January 2022 Groby Spotlight Magazine by Michael Wilkinson

Spotligh potlightt Groby & Field Head MID-JANUARY 2022

Delivered FREE to Homes & Businesses in Groby, Field Head & The Brantings

Double rainbow over Sycamore Grove

Letter

JUST WONDERED if you could include an update for my mum Rose Blayney with regards to the wonderful response to her fundraising efforts this year for Help for Heroes. Towards the end of November we transferred £700 to the charity. The “official fundraising day” in October was a very wet and blustery day, but was well attended by many people. Mum has continued to make jams, marmalade, piccalilli and pickled onions since this day and has received exceptional assistance in the continued selling of produce by Bradgate Stores in Groby, for which we are really grateful.

DAVE LOWEN has sent us a photo he took whilst walking around Groby village on Sunday 2nd January 2022. The image shows a double rainbow. We looked this up on the Met Office’s website, and here is what they say: Double rainbows are formed when sunlight is reflected twice within a raindrop with the violet light that reaches the observers eye coming from the higher raindrops and the red light from lower raindrops. A double rainbow is a wonderful sight where you get two spectacular natural displays for the price of one. Surprisingly, this phenomenon is actually relatively common, especially at times when the sun is low in the sky such as in the early morning or late afternoon. The second rainbow is fainter and more ‘pastel’ in tone than the primary rainbow because more light escapes from two reflections compared to one. The secondary rainbow is also dispersed over a wider area of the sky. It is nearly twice as wide as the primary bow. A key feature of double rainbows is that the colour sequence in the second rainbow is reversed, so instead of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet (ROYGBIV), the colours appear in VIBGYOR order. The dark band between the two rainbows is known as Alexander’s band, after Alexander of Aphrodisias who first described it in 200AD.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL SPOTLIGHT READERS!

Rose Blayney - Groby’s fundraising pickler & jam-maker

We are still collecting any sized screw top jars for jams and pickles for future sales. We are well on the way to making another transfer of funds to the charity, hoping to achieve £250£300. This making it Mum’s best fundraising year so far for this amazing charity. Many thanks for the superb support of local people willing to help others during this very trying time. Thank you so very much, wishing everyone a happy, healthy and safe 2022.

Wendy Lemmon

(Rose’s Daughter)

Groby Gardening Society MEMBERS should note that the Society’s AGM will take place on February 10th 2022, between 2.00 and 4.00 pm at the Groby Working Men’s Club. Please attend of you can. Discussions are under way with Groby Allotment Society with a view to organising a joint VILLAGE SHOW to be held in September 2022. Possible dates are September 10 or September 17. If any members of the society have any comments, suggestions or observations, please contact Helen Box in the first instance, via email at helen_box@hotmail.com At the time of writing, the weather is unusually mild, with New Year’s Eve 2021 being the warmest ever in the UK. More welcome was a glimmer of sunshine, which was in very short supply during December as a series of low-pressure systems brought cloud and rain across most of the country. Happy New Year to everyone. Let’s hope that the threat of Covid-19 recedes and we can return to a more normal way of life (if you can remember that far back!). Enjoy your garden when you can. Stay safe.

Keith Poole

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight

Feeding your garden birds is more important than ever this winter, says the RSPB • Birds look to garden feeders as natural food supplies run low • Learn which kitchen scraps and leftovers can be tasty treats for birds • Watching the nature on our doorsteps has been reducing stress

PO Box 8, Markfield, Leics. LE67 9ZT

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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. 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: 12th February 2022 DEADLINE: 29th January 2022

OVER THE events of the past 18 months, we’ve seen how important the natural world is to our mental health and wellbeing. Interest in garden birds and other wildlife has soared, with the number of people using the RSPB’s online bird identification tool shooting up by 95% in 2020. Taking the time to watch which feathered friends make use of your bird table or window feeder, can often help to reduce stress and restore calm. Not only does it benefit humans, but with over 60% of the UK population regularly feeding their garden birds, research suggests that this helps around 196 million birds a year. According to the RSPB, keeping your feeders and water trays topped up is important at this time of year to help your garden birds survive through the winter as natural food sources run low. Providing highenergy food will help your local birds build up the fat reserves they need to keep warm, and as a result your garden could soon become a hive of activity. What’s more, for those without a garden, window feeders can prove just as popular with your feathered friends. Check out the RSPB’s handy guide to making a recycled window feeder from objects found around your home https://twitter.com/RSPBEngland/ status/1247509433724342275 Thankfully, if your bird feed supplies are running low, your cupboards can hold the answer to attracting our feathered friends to your garden. According to the RSPB, fruits like apples and pears, even when they’re past their best, can be snapped up by blackbirds and thrushes, while grated mild cheese can be a fantastic source of energy and protein for a range of birds. Cooked pastry, defrosted peas or unsalted bacon leftovers are also great options, as well as cooked rice, pasta and the inside of potatoes providing a great energy source. With a range of options to help tempt your local birds into your garden, the RSPB is urging people across the country to stock up their feeders and ensure fresh water is available as winter brings the toughest and coldest months for birds. The charity, who have been monitoring trends in garden bird numbers for over 40 years, are on hand to provide top tips on how to attract wildlife to your garden as part of their popular Big Garden Birdwatch survey. To take part in the BIG GARDEN BIRDWATCH, which runs from Friday 28 January to Sunday 30 January 2022, visit www.rspb.org. uk/birdwatch or text BIRD to 70030 for your FREE guide, which includes a bird identification chart, top tips for your birdwatch and RSPB shop voucher.

How full is your ‘Love Tank’?

EVERYONE has times when, if we are in a relationship, we feel really loved by our partner, there’s a close connection and lots of fun and laughter. The relationship is flourishing. There are also times when we feel distant, frustrated, angry perhaps, and all the love seems to have leaked out of the relationship. Imagine we have an inner emotional ‘love tank’, and how full or empty the tank is represents how loved we feel. What’s the ‘fuel gauge’ showing, how full is your love tank right now? The question is not designed to be an opportunity to start thinking negatively about our partner, for criticising or demanding things, because we know that love is about giving, not getting. The thing is that we all experience love in different ways. For one person hearing the words: ‘I love you’ makes them feel on top of the world. Words alone might feel quite hollow for someone else; regular cuddles and kissing may be what makes them feel loved. Gary Chapman, author of The Five Love Languages, describes ways in which we can GIVE LOVE in the way our partner can receive it, when we know their ‘love language.’ The five love languages are: Words of affirmation, Quality time, Physical touch, Acts of service, and Thoughtful gifts. It comes naturally for each of us is to show love in OUR particular love language. I tend to do practical things, like making a nice meal or organising time together. There’s nothing wrong with either of those things, it’s just that my husband’s top love languages are: ‘words of affirmation’ and ‘physical touch’. So the candles on the table do very little for him. If I want to express love in the way he’s going to receive it, I need to tell him how special he is and whisk him off to the bedroom! In short, if I want my husband to feel loved I need to be thinking of HIS needs. The 5 Love Languages are a great tool to help people understand different ways they feel or experience love. You and your partner can explore these in Toucan Together’s Loving Module. Toucan can help you start some really great conversations. It’s really worth learning how to fill each other’s ‘love tanks’, and then get filling!

Christine Daniel is a speaker and blogger for FamilyLife UK, developer of the Toucan Together resource. Toucan Together is a relationship wellness app for couples that covers friendship, intimacy, resolving conflict, love language, and money management. Visit it at www. toucantogether.com

As my late father always said, get a decent watch.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JANUARY 2022 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

National Trust Leicester Association IN ADDITION to restoring and maintaining the gardens at its grand country houses the National Trust also restores and maintains the walled gardens at these same estates. At Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire (pictured right), which was the midlands home of the Dukes of Newcastle the Trust has fully restored the four acre walled kitchen garden. Today it is home to 100 varieties of rhubarb, rocambole garlic and scorzonera (similar to an artichoke), the purple cauliflower and the blue potato. All of which can be sampled in the restaurant. There is also a large orchard where 58 local apple varieties are grown. One of the first kitchen gardens to be renovated by the Trust, in 1995, was Beningbrough’s Victorian walled garden. It is now home to a myriad of fruit, vegetables, salad, herbs and less common plants like liquorice, grapes and figs, again all to be served in the Walled Garden Restaurant. Over 50 varieties of apples are also grown in the garden. The walled kitchen garden at Attingham, near Shrewsbury, is an excellent example of an 18th century estate kitchen garden. It covers two acres and includes a large fruit and vegetable garden and three newly restored glasshouses. Also in the garden is the Grade II listed Georgian bee house, with the bees safely behind a Perspex screen. Again all the produce is used in the Carriage House café. Chartwell in Kent is famous as the home of Winston Churchill. Soon after the family moved in the location of the walled garden was moved. Although Churchill was not a gardener he was an enthusiastic amateur bricklayer and built most of the new walls himself. The garden produced fresh fruit and vegetables which fed the family and when they moved to London the fruit and vegetables were sent to them every Monday and Thursday. The Earl of Harwick had the four acre walled garden at Wimpole Hall in Cambridgeshire constructed in 1790, and even the walls were heated to keep the peaches warm during spring frosts. There is also an impressive orchard containing apple, pear, apricot, plum, greengage, medlar and quince. Again all produce is used in the restaurant. Locally there are walled gardens at Stoneywell Cottage and Calke Abbey. • THE NT LEICESTER ASSOCIATION has an afternoon meeting on Wednesday 26th January when Jill Kashi (NT) will present a talk entitled “The Little Maids & the Wandering Butler”. 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 8th February at The Braunstone West Social Centre, St Mary’s Avenue, Braunstone at 7.30pm. Bob Massey will present an illustrated talk entitled “The Robins – the History of our Postal Service” Admission to meetings is NTLA members £2.50, visitors £4.00, including refreshments. For details of the NT Leicester Association please call 0116 2229133.

