Mobile 07808 585825 Email ozzy.o’shea@leics.gov.uk Email ozzyoshea@hotmail.com
No matter how enraged Germaine Greer gets, she’ll never be as irate as her sister, Anne.
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
13
Local Property of the Month
Thatched Cottage in Markfield Road, Groby
CHARNWOOD LIVING Estate Agents are offering for sale a delightful Grade II Listed Thatched Cottage located within the Conservation area of Groby. The property retains a wealth of charm and character with the accommodation being briefly arranged as follows: Entrance Porch, Breakfast Kitchen, Sitting Room, Family Room/Study, Dining Room, Shower Room, Landing Bedroom, Bathroom, Bedroom 2, additional staircase leads to the Master Bedroom. Outside there is a mature Garden with Car Standing area. Asking Price: £400,000. For more information, contact Charnwood Living on 0116 243 0880 or visit the website at www.charnwoodliving.co.uk
Grant funding made easier for churches CHANGES have been announced making it easier for parishes to apply for funding to support fabric repairs.
The Church of England, working with the Wolfson Foundation and the National Churches Trust (NCT), has announced that during 2020 administration of the Wolfson Foundation funds for fabric repairs of churches will move from the Cathedral & Church Buildings Division of the Church of England to the National Churches Trust. (The Wolfson Fabric Repairs grants programme supports fabric repairs for Grade I and II*, A and B+ listed Anglican church buildings throughout the United Kingdom. £400,000 per year is awarded to projects, including urgent roof repairs, improving rainwater goods, drainage works, and wall repairs. In 2019, awards were given to 79 parishes.) The move to the National Churches Trust will result in a simplified funding application process for fabric repairs. Parishes will be able to submit one application form and be considered for up to two fabric repair grants. This will reduce form filling for the parishes. There will also only be one reporting and claims process for the two grants, again reducing the burden of paperwork on parishes.
Have you made a Will?
“A will is the only way to make sure your savings and possessions go to the people and causes that you care about. It is so important - please don’t put it off” We can help with advice on: Wills & Estate Planning, Trusts, Lasting Power of Attorney, Probate & Funeral Planning Call now for peace of mind - Our fees are VERY reasonable Full Member of the Society of Will Writers True Blue Wills Ltd Your local Will Writers and Estate Planners
0800 6122 818 enquiries@truebluewills.com www.truebluewills.com I went into a library and asked, “Do you have any books on shelving?” The librarian said, “Yes, all of them”.
14
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk A FRIENDS OF THE EARTH (FOE) website will be of interest to those who want to know more about how well local authorities are working towards lowering emissions.
Next month’s issue will be out on 14/15 March weekend. Adverts & articles required by 29th February.
FOE analysed how different local authority areas across England and Wales are taking action to cut greenhouse gases, and compared local authority areas with other similar areas. They believe Hinckley and Bosworth’s (HBBC) performance on climate change, though better than many others, is nevertheless poor compared to some similar local authority areas. They argue that all local authorities, even the best performing, need to do much more if climate catastrophe is to be averted. Hinckley and Bosworth particularly needs to do much better on increasing the use of public transport, cycling, and walking, and improving home insulation. In Hinckley and Bosworth 35% of emissions come from housing, 33% from transport, and 31% are industrial and commercial emissions. There are different estimates of how fast the UK should reduce greenhouse gas emissions if it’s to do its fair share in combating climate change, ranging from around 7% to over 25% per year. Researchers at the Tyndall Centre in Manchester University say that Hinckley and Bosworth should reduce emissions by at least 14% per year. The FOE analysis is, of course, based on historical data but shows the challenging situation that faces the Borough, The incoming Lib Dem administration last May will no doubt argue that the analysis shows that it was right to declare a Climate Emergency, and to pledge to work towards making the Council carbon neutral by 2030. It also said it would call on Westminster to provide the powers and resources necessary for the Council to achieve the target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030, and to implement best practice methods to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius. FOE agrees with HBBC that the government needs to provide local authorities with the powers and resources to do more, and says it
Borough Council climate performance analysed
needs to do much more itself. All local authorities should adopt an ambitious local climate action plan, like the one that HBBC is preparing, and should declare a climate emergency as a sign of political intent. The action plan being prepared will detail the leadership role HBBC will take in promoting community, public, business and other council partnerships to achieve this carbon neutral 2030 commitment throughout the borough. The action plan will also outline the staff time and resources required to undertake the actions to achieve the targets. All possible sources of external funding and match funding to support this commitment will be investigated. Executive Member for Climate Change Cllr Martin Cartwright said: “We recognise the role the council has to play with officers and members working together on the Borough Council’s plan, but this is something we cannot do alone. Everyone has to play their part and we will be working with local organisations and businesses to ensure collectively we can work towards meeting the targets declared in the climate change emergency. We are under
The best cure for sea sickness is to sit under a tree.
no illusions that there will be some difficult choices that we all need to make and that is why we are developing our plans over a number of months to make sure we consider the impacts of our decisions. The full official Climate Emergency Plan will be published in due course.”
The suggested targets The people most vulnerable to climate change are often those on lower incomes, despite having done the least to cause it because of their lower levels of consumption. For example, people with lower incomes are less able to replace and repair damage from flooding or insure against it. Researchers have identified over 10,000 neighbourhoods across the UK where people are particularly vulnerable to flooding due to their location and factors such as income. HBBC has 3 of these neighbourhoods with high social flood risk for surface flooding, taking account a range of vulnerability factors. FOE says the local authority needs to target these areas for support in order to help people living there prepare for extreme weather and respond and recover when it occurs. It also
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk suggests targets for a range of other activities • Cease supporting or promoting new high carbon infrastructure, such as roads or airports • Annual emissions reductions – 14% • Insulate 2,638 homes per year • Fit 1,572 eco-heating systems, such as heat pumps, each year • Increase to 49% by 2030 the proportion of commuters walking, cycling or using public transport • Aim to have 40% of staff who travel to work by car doing so by lift-sharing • Have at least 64 electric vehicle charging stations by 2030 • Have at least 82MW renewable energy • Aim to double tree cover • Increase household waste reuse, recycling and composting to 70% by 2025 • Reduce investment in fossil fuel companies to zero as soon as possible.
How the Councils compared The best performing council in the FOE September 2019 climatefriendly test is Wiltshire (92%). Hinckley and Bosworth scored 56% and other local councils scored: • Harborough 52% • Blaby 52% • Oadby and Wigston 52% • Melton 56% • Leicester City 64% • North West Leicestershire 72% • Charnwood 72% Using their online post code search may give slightly different results to these figures which are taken from the published FOE table “Performance on climate change by local authority area in England and Wales”. The website address is very long but if you google Grobylinx you’ll find a shortcut. There’s also lots more information linked from https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climatefriendly-communities The Friends of the Earth represents one side of the climate debate. If you have a view why not share it with other Spotlight readers.
Norman Griffiths
Letter
Bake Sale to raise funds for Gorse Hill City Farm
A FUNDRAISING Bake sale in support of Gorse Hill City Farm will take place on Wednesday 19th February (during the school half term break.) It will start at 2:30pm and finish at 5:pm. My friend and I from the farm are doing it because we don’t wish to see it go as it holds a place in our hearts. It is a great place for young children to come into contact with animals they wouldn’t usually. Friends of mine will also help out. The majority of the items will be home baked the day before by myself and a few friends who took cooking year 7 to 9. The prices will be £1.50 for slices of cakes, £1.00 for any cupcakes and cookies, and 50p for fudge and brownies. We will be happy for people who come to ask questions if they so wish. The farm is at risk of closing down since the council removed funding. We hope to keep it open as long as possible. You can also donate through Gorse Hill City Farm website (www. gorsehillcityfarm.org.uk) Thank you.