Alan Tyler, Publicity Officer

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~ CHRISTMAS DAY FOR THOSE ALONE 2021 ~ THIS YEAR it was an extremely difficult decision as to whether to go ahead or not re Covid and meant a lot of worrying and sleepless nights! I decided to go ahead as some folks really don’t go out much at all and this is a lifeline for them, we do have to look after people’s mental health too and I believe if we had cancelled to would have been too much for some of our guests. Re Covid, I decided to change our venue as the Church rooms where we normally hold this cannot be ventilated easily, so we joined forces with Brenda at Little Markfield farm in their barn which is set up for events and has natural ventilation but a lovely big log fire and other heaters which meant we had a ventilated but warm room! We of course also did everything we could to be as safe as possible. Volunteers and guests were asked to do lateral flows, we had hand sanitisers as folks arrived and each table, everyone wore masks when moving about the room etc…. so, we couldn’t have done any more. We catered for 70 people, and everyone had a wonderful time with a fantastic meal cooked by Brenda and Coralie, a present, goody bag, and a gift of fudge each, but most importantly company! Many thanks for course to Brenda, David and Coralie at Little Markfield Farm for letting us all join you. Thanks to all the wonderful volunteers, to folks of Anstey, Markfield and surrounding villages for all their donations made to our donation hubs, my friends, and colleagues and all who have donated. Thanks to Markfield Community Centre and Roy Greens in Anstey for being donation hubs Thanks to all the companies who donated goods or money……… Next, Tesco (Fosse Road North), Morrisons (Glenfield), Langtons Butchers (Glenfield), Pladis (prev Jacobs), Oooh fudge, Charnwood brewery, Co-Op, GTS security (Anstey), Whitfields grocers (Anstey)

Kerry Sharpe I asked my girlfriend to record something for me on ITV2+1. She recorded ITV3.

How to Get Boosted

Every adult needs to get a Covid-19 booster vaccine because two doses does not give you enough protection against catching the Omicron variant.

The NHS in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland has increased its vaccine capacity to support the Omicron Emergency so you can get vaxxed as quickly as possible. There are three ways to get your jab 1. You can book your appointment in advance using the National Booking Service. You can either book online by visiting nhs.uk/covidvaccination or you can call 119. 2. You may be invited by your GP practice. 3. You can go to a walk-in clinic without needing an appointment.

You can find details of the local walk-in vaccination clinics on the website below, including opening times, age eligibility and which doses are on offer. Why you need to get boosted • Scientists are very worried about the arrival of the Omicron variant because of the speed with which it spreads and because two doses of the vaccine do not give us the protection we all need. • Thankfully, a booster jab can restore protection to around 75%. • We don’t yet know how many people will need hospital care because of Omicron, so we need to take rapid steps to give the vaccine to as many people as possible to boost their protection. • It’s vital that you get the life-saving jab as soon as you are eligible so if you have not had your top-up, Get Boosted now. • Everyone can get their booster dose from three months after their second or third primary dose. For walk-in clinics in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, and other local vaccine information, visit leicestercityccg.nhs.uk/coronavirus-vaccine, or scan the QR code opposite.

I have a telescope on the peephole of my door so I can see who’s at the door for 200 miles.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JANUARY 2022 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Masked men try doors at night in Groby

IN THE EARLY hours of Wednesday 29 December a group of masked men went from house to house in Groby looking through windows, trying both car doors and the front doors of houses. The police have been made aware of the incident. Reports on facebook’s Spotted Groby page record visits to Spinneyside and the Highfield Road area. They were also seen on Mallard Avenue and Chapel Hill. One report advised caution as “These men were not bothered. They were casually walking around like it was daytime.”

•

Keep doors and windows locked at all times, even when you’re home. Take the key out of the lock.

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Consider the use of automatic timer switches to turn on lights if you’re going out. You could also use them to turn on a radio or TV.

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A police spokesperson said “We have added extra high visibility foot patrols in the area of Groby, especially in the late evenings into the night, so hopefully that will act to deter criminals. We have access to window vibration alarms, door chains and Faraday pouches that we can provide should anyone want any.”

Keep keys, cash and easily removable items out of sight.

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Take the time to check your alarm systems, outside security lighting and CCTV to make sure they are all working.

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Prevent easy access to the sides and back of your homes with locked gates or fencing.

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Don’t advertise going on holiday, or nights out, on social media. This highlights the fact the house may be unoccupied.

•

If you are away ask someone to house sit, collect your post, and make it look as if your home is occupied by switching on lights and opening and closing blinds or curtains.

The police are also reporting an increase in recent months of the use of signal relay devices to steal cars with keyless entry. The relay devices can help them get remote access to the keys even if they are inside the house. Their advice is not to leave your keys close to the front door, and to keep them in a more central location in the house where the signal will be weaker to anyone trying to access them by scanner from outside. A Faraday pouch is lined with a material that contains the signal transmitted by a car key. The material absorbs and redistributes electronic signals from the key, not allowing them to escape. It’s this signal that tells the car that the key is nearby and allows the car to be unlocked without pushing a button on the key fob. The Faraday pouch is designed to prevent the key fob inside from transmitting their signals out. If you can press the key in the pouch and it unlocks the car, it indicates that the pouch isn’t working and should be replaced. Providing a physical barrier like locked gates, or other vehicles opened with conventional keys, can also act as a deterrent. If none of this is possible then traditional devices can slow down a potential thief. These include steering wheel locks, gear stick locks or pedal boxes. The following advice was also given on keeping safe and secure :

They also recommend the new generation of CCTV devices such as doorbell cameras and advise occasional cleaning of the lens to ensure optimum performance. All this is sound advice and will help residents avoid being victims of crime. The official police figures for the Bosworth, Ratby, Groby, Markfield and Stanton area confirm that the old adage that ‘prevention is better than cure’ is as true for crime as it is for health. In the area analysis of 6218 crimes over 17 headings for the (nearly) 3 years from January 2019 to November 2021, more than 68% (4264) of crimes were classified as ‘no suspect identified’ or ‘unable to prosecute suspect.’ In addition formal or further action or investigation was not in the public interest in 4.7% (293) of cases, with another 5% (312) ending with a ‘local resolution’. Although there were only 40 cases recorded as ending with a caution, suspended sentence or community service, the court result was not available for a further 2.3% (141) and 2% (126) were still under investigation.

Norman Griffiths

Planning Apps Erection of a raised patio at the rear of a dwelling at 191 Leicester Road, Groby, Leicestershire LE6 0DT Formation of new gabled roof to provide first floor living accommodation, single storey side extension and other alterations - at 38 Jacqueline Road, Field Head, Markfield Leicestershire LE67 9RB Common ash - fell - at Brookvale Cottages, Ratby Road, Groby, Leicestershire. English oak - reduce crown by 3-4 metres in height and 3 metres overall spread, removing storm damage - at Ratby Road Amenity Area, Groby, Leicestershire LE6 0BT Horse chestnut tree shorten by 1-1.5 metres - at Orchard Close Allotments, Markfield Road, Groby, Leicestershire LE6 0FL Proposed first floor extension over existing garage - at 207 Leicester Road, Groby, Leicestershire LE6 0DT Two storey and single storey rear extension, replacement detached garage/workshop with store above - at 11 Charnwood Drive, Field Head, Markfield, Leicestershire LE67 9RA Single storey rear extension, first floor side/front extension above existing garage and other external and internal alterations - at 7 Spinneyside, Groby, Leicestershire LE6 0GX

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Quarry COTTAGE, Cottage Ratby Road, Groby, is being offered for QUARRY 118 Ratby Road | Groby | Leicestershire | LE6 0GH sale by Bentons Estate Agents. Dating back to the 1800’s, the property is packed with character and enjoys a contemporary twist throughout. It has been well modified by the current owners to accommodate for modern family life. The property offers gas central heating and double glazing. The accommodation comprises an entrance hall, lounge, dining room, open plan living/dining kitchen, utility room and downstairs wet room. On the first floor are two bedrooms and a further wet room and on the second floor is a large main bedroom with wardrobe/dressing area. Outside is a lawned garden, driveway and off road parking to the front and to the rear a private enclosed rear garden with a large patio area. Offers over £350,000 are invited. For more information, or to arrange a viewing appointment, contact Bentons on 01664 563892 or email: sales@bentons.co.uk

TO ADVERTISE IN THIS MAG ...

CALL MIKE WILKINSON ON 01530 244069 or email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk Advertising rates are available on the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk The only bad thing about my five-figure salary is the position of the decimal point.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JANUARY 2022 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

War time method was ‘only way’ to save crash victim’s hand AS MARTIN SHAW’S car came to a stop after rolling four times his first feeling was relief that he’d survived.

Worth a watch ...

Mrs Caldicot’s Cabbage War

“What happened after the car stopped is a bit of a blur but I remember seeing my arm and thinking, that’s it, I’ve lost it,” the 35-year-old said. After arriving at the Leicester Royal Infirmary by ambulance, remarkably with no other injuries, Martin was taken to surgery that night where work started to try and save his hand.

Martin’s injured hand was attached to his abdomen for around four weeks to help the healing process.

Plastic surgeon, Nakul Patel, said: “Mr Shaw sustained multiple fractures all his fingers and thumb and a large amount of his skin, tendons and muscle had all been torn away. “The first thing to do was clean the wounds, there was mud, gravel, grass and road surface in all his wounds and that posed a high risk of infection.” Mr Patel, who lives in Groby, explained to Martin that to save his hand they needed to cover his wounds with healthy tissue. He opened a patch of skin across his abdomen and attached it to his thumb and hand to enable healthy skin to cover his fractures and exposed wounds. “I couldn’t really take it in as what they planned to do was explained to me, but I was willing to try anything to save my hand and arm,” dad-of-four Martin said. Mr Patel said: “It’s actually a very old technique, one used in war time, with the scale of Mr Shaw’s injuries we needed to do this to have any chance of saving his hand.” Martin’s hand was stitched to his chest for around four weeks, before a further operation to release it and close up his abdomen. Progress so far is good. “It’s a very strange feeling,” Martin, said. “I do keep forgetting and going to reach for things or try and move it but I’m amazed at what they’ve been able to do.

Martin with his hand separated again and healing well.

“I can’t thank Mr Patel and all of the staff here enough. Nothing has been too much trouble for anyone, the care I’ve had - I’ve been blown away. “There aren’t enough words.” Mr Patel said: “People think that plastic surgery is purely cosmetic, this is a case that shows otherwise. “Care like this is a huge team effort by surgeons, registrars, doctors, specialist nurses, health care assistants, domestics, physios, orthopaedics, chaplaincy, microbiology, the burns and plastics team, occupational therapists, psychiatrists - the list goes on.

“His case really goes to show the high standard of care on offer to patients every day and the excellent specialist care of the Kinmonth Ward staff.” Reflecting on his journey so far, Martin added: “It’s unbelievable that I’ve come out of this and will still have my hand – my kids couldn’t believe it when they saw it, they said it looked like something from the Halloween aisle, they’ve nicknamed me Frankenstein.

It is the story about a woman, Thelma Caldicot, who is coerced by her manipulative son Derek and daughter-in-law to move into a run-down nursing home, owned by Derek’s employer, after the death of her bullying husband. Derek also gets her to sign over her house to him. However, she doesn’t like it at the nursing home and shows her frustration. After having been medicated by the staff to stay calm, she finally incites her fellow inmates to revolt. The film is available on Netflix and Amazon Prime - or watch it for free on YouTube (Search for: Mrs Caldicot’s Cabbage War 2002 FULL MOVIE on YouTube)

“I’m just pleased to have my arm free so I can have a big yawn and stretch in the mornings.”

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MRS CALDICOT’S Cabbage War is a British comedydrama film from 2002, directed by Ian Sharp and starring Pauline Collins, John Alderton and Peter Capaldi. It is based on a 1993 novel by author Vernon Coleman.

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I’ve invented a product that increases the size of your basement. I hope it will be a big cellar.

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Getting a better night’s sleep SLEEP IS AN essential and involuntary process that is vital for maintaining good mental and physical health. One in four people are thought to suffer from sleep problems at some point in their lives, both getting to sleep in the first place and staying asleep. Sleep deprivation can affect mood, concentration, judgement and reduce our immune system’s ability to fight off minor ailments such as colds and flu. Furthermore, long-term deprivation can lead to health problems including diabetes, heart disease and clinical depression. Don’t eat too early Eating the minute you get up doesn’t give your body chance to return to ‘full power’. Give yourself at least 30 minutes to come round before tucking into breakfast. Don’t eat too late Eating your main meal earlier can also help with improving sleep. A large meal or late-night snacking or drinking can impact on your digestive system and cause heartburn. Leave at least three hours between having a meal and going to bed. Night light filters Telling you not to look at your phone, tablet or television for hours before bedtime simply isn’t practical. However, your phone or tablet has a blue light filter option and you can schedule that to come on automatically early in the evening. You’ll barely notice the difference on your screen but it will make a difference when you try to get to sleep. Most televisions also have a night-time setting too. Make time to unwind As we rush through each day, balancing a busy lifestyle and juggling commitments, finding time for a rest can feel impossible. However, if the mind has no opportunity to process information from the day, it waits until bedtime to recap. This results in a poor, restless sleep. Try to build rest into your day by meditating or power napping. The 15-minute time out from

your day will create that internal chemistry that is just right for sleep. Additionally, deal with worries or a heavy workload by making a list of things to be tackled the next day. Make your bedroom a sleep haven Create a restful space: your bedroom should be as quiet and dark as possible. Managing technology is very important, as you need a break from TV, computers, emails and mobile phones before going to bed. Without this break, you are over stimulating your mind and it will be unable to find processing time. Set boundaries with technology and keep all gadgets out of the bedroom. Keep a watchful eye on your caffeine and sugar intake Ensuring you eat healthily and minimise sugary snacks is essential for keeping your brain and body contented. Sugar causes the body to run on a higher energy pattern, which creates highs and lows as the quick-fix energy hit wears off. This, in turn, sparks a need for more sugar in the body via drinks and caffeine. Eating little and often and keeping hydrated with water, herbal teas and fruit juices, while minimising your intake of fizzy drinks and caffeine, will help ready mind and body for sleep.

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For a free quote, call Dan Hardy on 07598 200 185 or visit www.leicesterlawnmowing.com www.facebook.com/leicesterlawnmowing My wife left me because of my obsession with Africa. Kenya believe that?

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JANUARY 2022 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

News from Groby WI THURSDAY 16TH DECEMBER was our WI Christmas party and owing to further Government restrictions and worries about the new Omicron virus, we were not sure if members would want to attend but the wonderful efforts of our committee made it possible and attendance was excellent. The furniture was sanitised, the tables were decorated beautifully and place settings were socially distanced. The sandwiches, sausage rolls, quiches and mince pies were delicious and were served to us at the table by the Committee ‘Elves’. We had taken our own glasses and cutlery and were rewarded with a choice of either wine or soft drinks. I for one, felt that there was a very festive atmosphere and it was so nice to socialise again, albeit carefully. It was the first meeting for our new President, Kate, and I am sure she was nervous but with the help of Ailsa, our secretary, she performed the business side of the meeting without a hitch. The outgoing President, Angela, was presented with a plant as a token of all her hard work. On the tables were pots of daffodils for all the members, which was a muchappreciated gesture. On a personal note, my late dad and subsequently my mum always bought me the first bunch of daffodils for Christmas Day, a tradition which I have carried on since they passed away. This year however, I was really sad to be unable to find any, but imagine my joy when the WI daffodils flowered on Boxing Day (pictured above). It was the best present I could have received! While we were eating, each table as a team did the quiz, one was a picture quiz and the other was questions and answers. Some were quite tricky but it was great fun. This was followed by members of the committee reading three poems: My Spectacles (this resonated with anyone who wears glasses and frequently misplaces them), New Year Resolutions (do any of us either make or keep them?) and The Pros and Cons of Getting Old (what’s the point in worrying) - they were all hilarious! The evening was rounded off with a rousing chorus (in the round) of the Twelve Days of Christmas (complete with actions)! All in all, it was a most enjoyable evening. • OUR NEXT MEETING is on Thursday 20th January at 7.30pm in The Village Hall and the speaker, John Whitehead’s talk will be ‘Mad As A Hatter’. Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Ruth Rolinson

SELL YOUR STUFF AT THE THORNTON CLEAR OUT SALE The Friends of St Peter’s fundraising group is holding a ‘Clear Out Sale’ 26th February from 11 am until 2 pm Thornton Community Centre. Come and make some money selling those bits and pieces you once loved but now need new homes, or gifts for which you have no further need. To book a table, (6 foot for £5) contact Shirley via email churchwarden. thornton@gmail.com or phone 01530 230422

The popularity of red lipstick NOTHING says sexy quite like red lipstick, and the colour is as popular now as it has ever been. Although many women say they won’t wear it because it doesn’t suit them, it’s usually the rest of their make-up that is wrong. Firstly, take it really easy on both eye make-up and blusher. Don’t use eyeliner and take care that your mascara isn’t giving you an over-the-top false-eyelash effect. Dust your face with a blemish-smoothing powder and your cheeks with a soft blush in a fairly neutral colour. Secondly, not all reds are equal. Tone your lipstick choice to your complexion, choosing a plum shade if you have pink tones or a warmer red-brown if you look more sallow. Thirdly, don’t overdo it. Red lips, red clothes, red nails and red accessories will give you entirely the wrong sort of allure. The lips need to be the main feature and as far as practical everything else should be neutral. Finally, if you are older you’ll find that your lips are narrower than they once were and strong dark shades of red can accentuate that. If you had thin lips even in your youth, you might find that red really doesn’t work for you. If that is the case, stick to a neutral lipstick but work on making more of your eyes, and use fluttering eyelashes instead of a pout to get the message to your Valentine.