Lorelei
Welcome back to Groby Sings 2020! SINGING will resume after the Groby schools’ half-term on Monday 24th February at the Groby Club. Afternoon choir: 1.15-3.00pm. Evening choir: 7.30-9.00pm. Afterschool children’s choir (age 7 upwards): 3.40-4.40pm. Everyone welcome, come along and enjoy singing, socialising and eating cake! After the success of Groby Sings Under The Stars, the choir is looking forward to travelling towards Summer 2020 with Groby Sings On The Road which will feature songs from Calamity Jane (remember Doris Day and ‘The Deadwood Stage’?) and Simon and Garfunkel whose charttopping hit ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ is, amazingly, 50 years old this year. It promises to be an interesting mix of sounds which, as usual, will be fun for the choir to master and entertaining for the audience to enjoy at performances on Saturday 27th June and Sunday 28th June. For enquiries, please contact us via our website www.grobysings.org. Groby Sings is a Registered Charity no. 1180490.
Julie’s Pet Care SERVICES
15
Want to reach
THOUSANDS
of potential customers in Groby, Field Head & The Brantings? Advertise in the Spotlight!
From £5
Pet Minding
Tel: 07934 686692 Email: Email:Julie.petcareservice@gmail.com juliedu.petcare@gmail.com
Dog Walking CRB Checked Since my girlfriend started working at the grease factory, it’s been really hard trying to get hold of her.
16
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
~ Groby Gardening Society News ~
Groby Gardening Society meeting, 9th January 2020 AROUND 35 MEMBERS attended the first meeting of the new year, a talk presented by Peter and Lynne Upton entitled “Managing Bradgate Park for Wildlife”. Peter and Lynne live in Anstey and are volunteers with the Bradgate Park Trust. The park is of national importance, and regularly features in the top ten places to visit in England. It is a Grade 2 historic parkland, over 850 acres, and contains several listed buildings. It is an ancient landscape, dating back over 560 million years, and contains some of the oldest rocks in the British Isles, of pre-Cambrian origin. It was long thought that pre-Cambrian rocks did not contain fossils, but in 1956 a local schoolboy discovered some in the rocks at Bradgate, and thus the earliest evidence of complex life on earth. Bradgate is an upland landscape located in a lowland setting, almost unique within the British Isles, also including wet heath and acid grassland habitats. The Bradgate rocks are volcanic in origin, being created from the eruption of a submarine volcano when the land was situated in the southern hemisphere. Movements over millions of years of the tectonic plates which make up the Earth’s surface have resulted in the British Isles settling in the Northern Hemisphere. The earliest recorded owner of the park area in the 11th century was Ulf. Bradgate Park is first recorded in 1241, and the land has had many owners, and eventually passed into the ownership of the Greys in 1445. It was opened to the public for occasional access in the 1860s. When the 7th Earl of Stamford died without an heir the estate was broken up, and in 1928 was bought by local businessman Charles Bennion who, by prior arrangement with the City Council, immediately placed it into trust “for the City and County of Leicester that for all time it might be preserved in its natural state for the quiet enjoyment of the people of Leicestershire”. Peter pointed out that the City Council agreed to contribute £12,000 to the upkeep of the park, a sum which has not been increased since! Maps of the park show that it was larger in mediaeval times, but various parcels were sold off during the 19th century, in particular for the creation of Cropston reservoir. The current trust have two stated objectives; to provide a public park and recreation ground, and to educate the public in the appreciation and care of the environment. The trust actively
manages the habitats within the park to achieve these objectives. The upland habitat comprises the rocky outcrops and the copses of planted trees. The park contains over 500 “veteran” trees (those up to 400 years old are considered as merely “ancient”) with the oldest believed to be over 800 years old. These have been pollarded since mediaeval times, on a 30 year cycle to produce new growth. This can eventually lead to the centre of the tree rotting away, although it remains alive since the only living part of the trunk is the cambium (the outer layer just under the bark), and the decaying wood is an invaluable habitat for invertebrates and fungi. This is why so many of the trees that have fallen naturally, particularly on the upper slopes, are left to decay. The legend that the oak trees were all pollarded as a tribute to the beheading of Queen Jane in 1554 is probably just that, a legend. The wet heathland habitat at the Hall Gates entrance is home to bluebells, wood anemone, march pennywort and tree pipits. The trust is currently reducing the covering of bracken in order to promote more flowers such as bluebells and orchids. The acid grassland habitat is the poor quality grassland (incidentally, there are over thirty types of grass in the park!) where you might come across milkwort, tormentil, sheep’s sorrel and you may be lucky enough to see the little owls that live and hunt on it. There are plenty of rabbits, and records show that when these were utilised as a food source (and for sport) 3,000 were shot in one day! Drystone walls are a distinct habitat (there are 17 miles of them in the park), and here you might find slow worms, adders, many invertebrates, and the edible moss “rock tripe”. Edible in an emergency, we’re told! The major wildlife on the park is of course the deer herds. There are two types: the larger, native red deer which have been here since the last ice age, and the smaller fallow deer introduced by the Romans. There are about 130 red deer and 360 fallow. With no natural predators, from time to time these need to be culled to prevent numbers
getting too high, and every part of the culled animal is used, from venison to hides to antler handles for walking sticks. Roe deer and muntjac are also found in the park, but these are rarely seen. Deer will eat anything, from grass to tree bark, food thrown away by visitors and, sadly, waste that has been discarded by visitors. At least one deer last year died a slow death after swallowing a stomachload of plastic bags, meaning it was unable to feed. Other mammals in the park include squirrels, rabbits, hares and badgers. Birds include swans, ducks, kingfishers, herons along with falcons, buzzards, woodpeckers and the peacocks in the ruined house, including at least two albino ones. The River Lin that flows through the park into Cropston Reservoir is widely regarded as one of the shortest in England. The water is very pure, and contains a number of indicator species such as brook lamprey and the native crayfish. Managing the park is a costly business, needing over £1.3m per annum. One third of this sum is raised from the car park charges, a further one third is derived from retail and catering. Grants and donations make up much of the remainder. This allows the park to employ the equivalent of 40 fulltime workers, and there are 150 conservation volunteers - more are always welcome! There is a
walled area to the side of the ruins which is being slowly restored as a garden to provide produce for use in the tea rooms. The park has had archaeologists from the University of Leicester working there for several years, and amongst the many finds, evidence of the race course around Old John has recently been uncovered, and it is hoped that this can also be restored. An excellent talk which provided an intriguing insight into a facility that we all thought we knew so well! • THE SOCIETY has organised an evening visit to the gardens at Mountain Ash, near Newtown Linford on Thursday, June 11th, part of the National Open Gardens Scheme. • THE SOCIETY’S ANNUAL TRIP this year is from July 28th – 30th and will see us based in Chester for two nights. The outward journey will include a visit to Haddon Hall in Derbyshire, followed by a full day at Bodnant Gardens near Llandudno, and the return trip will include a visit to the David Austin rose gardens near Wolverhampton. As the days grow longer and you think about getting out into the garden again, remember the words of garden designer Gertrude Jekyll who said “there is no spot of ground …that cannot be tamed” as you hack away at the weeds and overgrown plants! Our monthly meetings are held at 7.30pm on the second Thursday of each month in the United Reformed Church rooms on Chapel Hill, Groby. Entry is £2 for non-members (an annual subscription is just £15), and you’ll be sure of a warm welcome, along with a cup of tea or coffee and a biscuit. For further details, including the trips, email Helen Box on helen_box@hotmail. com in the first instance. On March 12th, we have a talk by Tracy Beaty urging us to ‘Save Our Weeds’.
Keith Poole
Why was the snowman looking through a bag of carrots? He was picking his nose.
17
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
News from Lady Jane Grey School AT LADY JANE GREY Primary School, our Student Council are working very hard on improving our outdoor learning environment. One of the first improvements has been the playground markings. Lady Jane Grey’s Home School Association have very kindly provided the funds for the playground markings that encourage fitness. The Student Council have worked with Fun and Active Playgrounds, who used a drone, to plan our markings across the whole site. These are now being used at playtime and lunchtime as well as in our PE lessons. The next phase is to create outdoor learning classrooms across the whole site that our community can get involved in. We have recently been very successful in attracting over £6,000 from the Co-op Community Fund. To enable us to reach our aim of providing community space for the growth of vegetables, our Student Council are holding a gardening community day on Tuesday 31st March. We are looking for volunteers to come into school to help us create various areas around our school site, for example an Orchard and a wildlife and wild flower area. The Groby Allotment Association and the Groby United Reformed Church are also involved in our project, of which we are truly grateful for their support. If you would like to help please contact Sally Boaden on 0116 232 0031.
YOGA & MEDITATION CLASSES EVERY THURSDAY AT 5.45 PM – 6.45 PM GROBY EX-SERVICE MEN’S CLUB Please bring your own mat For further information contact
07783 276524
Local Success in the 2019 Adverts for Glenfield Christadelphians
LEICESTERSHIRELIVE EDUCATION AWARDS For Groby and Field Head Spotlight January to June 2020
BROOKVALE Groby Learning Campus had 6 finalists for the LeicestershireLive Education Awards 2019, hosted at the King Power on Thursday 12th December.
JANUARY
Faith cometh by hearing, and hearin
Bible Talks
Will Alves WON the ‘Sporting Excellence Award’ and Isaac Wiles WON the ‘Music Excellence Award’ WELL DONE TO BOTH BOYS!
Having 6 out of 36 finalists and 2 winners out of possible 13 categories was a fantastic achievement! WELL DONE TO ALL OUR FINALISTS AND WINNERS! FEBRUARY
Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God
Bible Talks
Mar 01 What Jesus taught about Life and Death Mar 08 Jerusalem - Future World Capital Mar 15 The Sure Mercies Of David Mar 22 The Amazing Witness of Bible Prophecy Mar 29 Five Facts to Build Your Life On www.lifes-big-questions.org
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God
www.thisisyourbible.com/glenfield
Glenfield Christadelphians
Feb 02
Enter Ye in at the Strait Gate
Feb 09
Famous Last Words
Feb 16
What the Bible Says about the D Satan
Feb 23
Genesis - The Book that Jesus B
www.lifes-big-questions.org
www.this
Glenfield Christadelp MARCH
Faith cometh by hearing, and hearin
Bible Talks
Scout Hall, Stamford St. Glenfield Each Sunday at 6pm (God Willing)
Scout Hall, Stamford St. Each Sunday at 6pm (Go
Scout Hall, Stamford St. Each Sunday at 6pm (Go
Apr 05 Adult Baptism – The Only Way to
Apr 12 What the Bible Says about The W Apr 19 Sower, Tares and Mustard Seed Apr 26 The Power of Prayer www.lifes-big-questions.org
www.this
Glenfield Christadelp
I’ve put up a marquee in my garden, with funky music APRILand flashing lights. Now is the winter of my disco tent. MAY
18
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
HootS - Head out of the Sand – Groby
Responding to the
CLIMATE EMERGENCY at a local level
It’s Complicated… EACH MONTH at our HootS meeting we follow three strands: Education, Values and Action. Within the values strand we focus on the thinking skills we need as we face the problems of the 21st century. In February the skill we focused in on was: complex and complicated thinking. “What has this got to do with tackling the climate emergency?” I hear you ask. Well, as we start thinking about the situation that we face one thing is clear – it’s complicated! Take for example the problem of plastic, which was our education focus in our February meeting. Plastic is very much a part of our modern life. Programmes on the television over the past year have highlighted graphically the problems this is causing us – polluting our oceans and rivers, littering our streets, causing untold harm to our wildlife. And the plastic problem is not going away – the average plastic bottle takes 450 years to degrade. Much of the plastic we use is not recyclable and ends up in landfill: it is estimated that we will run out of space for landfill in the UK by 2024. Despite all these facts, when you do your shopping it can prove very difficult indeed to avoid bringing home some plastic. If this doesn’t already seem complicated enough, think about: the fact that alternatives to plastic packaging can be a lot heavier than plastic, and therefore transporting them is both more expensive and produces more carbon: the packaging that combines plastic with other materials: the industry that produces plastic (the carbon that it produces, and the people it employs): the plastic that ends up on our streets – the attitude that let’s this happen. It’s complicated! So we need a new set of ‘thinking skills’ because our reflex action is
to be overwhelmed with all these complications and carry on as normal. But that’s exactly what we can’t afford to do. One of the skills we need to develop is complex and complicated thinking. At HootS we don’t have all the answers and we don’t have all the skills, but we come together because we want to do something about the situation we find ourselves in and we want to do our best to change. Everyone is welcome at our meetings and we hope that through working together we can respond more effectively to the climate emergency we face. In terms of action we are making plans. One of these is ‘Spring Clean Groby’. We are hoping that individuals and groups will support this initiative to rid our village of litter, whether it is made of plastic, metal or paper. We have been encouraged that some groups have already been in touch – please do contact us if you would like to be involved. In terms of education we now have a programme to take us through to the summer: 1st March 2020
Clothes
5th April 2020
Home Energy
3rd May 2020
Planting with nature in mind
4th June 2020
Palm oil
5th July 2020
Air Pollution in Groby
We meet every first Sunday of the month at 2:30pm in the Village Hall. Our meetings are open to everyone – we aim to be friendly and inclusive. Please feel free to join us, or contact us at: hootsgroby@hotmail.com if you would like to find out more.