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My husband is dark and handsome. When it’s dark, he’s handsome.

For publication dates and details of advertising rates, visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

Renovated Cottage for sale in Chapel Hill: OIRO £350k Apr il C ot ta g e CHAPEL HILL, GROBY, LEICESTER

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Sales ● Lettings ● Surveys ● Mortgages ● JAMES SELLICKS ●Estate Agents are offering for sale April Cottage, 35 Chapel Hill, Groby. Leicestershire LE6 0FE

This beautiful cottage was built in 1861 and has been renovated to a very high standard, with the benefit of a separate detached home office, located on a pretty, cobbled street in the oldest part of Groby. The accommodation comprises an entrance porch, dining kitchen, sitting room, master bedroom, en-suite, two further bedrooms, shower room, cobbled frontage, separate home office/gym, single garage, off street car standing and a lawned & decked courtyard. Offers in region of £350,000 are invited. For more information, or to arrange a viewing, contact James Sellicks on 0116 285 4554 or email: info@jamessellicks.com

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JANUARY 2022 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Groby Surgery Patients NEWSLETTER Treating minor illnesses WITH THE NHS having to continue prioritising services, and deal with the most urgent cases, there has never been a better time to make sure you are familiar with the services available for you, depending on your condition.

Let’s take action

Our Vision for the Women’s Health Strategy for England Published December 2021

These include: • Self-care, the best choice to treat minor injuries and illnesses such as hangovers, coughs, colds, grazes, small cuts, norovirus or sore throats. Many of these can be treated at home, simply with overthe-counter medicines and plenty of rest. • Pharmacists, who can give advice on, and treat, a range of symptoms. They can support you with things such as diarrhoea, earaches, painful coughs, sticky eyes, teething and rashes. • NHS 111 – You can access 111 online or via the telephone. This is for any urgent but non-life threatening health concerns. They will be able to direct you to the relevant service and provide advice where appropriate or arrange for a healthcare professional to call you. • A&E / 999 – in a life-threatening emergency such as severe bleeding, breathing difficulties and severe chest pain you should attend A&E or dial 999.

Women’s Health Ambassador to be appointed THE GOVERNMENT has published a Vision for Women’s Health, and is to appoint a Women’s Health Ambassador. It sets out key government commitments on women’s health, while recognising the system-wide changes needed to tackle some of the issues raised.

“It is incredibly exciting to see the results of this consultation, supported by over a hundred thousand women. It is, however, just the beginning,” said Mika Simmons, co-chair of the Ginsburg Women’s Health Board. “Women’s healthcare has been side-lined for far too long and a seismic shift now needs to happen to correct the historical lack of efficient care. We must work together to eliminate the misunderstanding, chronic pain and loss that so many of us have suffered.” Details on the action government will take will be followed by the Women’s Health Strategy this spring.

The new Women’s Health Ambassador will raise the profile of women’s health, increase awareness about taboo topics and support the government in implementing the strategy. The vision reflects the government’s ambition for a healthcare system that prioritises care on the basis of clinical need, not gender. The almost 100,000 responses to the call for evidence gave insights into women’s experiences of health and care, and highlighted entrenched problems within the healthcare system including: • damaging taboos and stigmas in women’s health preventing women from seeking help, • over 8 in 10 feeling they were not listened to, • a feeling services for specialities or conditions that only affect women are of lower priority, • women believing compulsory training for GPs on women’s health is needed to ensure their needs are met, • nearly 2 in 3 respondents with a health condition or disability saying they do not feel supported by the services available. The call to evidence ran from March to June 2021 and generated 110,123 responses, including almost 100,000 responses from individuals across England and over 400 written responses from organisations.

Meeting dates to be reviewed WHEN THE Patients Group was formed in 2015 the timetable chosen for meeting dates took account of no external factors other than conflict with the occasional Bank Holiday. The current pattern of meetings has worked satisfactorily, but has one major disadvantage. Topical communication with patients has proved difficult as the only channel which guarantees any messages reach all Groby surgery patients residing in the village is the Groby Spotlight. Meetings are held every two months and the current schedule of meeting dates tends to coincide with the day the Spotlight goes to the printers. This means that any news from the practice about services, clinics, staff or policy changes, is about a month out of date by the time patients read it. Moving the meetings to just before the Spotlight is published will enable patients to have any surgery news within around 10 days of the meeting. The Group will make a decision at the January meeting.

Norman Griffiths

FOR THE GROBY SURGERY PATIENTS GROUP

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LFE Film Evenings - closed due to Covid

WE REGRET that the current pandemic caused us to close in January, and with the present uncertainty are unable to confirm yet whether we can reopen in February. Hopefully information will be available by late January. You can find out by checking on LFE Noticeboards, the LFE Noticeboard on Facebook, Kirby Muxloe Noticeboards, and both the libraries, or by telephone (0116 239 4983) after 24 January.

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For publication dates and details of advertising rates, visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant now open APPLICATIONS for a new business grant which will aim to help the hospitality and leisure sector in Hinckley and Bosworth are now open.

•

Cafés

•

LEISURE:

•

Casinos and gambling clubs

•

Cinemas

The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant is being administered by Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council and will support hospitality, leisure, and accommodation businesses in the borough which have been impacted by the Omicron variant.

•

Museums and art galleries

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Stately homes and historic houses

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Theatres

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Zoos and safari parks

•

Amusement parks

•

Wedding venues

•

Events venues

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Night clubs and discotheques

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Arenas

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Concert halls

•

Tourist attractions

•

Theme parks

•

Amusement arcades

•

Soft play centres or areas

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Indoor riding centres

•

Clubs and institutions

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Village halls and scout huts, cadet huts, for example

•

ACCOMMODATION:

•

Caravan parks

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Caravan sites and pitches

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Chalet parks

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Coaching inns

•

Country house hotels

•

Guest houses

This list is not exhaustive, but indicative of the types of businesses that can be supported under this scheme.

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Hostels & Hotels

•

Lodges

•

Holiday apartments

HOSPITALITY:

•

Cottages or bungalows

•

Food courts

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Campsites & Boarding houses

•

Public houses/pub restaurants

•

Canal boats or other vessels

•

Restaurants

•

B&Bs

•

Roadside restaurants

•

Catered holiday homes

Wine bars

•

Holiday homes

The scheme will provide eligible businesses with a one-off grant based on the rateable value of their business on 30 December 2021. Grants range from £2,667 to £6,000. Council Leader, Cllr Stuart Bray said: “The Omicron variant could not have hit hospitality and leisure businesses at a worse time. I would urge the borough’s businesses to check if they are eligible for this latest government grant by visiting our website and applying before the deadline of 28 February. “All grant payments remain a priority and we are keen to distribute these grants to support our businesses as soon as possible.” Eligible businesses must submit a new application by the deadline of 28 February 2022 regardless of previous grants they have applied for. To find out more and check eligibility visit: www.hinckleybosworth.gov.uk/omicrongrant

•

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My girlfriend and I are having a communication problem. Every time I ring, her husband answers the phone.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JANUARY 2022 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

How well do YOU know MARTINSHAW WOOD?

COULD YOU find your way around a series of checkpoints marked on a detailed map of the wood? Leicestershire Orienteering Club are organising an orienteering event starting from Brookvale Groby Learning Campus on Sunday 20th February 2022 between 10am and 12pm, open to all.