Ruth Mwenya and Janet Bishop
Advances in driving technology could help combat loneliness in later life, new report finds A NEW REPORT launched by the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC), supported by LV= General Insurance, argues that advances in automated driving, electric vehicles and ridesharing could enable older people to maintain their social connections for longer. Since the widespread adoption of private cars in the second half of the twentieth century, driving has become an integral part of how people commute, travel and live their lives. The report by ILC, the UK’s specialist think tank on the impact of longevity on society, finds that driving cessation in later life, which may result from deteriorating vision, hearing or cognitive decline, can significantly limit people’s mobility, with older people commonly experiencing depression, loneliness, and even increased mortality after giving up driving. However, recent developments in automated driving, increasing charging times of electric vehicles. as well as the rise in digitally-enabled models of mobility, including rideshares and mobility-as-a-service could reduce the risks of driving for older drivers, the report argues, supporting longer driving lifespans and allowing more older people to maintain their social connections for longer. David Sinclair, Director, ILC commented: “Driving is at the heart of how people live their lives. For many, giving up driving can significantly limit their ability to get around, socialise and travel.” “The story of the future of driving is a story about older drivers. We’re seeing more people continuing to drive into later life. And with the increase in ridesharing services and the development of self-driving cars, there are opportunities to keep people mobile and engaged in their communities for longer.” “However, we need to make sure that these services are open and accessible to all, and that a growth in automation and digital services doesn’t exacerbate the mobility gap between the rich and the poor, those in good and poor health, those living in urban and rural areas, the digitally literate and the digitally excluded.” “How can we provide equal access to ridesharing platforms such as Uber for example, when people with dementia continue to receive poorer reviews from drivers?” “In an ageing society, where more of us will suffer from limiting health conditions and cognitive decline, it will be vital that older adults now and in the future are included in thinking through and managing the implications of changes to how we drive in future.” The full report “A fork in the road: The future of driving in an ageing society” is available from: https://ilcuk.org.uk/a-fork-in-the-road-the-futureof-driving-in-an-ageing-society
I quit my job at the helium factory today. I’m not being spoken to in that tone of voice.
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
19
Martinshaw Primary School News Chinese New Year Gong hei fat choy (Happy New Year) Many Chinese people around the world were unable to celebrate Chinese New Year (The Year of the Rat), the first year in a 12 year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac, due to the dreadful Coronavirus and the obvious need for bio-security. Nevertheless, Martinshaw EYFS class managed to enter into the spirit of the celebrations by producing dragon masks, lanterns and even lucky fish. Meanwhile, pre-school learned about all the animals in the Chinese Zodiac and performed a very enthusiastic Dragon Dance, before going out into the woods, making collages of dragons from leaves and sticks from the forest floor.
Basketball Festival Year 6 had a great time at a Basketball Festival, receiving coaching under the great and successful Leicester Riders Coach Rob Paternostro (pictured right).
To advertise in the Spotlight, call Mike Wilkinson on
The students went on to meet a number of the players and play two games against local schools. A wonderful and enlightening day out and an opportunity to meet some of the top Basketball players in the country.
01530 244069 or email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
Owen Lawrence
FAST FREE LOCAL DELIVERY BOSCH
Blomberg
Washing Machine 1400rpm Spin Speed 6kg Load Capacity A+++ Rated Express Wash 15 Programmes
Built-In Larder Fridge Auto-Defrost 5yr Guarantee A+ Rated Reversible Door Telescopic Shelf
WAB28162GB
TSM1750U
Blomberg
SAMSUNG
Washing Machine 1400rpm Spin Speed 7Kg Load Capacity 28 Min Fast Full Load 16 Programmes A+++AB Rated
Washing Machine 1400rpm Spin Speed 7kg Load Capacity A+++ Rated 5yr Guarantee White
LWF274411W
WW70J5556MW
BOSCH
ZANUSSI
Built-In Dishwasher 12 Place Settings 4 Programmes Time Delay Noise Level 50db A+ Rated
Washing Machine 1400rpm Spin Speed 8kg Load Capacity A+++ Rated 2yr Guarantee 14 Programmes
SMV40C40GB
Fitted Kitchens We are pleased to announce that we are now agents for A.W.E Kitchens and Bedrooms Who specialise in Bespoke made to measure kitchen & bedroom furniture Please call in for further details
ZWF81443W
Internet Prices with Personal Service
“Ask About our Same Day/Next Day Installation and Removal Service”
No matter how much you give a homeless person for tea, you never get that tea.
ANSTEY
20
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
Letter
Spotlight Small Ads
Dangerous driving at A50/A46 Roundabout THE ROUNDABOUT and traffic lights which crosses the A50 and the A46 has made a dramatic change to getting out of the village, particularly in the mornings. However, there are 2 really disturbing trends: The number of people jumping red lights to the stage now where I always check for traffic even if my lights are green; The above is bad enough but another trend is emerging which could cause a major accident. As you approach the roundabout from Markfield to Leicester there are various lanes and generally people are in the correct lanes with a few who do not know the area who have to move lanes – no problem, so long as they indicate! However, there are a growing number of people wanting to continue along the A50 into Leicester who are choosing the right-hand lane which is used to turn right onto the A46 or go back up the A50 to Markfield. It is not a mistake, it is an absolute choice because they see the opportunity to speed up, jump the queuing traffic and then dive left and continue along the A50 with no regard for people in the middle lane who are either turning right to Groby or going straight on down the A50 to Leicester. I am not talking about trying to sneak in at the front of the queue, these are people travelling at speed who have NO intention of following lane discipline. As a driver returning home every rush hour and turning right to Groby from the Markfield direction, there have been numerous times when I have nearly been hit by a speeding driver in the correct lane to go straight on, but tonight was one of the increasing number of times when there was a near miss which could have been a multiple pile up by someone with a total disregard for other people or the rules of the road, in the right-hand lane which turns right, travelling fast and carving up the traffic turning right in order to carry on their journey down the A50 into Leicester. Is there any chance of getting some cameras on the roundabout in the absence of any police cars?
Concerned driver
(Name & Address Supplied)
• WANTED: HALF GLAZED EXTERIOR DOOR and WINDOW about 3 feet. Tel: 01530 244049. (Stanton under Bardon) • Lovely light wood ROCKING CHAIR, with padded seat and back cushion. Great for mum and baby or just to sit and relax. As new condition, easily un-assembled for collection. Can supply photo. Price: £45.00. • Attractive GIN BOTTLE LIGHTS with re chargeable batteries. Price: £6.00 each. Can supply photos. Tel: 07790 734858. (Groby) • Gentleman’s navy blue evening jacket. Price: £20.00. • Pair of ladies size 38 1/2 high heeled italian evening shoes. Price: £15.00. • Movie camera. Price: £25.00. • Video camera lens. Price: £20.00 • Rapesco electric nailer/stapler. unwanted gift as new and still in the box. Price: £15.00. • Collection of gardening magazines. Price: £25.00 • Two CB radios and one car aerial. Price: £250.00. • Travel alarm clock (unwanted gift used once). Price: £6.00. Tel: 07845 241817. (Markfield) • Tower 14-1 EXPRESS COOKER. Still in box. Never used - unwanted present. Price: £55.00 o.n.o. Tel: 01530 244450. (Markfield) • Ladies white bowling shoes, worn twice, size 6. Price: £5.00. • Ladies silver ballroom dancing shoes, small heel, new, size 41. Price: £10.00. Tel: 07769 034279 (Markfield) • OFFICE CHAIR - good condition, charcoal grey, height adjustable. Price: £10.00 • FIRE POKER - bone handle. Price: £5.00. Tel: 01530 231102 (Thornton) • Badger Stretcher Carp Fishing Bed. Price: £75.00. • White five-drawer 40” high CHEST OF DRAWERS. Price: £50.00 • King Size Bed, brown wood, no mattress. Price: £75.00. Tel: 0116 232 1922. (Groby) • GHD eclipse hair straighteners. Boxed, new. Half price - £75.00. • UGG boots. Sheepskin lined, very little worn. Size 8-9. Price: £25.00. • Braun Multiquick Blender. Boxed, as new, 160 watt. Price: £7.00. • Lakeland throw. Grey, as new, size 78” x 56”. Price: £10.00. Tel: 01530 242318. (Markfield)
• Cashbox with key. 12” by 8” by 5”. Price: £12.00 • ‘Wind in the Willows’ by Kenneth Grahame, ‘My Dearest Mouse - Wind in the Willows Letters’ by Kenneth Grahame, and ‘The Hedgehog Feast’ by Edith Holden. Price: £10.00 the lot. • Eight Pictures, in gold coloured frames, of costume designs for Bolshoi Nutcracker Suite 1919, limited edition of 5,000. Price: £80.00 the lot. • Two large oriental calendars. 2005, with unusual pictures suitable for framing. Price: £6.00 the pair. • Craft magazines for card making, plus kits. Price: £10.00 the lot. Tel: 01530 243660. (Markfield) • CLAUD BUTLER Criterium Road Bike; frame size 59cm - Price: £100.00. • MOONGOOSE PROGRAM Black BMX Bike - Price: £60.00. • LOGO What Am I Board Game. Price: £10.00. • Rare Vintage Falcon De-Luxe JIGSAW; Houses of Parliament 5000 pieces; complete with photo evidence - Price: £12.00. • Physioworld FOAM ROLLER 45cm unused; core fitness / muscle massage Price: £10.00. • SLEEPING BAG, McKinley Racoon Ext.Childs in Blue; used once. Price: £20.00. • Selection of 14 DOLLS + accessories inc. Bratz, Barbie & Disney. Price: £40.00. Tel: 0116 287 3229 (Groby) • Caravan porch awning - Kampa Rally 260. Price: £50.00 • DeLonghi Multifry Multicooker (uses low oil). Used 4 times. Price: £50.00. Tel: 0116 287 5955 (Groby)
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 ENSURE that you put ‘SMALL ADS’ in the subject line, and INCLUDE YOUR FULL POSTAL ADDRESS (not for publication, just to know where you are).