The courses are colour coded and are arranged in order of difficulty. They range from white, the easiest course, approximately 1.3km in length, to brown (10 km). The white, yellow, orange and long orange courses are suitable for beginners. The green, blue and brown courses will present a tough navigational challenge for even the most experienced orienteers. Colour code

Distance

White

1.3 km

Yellow

2.3 km

Orange

2.6 km

Long Orange

4.7 km

Light Green

3.5 km

Short Green

3.7 km

Green

5 km

Blue

7 km

Brown

10.2 km

The distances quoted are straight line distances, you will probably walk/run further depending on the route you choose to take between controls. You need to pre-enter the event by going to the orienteering club website at www.leioc.org.uk and follow the link to the event. Entries will close a few days beforehand. It will not be possible to enter on the day. The cost is £10 for adults (aged 21 and over), £4 for juniors. For adults entering the white, yellow, orange or long orange courses the cost is £4. There is also a £1 charge to hire your timing device, known as a dibber. You can

Why you should do housework

NOW HERE IS a great reason to do some housework: older people who regularly do household chores have better memory and attention spans than those who avoid domestic duties. Not only that, but housework is linked to superior leg strength in people over 65.That means their risk of a fall is reduced.

go round as an individual, a pair or a family. Come dressed for a walk / jog around the wood and appropriately for the weather. You must have full leg cover just in case you encounter any vegetation (unlikely on the shorter courses). More information about the event and hints & tips can be found on the orienteering club website at www.leioc.org.uk. If you can’t make the event on the 20th February and want to try orienteering you can have a go at a virtual orienteering course using your smartphone. Download the free Maprun6 app from your app store. The app will use your phone’s GPS to track your progress around a course and will beep when you reach each control. There are 2 Maprun courses in and around Groby, one in Martinshaw Wood and an urban course around the streets of the village. The Martinshaw Wood courses start in the corner of the wood at the end of the jitty off Woodbank Road. There are yellow, green and score courses available. The Yellow

course is the easiest at 2.1km, the Green course is approximately 5km. The Score course is a time based event. You need to visit as many controls as possible in any order and get to the finish within 60 minutes. Points are deducted from your score if you take longer than 60 minutes. The Groby urban courses start at the layby on Ratby Road, opposite the Brookvale Learning Campus. The choice of courses is a Short course of 1.8km, a Medium course of 2.8km or a Long course of 4.3km. These are straight line distances. You’ll walk/ run approximately 50% further depending on which route you decide to take. All courses cross roads so take care and children & young people under 16 should be accompanied. For more information and details of other Maprun and permanent courses visit www.goorienteering. org.uk

Alastair Paterson

Leicestershire Orienteering Club

What a tree can do for you

The study, published in BMJ Open, found that a combination of light housework, such as washing up, dusting, making the bed, hanging out laundry, ironing and cooking – and heavy housework, such as window cleaning, changing bedding, vacuuming, washing the floor, and chores involving sawing, repairing or painting, “was associated with higher cognitive function” among older people, who showed up to 14 per cent higher attention span scores than older people who did not do housework.

More church bulletin BLOOPERS • THE YOUTH group has raised almost £500 for drug abuse. • CORRECTION: The following typo appeared in our last bulletin: ‘Lunch will be gin at 12:15.’ Please correct to read ‘12 noon.’ • ANY CHURCH MEMBER over 18 is invited to join in this lay ministry programme. It requires only a minimal amount of training and time: six weekly classes of about 200 hours, each Tuesday night. • THE SENIORS GROUP will have a picnic on Saturday. Each person is asked to bring a friend, a vegetable, or a dessert, all in a covered dish. • ADVERT FOR a church jumble sale: ‘We have a gents threespeed bicycle, and also two ladies for sale, in good running order.’

TREES CAN HELP prevent you getting depressed. At least, you are less likely to be on antidepressants if you live on a tree-lined street.

That is the finding of a survey by the Forestry Commission, which looked for the first time at the mental health value of our forests and woodlands. Apparently, they save the NHS something like £185million in antidepressants each year. A spokesman at Mind, the mental health charity, said: “Although many of us feel like hibernating in winter, getting outside in green spaces and making the most of the little daylight we get can really benefit both your physical and mental health.”

I hate having to brush my teeth every morning. I must be the only person in the world with hairy teeth.

For publication dates and details of advertising rates, visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

Groby Allotments News FIRST THINGS first, sincere Happy New Year wishes to you all from the allotments! We have had some very unseasonal weather over the Christmas and New Year period, it has been so warm that plants which should have died off by now, especially weeds, are still going strong. Hopefully more seasonal colder weather is on the way to slow down or kill off the garden pests.

A Visit from Santa! OUR CHRISTMAS Open Shed Sunday social event was a great success, with people enjoying some mulled wine and warm mince pies along with the usual bacon cobs as well as being able to pick up some lovely handmade Christmas decorations, wreaths, table candles from our special Christmas stall. We also had the usual bric-à-brac, plant and tombola stalls and it was a lovely event to end the year on. These social mornings are a good fund-raising activity for allotment members and we welcome all Groby residents as well. The funds raised are used to improve the allotments facilities. We were also honoured with a visit from Santa! He stayed for over an hour and took requests from the children as to what they would like for a present and also gave them a small present to take away on the day. We were very honoured that he chose to spend some time out of his busy schedule to pay us a visit and rewarded him with some warm mince pies and a few organic carrots for the reindeer.

Planning for the New Year’s planting I’M STILL harvesting some spinach, parsnips, leeks and kale but have also got all of my seed packets ready to start planting up soon, having decided where I’m going to plant the various plants this year. Apart from that, I still have some jobs to do before we start off again. I also need to turn the compost I’ve been making over the last year and spread some of it over the bare soil areas on my plot to improve the soil ready for spring. That should help work off any excess calories

I’ve gained over the last week or so! One of the jobs I don’t look forward to is cleaning the enviromesh that I cover my brassica plants with to keep out the caterpillars, white fly and pigeons who seem to enjoy eating the cabbages, broccoli, brussels etc before I can! The trouble with the mesh is that although it mostly keeps the pests away from the tender plants, it also can get covered in green algae, which could cut down the amount of light getting through and in the past, I’ve washed it in the washing machine to try and clean it. I have found that this has had minimal success; it has successfully got rid of any muddy areas but the green has been stubbornly resistant to remove in a 40oC wash.

in a bucket of vinegar and water overnight before washing the mesh in the machine at a 50oC wash. A bucket containing 2.5L of cheap vinegar, such as cider vinegar was used, topped up with just enough water to cover the mesh, which was weighted down with a brick. The next morning, the mesh was washed at 50oC with a scoop of washing powder, and they had really good results with the green discolouration gone. I’m off to find some cheap vinegar!

Carol Lincoln

So, I was interested to read recently that success can be achieved by soaking the mesh

Do YOU run a club, team or community group in the local area? If so, send us details and we’ll mention you in the Spotlight. Tremendous! Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk Piracy is killing the music industry. You try playing the guitar with a hook.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JANUARY 2022 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

County Councillor’s Report from Ozzy O’shea Email: ozzy.o’shea@leics.gov.uk or ozzyoshea@hotmail.com

BUDGET PROPOSALS THE CONSULTATION started on Wednesday 15th December 2021 and ends at midnight 16th January 2022. We have faced significant financial challenges for more than a decade now, dealing first with austerity and then the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Throughout this uncertain period we have managed taxpayers’ money prudently, making savings to see off potential financial crises, while protecting the frontline services we know really matter to the people of Leicestershire. But our situation remains hugely difficult and again we are in a position where we have to consider raising council tax to not only maintain those vital services – including adult and children’s social care to look after the most vulnerable among us - but also to tackle unprecedented rising demand for them. We can balance our books in the next financial year but thereafter the gap between the council’s income and what we will have to spend becomes increasingly difficult to manage. However we are not sitting and waiting for the worst-case scenario to engulf us. We are working to fix the broken system of local government finance which unfairly places us among the lowest funded councils in England. We have led on the establishment of the new F20 group, a collection of other low-funded councils, to lobby the Government for a shortterm fix which would see £300 million shared among them. In the longer term we are pressing the Government for a County Deal to bring greater devolved powers to Leicestershire and significant funding to back them. Please take some time to tell us what you think of our budget plans because what you say helps us make important decisions affecting all the people and businesses in the county.

Our 2022-26 budget at a glance: • Balanced budget for 2022-23 • £230m savings since 2010 • £514m capital pot for new roads, schools and more • £60m more for children and family services and adult social care • £100m of savings needed by 2025/26 • Proposed 3 per cent rise in

precept from April 2022

What services county council provides We’re responsible for delivering a wide range of services including adult social care, children’s social care, public health, transport, education, planning, road maintenance, libraries, waste management and trading standards. These are funded by Council Tax, business rates and Government grants. The council’s projected expenditure versus income shows a £46 million gap in 2025/26.

Budget in more detail: Rising costs Growing demand for services is expected to increase costs by £88m, including: • Children and Family Services (£25m) - this is mainly due to pressures on the budget for social care places, a rising number of looked after children and growing social worker caseloads • Adult Social Care (£35m) - this is largely the result of an ageing population with increasing care needs and a growing number of people with learning disabilities. • Environment and Transport (£6m) - this mainly relates to more for pupils with special educations needs and disabilities.