Since my mate’s divorce 3 years ago, he’s put on 10 stone. His Doctor told him he has to stop celebrating.
21
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
APPROVAL Team England success for the Jackson Sisters! BROOKVALE Groby Learning Campus Year 12 student Alicia Jackson, pictured right, and Layla Jackson, Year 8, pictured below, currently dance at the Dupont Dance Stage School in Leicester. Dupont was founded by Janette Dupont in the 1950s. It is now run by her daughter PRINT HxWmm and son in DIGITAL WxHpx law Rebecca and Oscar Sarrafan and is currently one of the leading stage schools in the country. In June 2020 Dupont Dance Stage School will be competing as part of the “Team England” at the Dance world cup in Rome! Dance World Cup is the largest and most prestigious competition of its kind in the world. 45 of Dupont’s students aged 6 - 18 years will perform 35 dances, chosen by the national selectors from thousands of entries across the country. Alicia has managed to qualify for 8 dances (2 solos, 2 duets, 1 quartet and 3 groups) and her sister Layla has managed to qualify for 4 group dances. To compete for England is an honour and an incredible lifetime experience for these students! WELL DONE ALICIA & LAYLA!
WE HAVE A RANGE OF BRANDS ON OFFER FREE survey & fixed price quote
Call 0116 287 8000 ukgasservices.co.uk
*See website for terms & conditions.
5663
Leicestershire’s local installer of boilers & central heating for over 20 years.
1196_UKG_Notts_LocalNews.indd 1
My wife has the body of a woman half her age. I suppose I should call the police.
10/16/19 2:58 PM
22
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
HINCKLEY & BOSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL NEWS
Councillor Martin Cartwright reports
Wallace Drive Change of use of land to 2 No. Gypsy / Traveller Pitches Change of use of land to 2 No. Gypsy / Traveller pitches comprising of 2 static caravans, 1 day room and 2 No. touring caravans and associated infrastructure Land to the East Wallace Drive Groby Leicestershire Application number: Ref. No: 19/01407/FUL This application is effectively a resubmission of the previous application on this site that was both refused by HBBC planning authority and defended and upheld at appeal by a government inspector. The planning history of this site is complicated for which I will not go into in this article. The planning history helps the case for refusal again but that is not a guarantee that the same outcome will apply this time around, it may, or it may not. Highway issues were the strongest reason for refusal last time around. I sincerely hope LCC Highways agree with their previous assessment backing their officers at that time backed up by a government inspector. In this new application nothing material has changed since in respect of the identified Highway safety issues. Since nothing has changed it is unlikely that your views as to the appropriateness of this application have changed either. If you have ever made comments about this site in the past those comments will not be taken into account this time around unless you submit your response all over again. As ward member I have called this application into the planning committee at HBBC.
Application at Grey Close, Groby Re-modelling of existing dwelling including partial demolition, construction of a first floor to create an additional storey, and rear single storey extension. Extension to existing garage to create a quadruple garage including the raising of the roof with 3 dormer windows to create a first floor to be used as a residential annexe Application number: Ref. No: 19/01414/HOU As ward member for Groby it has come to my attention that a planning application has been submitted for Grey Close, Groby and that not everyone that borders the site has been notified by the Borough Council.
Sincere apologies if you are already aware of this. I would sooner you be notified twice than not at all. Personally, I think the descriptions of the proposals are creative, you may well wish to have a look yourselves. As ward member I have called it into the planning committee at HBBC. If you feel you would like to comment for or against any of the planning applications above or any other live planning application please do so online at www. hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk
Markfield Road, Ratby – Outline permission for up to 168 homes: At the planning committee held at HBBC on Tuesday February 4th 2020 permission was granted for up to 168 homes on Markfield Road, Ratby. These will be built in the land behind the homes on Markfield Road in the fields up to the M1 embankment. So why does this affect Groby? I voted against this application but was outvoted. Personally, I think the access to the site on Markfield Road is poor but Highways do not agree with this. It affects Groby because of many reasons but the two most important are that the primary school is full in Ratby so all the children of primary school age from this site will be placed in Groby’s primary schools. The extra cars generated by the development will mean extra traffic on the Sacheveral Way roundabout at peak times. We are all very familiar with the time it takes currently to navigate this junction at certain times of the day, this can only get worse once this development is completed.
Leicester Road Section 106 Agreement I continue to receive e-mails regarding concerns from residents over the application to remove the S106 money by Hello homes on the Leicester Road development.
As yet there is no date set for the planning committee to hear this application until which time there is still the opportunity to write in support or against the proposals. Either e-mail your comments to the case officer for this application Jenny Brader jenny.brader@ hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk or write to Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council at: Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council, Hinckley Hub, Rugby Road, Hinckley, LE10 0FR In either case please add the reference number 19/01060/S106 to your correspondence.
Local temporary road closures Ratby Road, Groby - not anticipated to exceed a period of 3 days commencing on the 16th March 2020. Sacheveral Way - road closure and parking restrictions - on 19th February 2020 for 2 nights between the hours of 20:00 and 06:00 Markfield Road - a road closure and temporary parking restrictions on Markfield Road, Groby from the junction with Ratby Road and the junction with Markfield Road (A50) on the 18th February 2020 from 09:00 – 15:00. Newtown Linford Lane - on Newtown Linford Lane, Groby / Slip Road from to A50 Markfield Road to from Newtown Linford Lane, Groby / Groby Lane, Groby / Groby Lane, Newtown Linford - not anticipated to exceed a period of 1 night commencing on the 21st February 2020 from 20:00 to 06:00.
I am here to help you Should you have any comments or problems you would like me to mention in my article please get in touch. Please remember if I can ever be of help to you or your family please do not hesitate to contact me. My contact details are listed below. Kind regards,
Cllr Martin Cartwright
Cllr Martin Cartwright Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council – Groby Ward. Executive member for: Licensing, Environmental, Climate Change, Rural Issues & Klondyke Community Hub
Call: 0116 287 4500 Mobile: 07850 707050 E-Mail: hbbc@appliancehome.co.uk Write : Maverick House,10 Pine Tree Avenue, Groby, LE6 0EQ
GROBY PLAYERS A dark & stormy night ... trapped on a pier ... with a MURDERER! IF YOU would like a entertaining evening, combining intrigue with suspense, then make your way to the Village Hall in Groby on March 26th/27th/28th, at 7.30pm, to watch Groby Players performance of ‘’Curtain Up On Murder’’ by Bettine Manktelow, (in association with Samuel French). ‘When a seaside am dram company are rehearsing in a theatre at the end of the pier, all the elements one would expect from a thriller appear! A group of people trapped! Tension! The obligatory storm and a series of unexpected murders are revealed.’ Book your table, café -style seating, BYO refreshments and drinks and enjoy an evening out in your local community. Tickets can be reserved/ obtained by Tel /text 07790861033, or email dothollins@outlook.com. or Facebook. Also tickets will be on sale in the Village Hall, Groby every Saturday in March from 10am-12noon.
Dot Hollins
I just got a new job as an auctioneer. They told me I had a lot to offer.
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
23
Council Tax Collection performance
Districts reject County Council criticism M
OST PEOPLE accept the inevitability that if they live in a house then each year a Council Tax bill will drop through the letterbox. Many have Direct Debit arrangements in place, so after a groan or moan the bill is probably filed and forgotten. Most people pay up even if they don’t look happy but some don’t, perhaps because they can’t because of their personal circumstances. Local authorities work hard to collect Council Tax and can take defaulters to Court to try and recover what is due. Those residents who pay on time may not be aware of this back-office operation to collect unpaid Council Tax. District Councils collect more than just the tax they are due, as the annual bill also includes not only revenue due to Parish Councils and the Police Authority, but also the much larger amounts payable to the County Council.
County Council concerns The Districts may have been dismayed in June 2017 when
Leicestershire County Council (LCC), that has no experience of collecting taxes directly from every householder, raised concerns that the level of council tax collected was lower than they would expect for the area. They said that forecasting needed to be improved and argued that weaknesses in forecasting were leading to a shortfall of £3.2m. Their concern over the level of collection by the Leicestershire district councils, was that it fell below the national average and if this were achieved they believed it would add an extra £3.1m to the area. The district councils noted these concerns, although they felt that they were not “fully thought through”, as there was no consideration of council tax collected after the financial year
The study found that council tax not collected in the year in which it is due is not lost, but is mainly delayed until the following financial year.
end. But they had to take these comments seriously and embarked on a detailed analysis to determine if there was any substance to the LCC suggestion. The LCC report prompted a review of practices and the sharing of information across the district councils in Leicestershire to consider any potential issues that indicated an area needed to be addressed to improve performance.
The findings The study found that council tax not collected in the year in which it is due is not lost, but is mainly delayed until the following financial year. When after year-end collection is included in the recovery performance, the combined recovery from all the Leicestershire district councils was 99.21% in 2018/19. The results show that all districts have a high level of overall collection, with six out of the seven Leicestershire districts collecting over 99% of the debit figure, and all seven were above the 98.85% noted in the LCC report. In addition, councils may continue to collect arrears in later periods. For example, there were £689,000 of arrears for 2016/17 or earlier years
collected in 2018/19. The analysis indicates that improving in year collection does not necessary increase overall collection when considering after year-end receipts of council tax that relate to previous years. The message to the County Council was summed up in a single sentence “A better understanding of how this can be budgeted for by LCC may help their decision making.” Particularly in these days of the need for food banks it may be impossible to recover the whole debt in the year it is due, and council officers are keen to differentiate when collecting arrears between those who ‘can’t pay’ and those who ‘won’t pay.’ It may be better to agree a payment plan to recover arrears from someone in hardship than to increase the amount outstanding by adding hundreds of pounds of recovery fees to a debt that they already have difficulty in clearing. If comments are received from the the County Council on the conclusions reached by the District Councils they will be printed next month.
Norman Griffiths
w w w. o a kt re el e tt i ng s . c o. u k
including songs from
L A N DLOR D S Has your letting agent increased their fees due to the tenant fee ban ? Has your agent kept you informed of all the latest regulations ? We pride ourselves on our friendly yet professional approach to managing your property and have over 30 years combined experience
Rehearsals at Groby Club from 24th February
and other travelling hits
Monday afternoon choir: 1.15pm - 3pm (Childcare facilities) Monday evening choir: 7.30pm - 9.00pm Monday after-school children’s choir: 3.40pm - 4.40pm
Performances: Saturday 27th June at 7.00pm & Sunday 28th June at 3.00pm www.grobysings.org for more information Registered Charity no. 1180490
We offer fully inclusive management at 10% plus vat to include rent guarantee and tenant eviction protection Visit our website to see why so many landlords recommend us ! Contact Louise or Marianne for an information pack or to arrange a free property appraisal
Call: 0116 287 0334
86 Faire Road, Glenfield, Leicester, LE3 8ED
Email: lettings@oaktreelettings.co.uk
Got really emotional this morning at the petrol station. Don’t know why, just started filling up.
24
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
HINCKLEY & BOSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL NEWS
Councillor Ted Hollick reports Bus Shelters requested Following a request from some residents of Wallace Drive for a bus shelter to be placed in the lay-by on the Leicester bound carriageway of the A50 I have asked the Parish Council to consider applying for one of the PCIF grants from HinckleyBosworth towards the cost. A similar request has been made by a Parish Councillor for the Laundon Way city bound side outside the Co-op store.
Hinckley visit On Saturday 25th January my wife and I attended the 20th Anniversary celebrations of the opening of the St. Francis Community Centre in Hinckley when a commemorative plaque was unveiled by the Rt. Revd. Bishop Martyn Snow, Bishop of Leicester. A slide show of images showing the development of the centre and its users was followed by entertainment from a Rock Choir and a local children’s drama group.
The Rt .Revd .Bishop Martyn Snow unveils the plaque
A quick response The thank you spot this month goes to Severn Trent Water for a very quick response to a major water pipe burst on Stephenson Way in the early hours of Monday 21 January. This was at a time when the village was subjected to very icy conditions. Having noticed a significant drop in water pressure at home, I discovered that a considerable amount of water was coming out of a lifted up pavement and flowing down the road which was already very icy, some water was already surrounding a nearby property which was on a lower level than the road. I reported the location to Severn Trent (at 1-06 am) and explained my concerns regarding the resulting highway safety issues I was told they only had limited staff working overnight. I am unclear as to how they did it but I understand water pressure was back
to normal by 3-00 am and the pipe was visible in a very large hole by 7-30 am enabling day staff to carry out repairs.
Ratby housing development A proposal to build up to 168 new homes between the M1 and the houses on Markfield Road Ratby was considered at the Borough Council Planning meeting on Tuesday February 4th. If approved it could have a significant effect on Groby schools and services. The planning application number is 19/00680/out.