Savings The council’s medium-term financial strategy (MTFS) sets out the need to save £100m by 2025/26 with more than £46m of that sum yet to be identified.

Council Tax A Council Tax increase of 3 per cent is proposed (including the 1 per cent adult social care levy) and equates to £42.30 a year for a band D house. Council Tax is the only significant lever available to the County Council to raise additional money to fund vital services whilst balancing the budget.

Capital programme The £514m four-year capital pot sets out plans for sustainable investment across the county including: • £94m for Children and Family Services - Investment in schools and special educational needs and disability facilities.

such as the Melton Mowbray Distributor Road and Zouch bridge replacement as well as routine maintenance of the road network.

LET US KNOW YOUR VIEWS THE CONSULTATION ENDS AT MIDNIGHT 16 JANUARY 2022. You can still have your say on the draft budget plans by filling in the online survey. Type the following link into your computer. https://surveys.leics. gov.uk/snapwebhost/s. asp?k=163949172677 If you’re able to, please complete this survey online using the link above. For paper copies or alternative formats of the survey or any other questions, please email resources@leics.gov.uk or call 0116 305 5800.

What happens next? The proposals will be debated by councillors through the scrutiny process and the consultation responses will be considered by cabinet. The proposals will then be voted on by the full council on 23 February 2022.

LEICESTERSHIRE COMMUNITIES APPROACH 2022-2026

Ozzy O’shea councils to provide local services and activities To submit your views, please use the following link. https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/ have-your-say/current-engagement/ leicestershire-communitiesapproach-2022-2026 If you need help reading the document or completing the survey, please email communities@leics. gov.uk or call 0116 305 7743. This engagement activity will run until 21st January 2022.

REPORT A SCAM

HAVE YOUR SAY on the council’s proposed Communities Approach 2022-2026, which sets out our proposed way of working with communities over the coming years.

If you would like to report a scam, or you have been a victim of a scam, you can get in touch with the following organisations:

Our communities make living and working in Leicestershire special. They are vital to supporting our health and wellbeing and provide many of the opportunities for people to contribute and support others. The Covid-19 pandemic showed how powerful community action can be and how much can be achieved by the skills, strengths and resources of communities.

Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline - 0808 223 1133

The county council is committed to collaborating with, and working alongside, Leicestershire Communities and this commitment is central to our Communities Approach which sets out our proposed way of working with communities over the coming years.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank residents for your continued support.

Action Fraud – https://www. actionfraud.police.uk/

To keep up to date with the latest scams information and advice you can follow the Leicestershire Trading Standards Service Facebook page on; www.facebook.com/ leicstradingstandards

The key principles of this Approach are:

Remember I am only an Email or a phone call away and I am always here to help. Finally, I would like to wish all residents and councillors A very happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

• Prevention - how the whole council works towards providing preventative and self-help support

Working for you

Ozzy O’shea

• £27m for Adults and Communities including a specialist dementia care facility

• Engagement - building trusting relationships to collaboratively define and design local solutions

Cllr Ozzy O’shea

• £226m for Environment and Transport including major schemes

• Catalysts - supporting voluntary organisations and town and parish

Email Ozzy.O’shea@leics.gov.uk

Tel 0116 239 4336 or Mobile: 07808 585825 Email: ozzyoshea@hotmail.com

The Theory of Relativity: time moves more slowly when you are with your relatives.

For publication dates and details of advertising rates, visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

RSPB appeal for local volunteers in Leicestershire to help with their vital pin badge collections THE RSPB IS APPEALING for volunteers across Leicestershire to help with their pin badge collection pots that can be found in local stores across the county. As the nation looks to make New Year’s resolutions, the RSPB say “there’s no better time to get involved” You could help to make a difference to wildlife by volunteering for as little as 30 minutes a month in your local area, at a time flexible to you. The UK’s largest nature conservation charity, the RSPB, is looking for volunteers across Leicestershire that have a few hours to spare each month to help their cause. As a vital fundraiser for the charity, pin badge collection volunteers play an important role in placing and checking on charity pin badge boxes in places like cafés, garden centres and shops in their local area. Last year Covid-19 sent shock waves through the RSPB’s pin badge scheme, and in some areas reduced donations by 90% on the previous year’s income, affecting the charity’s work to save nature. This year the RSPB are looking to rebuild the scheme having sadly lost valued volunteers and pin badge box placements in the local area as a result of the pandemic. The role involves restocking boxes with their beautiful range of enamel wildlife pin badges and banking donations. It is really flexible, and works around people’s lifestyles, be that studying, working or retirement. If your New Year’s Resolution involves volunteering and helping a charity this January, and you think you could help volunteer or are a site that could host a box, then please contact the RSPB Community Fundraising team at ComFundraisingEng@rspb.org.uk and your local fundraiser will be in touch.

Received a strange call from 08456 021111? NO NEED to panic. It’s the BT Text To Landline Service when someone sends a text to your homephone,it reads it to you. To disable text messages to your landline you need to telephone 0800 587 5252 (freephone) Press 1 (change curfew times) Press 5 (stop receiving text messages) Hang up when you get disconnected (after a short message) It will take up to 20 minutes to activate but it does work.

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JANUARY 2022 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Groby Community Library News HAPPY NEW YEAR to all our customers.

AT THE END of 2021 we welcomed two visitors to the library. In November, local author Anita Sivakumaran (above) came to talk about her detective novel, ‘Cold Sun’. In addition to telling us about the book, she gave us some interesting insights into her life and what has influenced her writing. The London detective in the book, Vijay Patel, is based on her Leicester optician and the next book in the series rather than being set in India is set around the Allandale Road area of Stoneygate! So if you enjoy detective crime novels why not borrow ‘Cold Sun’ from the library.

As we begin the new year, with uncertainty around Covid 19, the Groby Community Library trustees would firstly like to thank all the library and café volunteers for their hard work in enabling the library to stay open and providing a valuable service to the people of Groby. We’d also like to thank all our customers for continuing to visit to borrow books (we are pleased to have one of the highest active borrower numbers amongst the Leicestershire community libraries) and enjoy refreshments in the Time Out café.

• continues to welcome anyone who would like to sample the delicious cakes and drinks available in the café.

David Baldacci - A Gambling Man

News from Groby Community Library Danielle Steel - All that Glitters

We are delighted that the ‘Time Out’ café is OPEN again. The café is open when

• can also be hired out to small 9th August the library and café will be open-6The daysBone a week. Hours will be Mon 2-4 Kathy Reichs Code groups. Thurs 10-12 Fri 2-4 and Sat 10-12.

James Patterson & Candice Fox - 2 HAVE YOU SEEN the Can you spare a couple of hours a week? We’re looking for volunteers to help run Sisters Detective Agency or perhaps you’d like to be a trustee? If you’re interested email volunteers@groby children’s pictures in the application form in the library.Santa Montefiore - Flappy Entertains library window?

• gives you access to local and family history,

We are asking all our volunteers to continue to wear face coverings and would en These are the winning entries in a so too to keep everyone safeRaising and the Covid rates down. continue to offer han money forWe Groby competition for local primary school still register with the Covid QR code. Community Library children related to the ‘Queen’s sorry tothe say goodbye to Janet Harrison, one of our trustees, who has be Green Canopy’. We To were celebrate Are you looking for bargains in the ‘Time Out’ café off the ground. We wish her well in her future endeavours. Th Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 the January sales? If so, why not Have you seentoour new picnichelp tables? These have been purchased with the help we’re all being encouraged ‘Plant Groby Community Library by and Bosworth Borough Council. We’re hoping while the weather is good, cu a Tree for the Jubilee’. choosing us asthat, your chosen charity coffee and cake outside. We hope to use them for activities and events in the futu with Amazon Smile www.smile. In the new yeardisappointed, we will be however, to find that within days of being installed they had been d andthe Give welcoming the Leicestershire scratched on to them. We do amazon.co.uk have CCTV covering patioas soYou we can see you! W Live www.giveasyoulive.com the tables butTeam please treat them with respect. We’d also appreciate anyone using County Council Well-being binswill for their rubbish. to the library. They be offering If you shop at the Laundon Way welfare information distributing Co-op and have Overand the last few weeks we have received a stockaofmembership great new books for both ad them are best seller lists. home test kits. Look outon forthe details card you can raise funds for us of dates and times onLibrary Facebook, each time you shop. Just choose Groby Charts! Twitter and our website www. usBestsellers, as your cause as part Library: Books from the Sunday Times in stockto at support Groby Community grobylibrary.co.uk of the Local Community Fund. It Bill Clinton and James Patterson Daughter costs The youPresident's nothing and you benefit Top 10 Bestsellers stock Matt Haig inThe Midnight Library too. Not a member? It’s easy to Peter James I Follow You Lee Child - Better off Dead Maggie O'Farrell Hamnet join, just pop in for details or go to www.coop.co.uk and find out about Matt Haig - The Midnight PhilippaLibrary Gregory Dark Tides becoming a member. Douglas Stuart Shuggie Bain

• gives you access to digital services including eBooks, eAudioBooks, eNewspapers and eMagazines

Taylor Jenkins Reid - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

WRIGGLY READERS has started again. The next session will be on 20th January and every two weeks afterwards. Check our Facebook page for details of how to book. We hope to start providing more activities in the library in the new year. Don’t forget the library:• is free to join, • has free book loans, • offers printing and photocopying,

Peter James - Left Stephen you Dead King

If It Bleeds We look forward to seeing our Ian Rankin A Song for the Dark Times Delia Owens - Where the Crawdads Sing customers and hope to see Lee Child and Andrew Child regular Sentinel.

some new ones in 2022.