Sacheverell Trust 400th Anniversary The Sacheverell Trust is a charity that was created by later members of the family who owned and occupied land in Ratby with the purpose of providing for less well off residents in the area. The trust still continues to serve the people and schools of both Groby and Ratby with donations and monetary gifts at Christmas time for elderly residents. The trust has asked Groby Parish Council if they can plant an oak tree to commemorate the anniversary. The Parish Council is thought to be considering the possibility of a Community Orchard as well as the Oak tree on QE11 park. I have suggested to the Parish Council that as the R40 footpath runs from Meadow Court Road across the field to Sycamore Drive that they request the County Council make a properly serviceable path as the R40 is on the County Council’s Definitive Map and would be greatly appreciated by the many people who use it. I realise that this is not specifically a Borough issue but feel it will be of interest to Groby people.
Planning Application 19/01407/FUL A planning application for a change of use has been submitted to HBBC for the third time. The application for caravan pitches and day rooms etc. for the use of Gypsies and Travellers was discussed at the Groby Parish Council Meeting on Tuesday 28th of January. Fifty one residents from the Wallace Drive area attended the meeting to voice their continued objection to the plans.
Councillor Ted Hollick Call: 0116 287 5955 Mobile: 07962 373983 E-mail: ted.hollick@outlook.com Write: 7 Shaw Wood Close, Groby, LE6 0FY
Allotment Society NEWS A New Year begins ALLOTMENT members can place a seed order through the Society and obtain packs of seeds at discount prices. This week those packs were delivered so we can now start planning when we should be sowing them, and when we need to plant them out on our plots. It is an exciting time as we plan to sow our seeds as it means that spring is just around the corner and a whole new growing year begins. What will the weather throw at us this year I wonder? Will I be able to put up a good enough fence around my sweetcorn to stop the foxes eating all the crop again? Will I need to water my plants if we get a really dry summer or will I have to protect my crops from loads of slugs because of a really wet summer? We will find out soon enough!
Another volunteering day We decided that on the Ratby Road site we would move our shed where we do the catering on our Open Shed Sundays, up to the top of the site, near to the car park to make the social functions more accessible to those of our members who find it difficult to negotiate the grassy path, sometimes slippery and uneven, all the way down to the bottom of the site. Also, it would make it easier for the helpers on the day, not having to take all the equipment down to use and then carry it all the way back again at the end of the morning. So, on the last Sunday in January, eighteen keen volunteers, set about taking down, moving and the rebuilding the large shed! And we did it, all in the space of about four hours and before the rain started! It all fitted back together again perfectly, and we didn’t have any bits left over! Everyone helping had a free tea or coffee and bacon cob at the very welcome tea break, to encourage us to get on and finish it off before the rain set in! A huge thank you to all of you who turned out on quite a cold day! We weren’t cold for long with all the work we did though! So proud of our achievement are we that we have decided to have our first Open Shed Sunday, a social fund-raising event as the grand opening of our new area on Sunday 1st March from 10am to 12 noon. We only hold them once a month from April to October, during the better weather, but we are taking a chance this year. If you fancy a look, do come and say hello. We offer hot drinks and a bacon cob or veggie slice, and we have a tombola and bric-a-brac stall, and depending on the season, plants or produce. We fund-raise to help us improve the allotments for all members. Previous projects have included making several raised beds to enable some of our less mobile members to still garden easily and retain the social aspects of coming to the allotments.
Gardening can make you healthy! It is well known that gardening, whether on an allotment or in your own back garden is good exercise, and if you grow your own vegetables, enables you to eat healthily too, but it also has other benefits. Recent reports suggest that just spending time outdoors, in nature, has great benefits and the mental and sensory stimulation of spending time gardening can also help relieve and reduce stress and anxiety. There is no reason why you cannot continue to get pleasure from gardening, even if you have a physical disability or dementia. It is possible to make adjustments either to your garden or allotment and the tools that you use so that gardening is still comfortable and safe for you. Raised beds or planters, a garden kneeler and long-handled easy-grip trowels and forks will help. Growing plants from seeds to flower or produce can be a gentle, stress-free way of keeping track of the passing of time and seasons too. So, although the weather may not be so inviting at the moment, plan what you will do in your garden or on your plot in the next couple of months and then you can get out there and enjoy the great outdoors!
Carol Lincoln I’m learning to joust in the evenings. Well, it’s actually knight classes.
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
BGLC are Hinckley and Bosworth Schools Cross Country WINNERS! BROOKVALE Groby Learning Campus have retained the Hinckley and Bosworth Schools Cross Country title after winning the inaugural competition last year. It is awarded to the school with the most students running in each of the Leicestershire Schools Cross Country League races. We share the trophy with Market Bosworth High School this year. Well done to all our students that have represented the campus in crosscountry this year, particularly as the conditions have been very challenging. Pictured above, with the winning trophy are some of the students who took part and represented BGLC. The Year 7 boys team were crowned Leicestershire School Cross-Country Champions for their age group. Louie Paddison, Riley Smith and Evan Wrightam ran in all the races, but they were joined by Macauley McGlinchey, Archie Darker and Harry Thurlow in the earlier races. An excellent result for the boys in their first season running for the Brookvale Groby Campus. The Junior Boys team finished third in their respective league with Philip Chick, Joe Matthews, George McMorran and Arthur Wrightam our regular runners at this age group. Another excellent result!
Smile for the camera! LOROS photo competition is open for entries DO YOU love taking photos? Are you a dab hand with a DSLR or skilled with your smartphone? LOROS Hospice is launching a photo competition and is inviting you to submit your images! Gary Dale, Retail Manager at LOROS, said: “We’re looking for pictures that show the best of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Lovely landscapes, wonderful wildlife and magnificent buildings – if it’s local, then snap it and send it in. The winning photos will be used in LOROS’ 2021 calendar and sold to raise vital funds to support the Hospice’s care of patients and their families. “We’re inviting everyone to submit entries, not just professionals. A photo taken on a smart phone is absolutely fine. So if you have a passion for photography and would like to help LOROS raise money, get snapping,” Gary added.
25
Help the Baldwin Trust THE BALDWIN Trust are excited to enter 2020 with the launch of our new narrow boat fundraising scheme “Put a foot in the water for The Baldwin Trust” Part 2! St Clare, our founding narrow boat has, due to her age (she has cruised for the Trust for 31 years), incurred repeated mechanical failures, leading to high repair costs and cancelled cruises. The Trustees have made the very difficult decision to retire her from service for the 2020 season. We therefore need to accelerate our fundraising, in order to acquire our second new narrow boat. This will be built at the end of 2020 ready for the 2021 season, to bring our fleet up to three boats. It will allow us to continue to provide a valuable recreational activity for the community and remove uncertainty from our operation as we strive for self-sufficiency in the future. We have some donated funds already allocated but require a further £75,000 to be able to make this a reality. Remaining cost per foot required = £1,100. If you are able to donate for “a foot” or towards a smaller part of the new boat this can either be done securely online www. baldwintrust.co.uk/index.php/thetrust/donate Or by emailing Secretary@ baldwintrust.co.uk and further details can be provided.
Twelve winning entries will be selected to form the LOROS 2021 calendar which will be sold across LOROS’ 29 shops. Entries must be submitted online – please visit loros.co.uk/calendar/ to enter and for terms and conditions. The deadline to send in photos is 5pm on 26th April 2020. Good luck!
First thing this morning, there was a tap on my door. Funny sense of humour my plumber has.
07/02/2020
26
Word Search Pu
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
WINES Wordsearch
FIND 10 POPULAR VARIETIES OF WINE in this issue’s Wordsearch puzzle, you could win yourself a meal and a 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.