Roz Smith, Trustee

We are so pleased that we are once again offering children aged 4-12 the Summ This year it’s the ‘Wild World Heroes’. Help the heroes to save the environment! R receive your folder, stickers and gifts. You need to visit the library twice and read need to hurry as it finishes on 5th September. While you’re there you can try out o

Spot the Spot TheDifferences Difference

IN DECEMBER our visitor was more recognisable as Santa paid us a visit. Santa, with some of his elves from Bradgate Rotary, came to listen to what the children would like for Christmas. It was wonderful to see the library buzzing with people enjoying drinks and cakes from the café and taking part in the ‘12 days of Christmas’ trail. Bradgate Rotary also provided a couple of games to entertain the children. Thank you to everyone who came to make this such a successful event.

Can YOU spot the 10 differences in the cartoons above? Answers are on page 21. Good luck!

Man is rated the highest animal, at least among those animals who returned the survey.

For publication dates and details of advertising rates, visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

Elizabeth Woodville Primary Round Up Foundation Nativity Wow, what a busy half term we have had in Foundation Stage! Our grand finale was our children’s performance of ‘The Christmas Nativity’. The children were amazing; the singing and acting was fantastic. Their story-telling was funny and made everyone laugh. It was a wonderful show and there was not a dry eye in the house!

the day, the children re-enacted the horrific turn of events. Through role play, pupils became Thomas Farriner, his wife or their maid and found out what it may have been like to have to quickly pack up their belongings and flee their homes in the wake of the rapidly spreading fire. After this, they became interviewers and interviewees before looking at how London was rebuilt.

We were also proud of the children’s efforts making baubles for the church Christmas Tree Festival. They worked in teams to make beautiful baubles; balloons wrapped in glue and wool. Once the balloon popped, the finished result was delicate and beautiful.

Christmas Cards During D&T this half-term, Class 3 have been exploring different mechanisms and how they work. Once they were familiar with different mechanism, they began to practise making their own pivot, lever, linkage and rotating mechanisms. The next stage was for the children to design their own pop-up Christmas Cards with at least two working mechanisms. We designed our trees with oil pastels, progressing on to planning and designing our mechanisms resulting in the finished piece!

Global Challenges This half term, Year 6 have been looking at Global Challenges and have considered how they can become more sustainable in their day-to-day life. Therefore, in DT, pupils have been making their own reusable bags in an attempt to reduce the amount of single-use plastics consumed. They have worked extremely hard and have got into the Christmas spirt through their creative, festive designs!

The Queen’s Green Canopy To mark the beginning of celebrations for the Queens’ Platinum Jubilee in 2022, our pupils entered a competition to be part of this tree planting in Groby. Here, you can see some of the winners with the Mayor, Ted Hollick and local councillors.

Toys, Old and New Year 1 got to experience their first school trip of the year this week! We absolutely loved going on the coach and seeing parts of our home city that we recognised and have learnt about in our Geography topic. Once we got to the museum, we were so excited! We got to put all our historical knowledge to practise. We grouped modern and old toys then loved being able to play with some of them too! It was so exciting. We represented our school so well and all our teachers were proud!

London’s Burning! Year 2 have stepped back in time to 1666 this term and to finish off an amazing unit we enjoyed a workshop incorporating lots of drama and discussions about the events which have gone down in history. Throughout

I would feel better about going to the dentist if he would just anaesthetise my wallet.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JANUARY 2022 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

IT’S NEARLY two years since the arrival of Covid 19 and the lockdown that led to many more residents exploring the countryside around Groby. Although woodland walks increased in popularity it’s probably true to say that Sheet Hedges Wood, off Newtown Linford Lane, is still visited less than other nearby sites.

MAKE A VISIT TO Sheet Hedges Wood a New Year Resolution

Wildlife Highlights

The wood, managed by Leicestershire County Council, was opened to the public in 1998 with National Forest grant aid together with funding from the County Council and Forestry Authority. Access is along a network of footpaths, and part of the woodland is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). New broadleaf planting has replaced the conifers that once stood there, and Sheet Hedges now has one of the best examples of ash and alder woods in Leicestershire. There’s a rich mix of native trees including oak, ash, wild cherry and hazel, and in spring Notice board at Sheet Hedges Wood cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Mat the woodland floor is carpeted in Fascione - geograph.org.uk/p/3038261 the colourful flowers of bluebell, wood anemone, yellow archangel and red campion. England, “though for sites where changes are expected to be slow, such as woodland, we may do a condition assessment once every 10 years.” Two areas of woodland were separated by a field which has Last year there were reports of excavations and the creation of unauthorised been planted with over 5,000 trees mountain bike tracks in the woods, so Natural England will liaise with to link them. In addition an area has the County Council and may visit and agree whether any remediation is been seeded with a mix of locally appropriate. “ The impacts of mountain bikes may not automatically affect indigenous species of grasses condition as it may be small scale or recoverable,” the spokesperson added. and wild flowers, with the meadow “The important thing to bear in mind here is, just because an activity may be being cut for hay annually in late illegal and damaging, it does not necessarily turn an SSSI into unfavourable summer. condition.” The SSSI area of the site (the Although a small car park was provided at the woods, it has been closed for established woodland) was last many years. The nearest parking is at Groby Pool, a few minutes walk away. assessed by Natural England in 2013/14. Most was given a condition status of unfavourable but recovering, but the north-east unit was described as declining to cover by non-native trees and shrubs. One of the key issues affecting the condition of Sheet Hedges Wood SSSI is the frequency of invasive non-native trees, which in this case is primarily sycamore. Measures have been implemented to reduce the frequency of seed bearing sycamores, which is why some of the units were assessed as ‘Unfavourable – Recovering’. Ideally, Natural England would like to encourage more sycamore to be removed but the high frequency of ash complicates the issue due to ash die-back disease, which is now also negatively influencing SSSI condition. As the latest condition assessments at Sheet Hedges Wood SSSI were carried out in 2014, it likely wouldn’t be targeted for a full assessment again for a few years. “For most sites we’d do this at least once every 6 years,” said a spokesperson for Natural

More information Go to https://designatedsites. naturalengland.org.uk/ SiteSearch.aspx, where you can search for Sheet Hedges Wood. You’ll find links to Natural England’s site specific views about management, a citation explaining Natural England’s reasons for designating the SSSI, and operations requiring Natural England’s consent.

Medium: Test Your Mind-Reading Skills!

WITH LITTLE to watch on TV this Christmas, many families probably entertained themselves by playing games. Traditional games, like Monopoly, Cluedo and Charades are still very popular, but some newcomers can also provide the family with lots of fun. In our house, the favourite game this Christmas was Medium. It’s a social word game of reading your friends’ minds. Here’s a brief description: In teams of two, you and a partner will have a hand of word cards (BANJO, TROPICAL, SHORT, BIGFOOT, PICNIC, etc). You’ll each play a card, then attempt to CREATE A PSYCHIC CONNECTION together to think of the word that somehow connects them. The correct answer is whatever word your partner thinks of, so you’ll have to think alike to find it! Together, you’ll count down: ‘three...two...one’ then say the same word at the same time. And when you do, it feels perfect.