D O D S C Q W U F W B Q Z H N U S
X E H C A N E R G N O O J Q Y K F
P S Y A B U M H Y I S Y F G M E X
T Y C P E E V C G R G M K Q Q G K
T E M P R A N I L L O D S N A L Q
T Y G L N I R M G Y K E F I Z H K
A D O V E G O X A N G T X J W M Q
J T F X T Y M N L L O C Y C E U N
To go into the draw, all you have to do is find - and mark a line through - 10 TYPES OF WINE. These can run vertically, horizontally or diagonally (and backwards!). IMPORTANT: You MUST address your entry to: WINE O’CLOCK, Groby & Field Head Spotlight, PO Box 8, Markfield, Leics. LE67 9ZT to arrive by Saturday 29th February 2020. Remember to include your name and F P D P N Q V F H address. The first all-correct entry drawn out of the hat will win the prize. M J I U Q F T E X Good luck!
P O S A S E T G B N N V S N O
N S A N C X G O J E B L L Y D
O H U N P A O T N J C L D V J
M I V O D Z N D U I X B A D V
V R I D M V H L J N P F R N Q
T A G R C W K Q Q F R C Q Q C
F Z N A B Z H I O T F A T K J
V F O H Q B R J P S Z M I I P
S W N C R V Q A K T V N B X E
Here are the 10 WINE TYPES you have to find:
SAUVIGNON BLANC • CHARDONNAY • MERLOT CABERNET SAUVIGNON • SHIRAZ • GRENACHE PINOT NOIR • TEMPRANILLO • PINOT GRIGIO • MALBEC
Name: ................................................................................................. Address: ................................................................................................ .................................................................Postcode: .............................
LAST MONTH’S WORDSEARCH WINNER
CLOSING DATE: SATURDAY 29TH FEBRUARY 2020
The winner of last issue’s Wordsearch Competition was:
AMY HUBBARD of Bailey View, Groby
Congratulations! Your prize voucher will be sent to you soon.
Glenfield Millennium Green News
CABERNETSAUVIGNON CHARDONNAY GRENACHE MALBEC MERLOT PINOTGRIGIO IF PINOTNOIR YOU USE the Millennium Green regularly you will noticed some of the daffodils are flowering in the Marie SAUVIGNONBLANC Curie Field of Hope. SHIRAZ TEMPRANILLO For the last few years we have had an early show, often beginning in late December. After more planting in the last few autumns the flowering period has been extended. This is a quiet time for Trustees and supporters of the Green although behind the scenes planning still goes on. Our first Trust by meeting of the year Created Puzzlemaker began to plan for 2020. We are pleased to be able to report that our recent Newsletter attracted some interest. New ideas for raising money or for community events are always welcome but volunteers to help to run events are essential. I am sure that this will be one matter for discussion at our Annual General Meeting which is being held on Wednesday February 26th at Park House, Stamford Street, Glenfield beginning at 7.30pm. If you come to the meeting you will hear a review of the last year and help us plan for the future. We can only move forward if we know what users want. So if you value the Millennium Green as an asset to the area please come along to this meeting and give us your ideas. Light refreshments will be available during the evening and the 100 Club will be drawn.
Christine Tordoff
at DiscoveryEducation.com
(Secretary GMGT)
Sometimes I wake up grumpy; other times I let her sleep. Connect with us on Facebook
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-FEBRUARY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
Elizabeth Woodville School News
Perfect Presents at
Perfect Prices
A Victorian School Day
Ratby Methodist Church
Year 5 and 6 recently enjoyed a great day out at Beaumanor Hall. As part of their learning about the Victorian Era and the Industrial Revolution, they took part in a Victorian school lesson. All the children unanimously agreed that the Victorian school mistress was very scary, especially when she used the cane! They also had the opportunity to try out some of the duties that Victorian servants would be required to do on a daily basis – also not for the faint-hearted! During their research at school, they found many important events during this era and put together an extensive Victorian timeline.
31 Station Road
Coffee Morning with
Gifts for all Occasions
Traders and Raiders The children in Year and 4 have been particularly excited this half term, about or current topic; Traders and Raiders! We have been exploring the lives of Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, investigating their origins, their reasons for invading, and finding out that they weren’t actually all that bad. We have even learnt how to read and write in Viking runes and are looking forward to creating our very own runestones! This may be something we can show to the real Vikings who will be visiting us later this half term…
Exploring Anglo Saxon and Viking Artefacts In History, Year 4 have studied Anglo Saxon artefacts and asked questions about them to find out more, such as: ‘What could it be used for? Who would have used it? Is it used for food? The class also found out about King Athlestan and King Alfred the Great. We debated whether or not we think they were good Kings or not, giving reasons for our decisions. We have also prepared a display board and presented it to the rest of the class about the Anglo Saxon way of life. In English, we have been finding out about Norse Myths and written a letter to persuade a character to return Thor’s hammer to him.
Memory Box – Changes over time In Year 2, our topic is ‘Memory Box’. We have been looking at how things have changed over time and how the vehicles and toys have changed in living memory. We have also looked at family photos. As a part of the topic, we are learning to draw portraits. We got really excited because we could use mirrors to look closely at our facial features. The children then learnt how to draw! They really enjoyed shading and using a pencil in a different way. Well done Class 2 - it’s clear you are all artists in the making!
Helping the Three Little Pigs To begin our topic of Traditional Tales we have been looking at the Three Little Pigs. The children were intrigued to discover which material would be best to use to build a house. We responded to this by undertaking a Three Little Pigs materials experiment! First, the children decided what materials, creating a list of everything they would need in a list so that it was easy to follow list. Next, the children designed what they wanted their houses to look like. The children then collected their materials and built a straw house, a brick house and a wooden house; we used a fan to test how strong the houses were. I’m sure the results won’t be a surprise; the conclusion was just the same as in the famous story! The children then evaluated the experiment by writing a sentence about which material they would choose to build a house with and why.
27
Saturday 22 February 10.00 - 12.00
If you enjoy reading the Spotlight, please pass it on to a friend or relative when you’ve finished with it. Thanks!
CHRISTIANITY Explored (CE) is an informal and relaxed seven-week course. It’s for anyone who wants to think about the meaning of life. It’s run by Christian people local to you and is completely free. You don’t need to know anything about the Bible, and you won’t be asked to pray or sing. You can ask any question you like, or you can just sit and listen. Whoever you are, whatever you’re thinking, CE is a place for you to explore what life’s all about. It might just be the best news you’ve ever heard. CE will be run at the Groby United Reformed Church on Chapel Hill in the centre of the village and will start on Wednesday 26th February. Each session will start at 7pm and finish before 9pm, including a short DVD clip, discussion using course questions and Mark’s Gospel, and some food. If you are interested in joining us for the CE course please – text Mark on 07887 399107 or e-mail hiscocksm@gmail.com If you are not able to make the CE course starting on 26th February but are interested in joining a future course, please also let us know.
Mark for the Groby United Reformed Church The older a man gets, the farther he had to walk to school as a boy.
LET CHARNWOOD LIVING FIND THE PERFECT MATCH FOR YOUR HOUSE SELL YOUR PROPERTY WITH
CHARNWOOD LIVING
HIGH STREET SERVICE AT INTERNET PRICES NO SALE NO FEE
LANDLORDS
WE HAVE FROZEN OUR FEES Charnwood Living Ltd - Terms & Conditions Apply
0116 243 0880
www.charnwoodliving.co.uk
17 The Nook | Anstey | Leicester | LE7 7AZ