For botanists, or anyone else who likes to talk technical, the following text is taken from the Natural England website as the citation for it being designated a SSSI. “The wood, which is basically of the ash-maple type, has developed on soils derived from strata of the underlying Glacial Boulder Clay and Triassic Keuper Marl. The woodland canopy is characterised by the abundance of ash Fraxinus excelsior together with smaller numbers of pedunculate oak Quercus robur, while the basic constituents of the shrub layer are hazel Corylus avellana, field maple Acer campestre, hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, elder Sambucus nigra, and privet Ligustrum vulgare, with rose Rosa spp. also common. “The ground vegetation contains abundant tufted hair-grass Deschampsia caespitosa, rough meadow grass Poa trivialis, dog’s mercury Mercurialis perennis, red campion Silene dioica and enchanter’s nightshade Circaea lutetiana, together with a range of plants typical of ancient woodland, including yellow archangel Galeobdolon luteum, wood anemone Anemone nemerosa, wood millet Milium effusum, wood sorrel Oxalis acetosella, sanicle Sanicula europaea, ransoms Allium ursinum, toothwort Lathraea squamaria and giant bellflower Campanula latifolia. “In the northern part of the wood sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus has invaded and modified the stand type, while in he south alder Alnus glutinosa dominates an area of woodland developed on wetter soils. “Within the alder wood the shrub layer is characterised by the presence of dogwood Swida sanguinea, Hazel Corylus avellana and guelder rose Viburnum opulus, while the ground vegetation contains abundant Mercurialis perennis and lesser celandine Ranunculus ficaria, and frequent bugle Ajuga reptans, marsh marigold Caltha palustris, cleavers Galium aparine and wood avens Geum urbanum. “The centre of the wood is largely bare of trees and is dominated by bracken Pteridium aquilinum.”

Norman Griffiths

Yes Officer, I did see the speed limit sign. I just didn’t see you.

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LOROS Hospice calls for thrill-seekers to take on 2022 challenge events LOROS Hospice is challenging adrenaline seekers to push themselves to new limits with an exciting programme of fundraising challenge events for 2022. From racing to the top of Leicester’s tallest building to plunging from a height of 13,000 feet in a skydive or cycling around Europe, these heartracing challenges will raise all-important funds for LOROS and provide a much-needed thrill to kickstart the new year. Launching into 2022 on a high, the LOROS Tower Run is back on Saturday 26th March. With 351 steps to tackle up St George’s Tower, leg burn is guaranteed in this ultimate workout to reach the top. For those keen to tick a skydive off their bucket list, LOROS are asking daring participants to jump headfirst into supporting their local Hospice. This exhilarating experience will take place on Sunday 27th March. In partnership with Mattioli Woods, running fanatics and beginners can join LOROS on a 10km run through Leicester’s idyllic village of Rothley on Tuesday 7th June. There’s also the opportunity to venture out of Leicester with the Euro City Cycle from 7th – 11th September. Getting the balance of long rides and time out of the saddle to explore just right, this is an exciting challenge for all abilities. Cyclists can find themselves weaving through the rolling British countryside, sampling a stroopwafel in Amsterdam and crossing the finish line with a glass of bubbly in Brussels. The adventure doesn’t stop there as explorers can journey even further to visit a Seventh Wonder in a once-in-a-lifetime trek to Machu Picchu. This 10-day trip will begin in the Inca capital of Cusco and conquer the worldfamous trekking trail from 4th – 13th November 2022. Andrew Ward, Events Lead at LOROS Hospice says: “Challenge events are an absolutely brilliant way to do something different and have an amazing time whilst supporting a local cause. “We are proud to present such a variety of events which means that even more people can join the fun this year. These events not only allow participants to enjoy once-in-a-lifetime experiences, but also raise crucial funds for LOROS Hospice in caring for terminally ill patients and their families. We encourage everybody to push themselves to try something new in 2022.” Thrill-seekers and explorers up for the challenge can register for all events mentioned today. Visit loros.co.uk/events for more information.

Quality assured dog grooming services.

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For booking availability and current offers please contact me either on 07557470224 or visit our webpage – chgroomers.co.uk

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

Virtual information evenings for the Machu Picchu Inca Trail Trek and Euro City Cycle will take place on Thursday 27th January and Thursday 3rd February respectively. Those interested can book their no-obligation, free place to attend online. The fundraising efforts and donations of the local community help enable LOROS to provide care for over 2,500 patients and their families each year, making a difference when it matters the most. The charity has worked hard to ensure that all events are COVID-secure in line with official guidance and best practice health and safety measures, meaning that you can book in confidence.

Funeral arrangements can be made in the comfort of your own home if preferred.

Did you spot all 10 differences? 1. Fork missing from table, 2. Cereal box, 3. Cats Eyes, 4. Radio Buttons, 5. Sock, 6. Mouth, 7. Newspaper, 8. Bottle, 9. Eyebrow, 10. Table Leg

Talbott House, Leicester Road, Anstey, Leicester, Leicestershire LE7 7AT Email: talbotthouse@ansteyfunerals.com Website: www.ansteyfunerals.com

I used to sell furniture for a living. The trouble was, it was my own.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JANUARY 2022 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Spotlight Small Ads • BABY DOLL, 12”, soft body, hand made extra clothes. Price: £5. • TEDDY BEAR and FLUFFY RABBIT. Price: £5. • Children’s bright pink SWIMMING FLIPPERS, size 1-2, used twice, cost £25. Price: £5. • SINGING SANTA, plays Christmas songs, head and arms move. Price: £5. • Price: 15 CROSS STITCH MAGAZINES, choice of copies. Price: £5. Tel 07779 552320 (Groby) • THULE CAR ROOF RACK, (Roof bars). Good Condition. Price: £60. Tel : 07905 558349 ( Bagworth) • CLARKE CONCRETE MIXER – unused. Price: £150.00 or very near offer • HAND OPERATED PALLET TRUCK – used but in good condition. Price: £150.00 or very near offer. Viewing can be arranged. Tel: 0116 287 6985 (Groby) • GILDA 3 part FOLD OUT SINGLE BED/CUBE SEAT, turqoise. Used twice, as new. Price: £20 or offers. Tel: 07496 470701 (Markfield) • Jay-be FOLDING SINGLE BED. Good quality mattress. As new, used twice, cover included. Buyer collects. Price: £100. Tel: 01530 230923 (Thornton) • White wooden freestanding BATHROOM CUPBOARD UNIT. Two adjustable shelves. Dimensions 74cm (H), 35cm (W), 30cm (D). Price £5. • MIRROR. Dimensions 30cm x 45cm. Can be hung vertically or horizontally. With hook for hanging. Price £6. • Miller from Sweden 681C wall mounted 3 x magnifying / regular round SWIVEL MIRROR. For shaving or makeup. New, boxed. Chrome finished brass. Mirror diameter 19cm. Total extension 35mm. Price £18. • BATHROOM CABINET – white. Wood with glass front; one adjustable shelf. Drawer under. Dimensions 65cm (H), 38cm (W), 18cm (D). Price £10. • Half framed sail SHOWER SCREEN. Polished silver effect. Clear 4mm toughened glass. Dimensions 137.5cm (H), 75cm (W). Price £10. • Bosch white freestanding FRIDGE FREEZER – freezer on

top. Dimensions Freezer 60cm (H), Fridge 120cm (H), 69cm (W), 64cm (D). Freezer has two fixed shelves; fridge has three adjustable shelves and two vegetable drawers. Price £50 ono. • SMEG white freestanding DISHWASHER. Model DFA12E1W. 12 place settings. Push button controls. Delay timer. Five months old. Bought as stop gap pending new kitchen with integrated dishwasher. There is some cosmetic damage that does not affect operation. Dimensions 84.8cm (H), 59.8cm (W), 60cm (H). Price £100 ono. • Sony DVD+R recordable DVDs. Pack of 25 on a spindle. 4.7GB – 120 minutes. Unopened, still in original packaging. I have 5 packs to sell. Price £8 each or make me an offer for the lot. Tel: 07902 469298 (Markfield) • Corby TROUSER PRESS Price £25. Tel: 0794 1612481 (Glenfield) • Bag of 20 balls quality KNITTING WOOL, brand new 100g balls, all with ball bands, originally cost around £2.00 per ball, assorted colours. Selling for £15.00 for the bag full. Tel. 01530 230389 (Bagworth)

Borough Council reduces dependency on agency drivers for GARDEN WASTE COLLECTIONS MANY GROBY householders greatly value the Borough Council’s garden waste collection service. It now has 35,000 subscribers currently paying £30 a year. Over the last 2 years there have been difficulties maintaining a regular collection at times because of the iWmpact of the Covid 19 pandemic and the well publicised shortage of HGV drivers. Many councils have run their service with more staff than there are collection rounds, and this has given them a buffer to cover sickness and annual leave. Up to this year Hinckley and Bosworth Council has relied on agency staff to cover any shortfalls, and this worked well until the recent problems relating to the availability of HGV drivers. Support has also been provided from DPD for the hired provision of up to five drivers Tuesday to Thursday. The Borough has now decided to move away from the agency model and recruit two additional HGV drivers, which equates to an over capacity of 11%. In addition, the Council has decided to facilitate HGV driver training for suitable interested staff The total time to achieve a qualified and competent driver is currently estimated to be around 26 weeks due to high demand and licensing delays, but faster training routes are being explored. The cost of training suitable staff equates to £1,345 per driver including licence applications, plus an estimated £5000 to cover their post during training. The estimated cost in 2022/23 of implementing this change is £69,000 to recruit two new drivers, £18,000 to incentivise suitable interested staff to progress to drivers, with a further £17,000 for 2021/22.

Norman Griffiths

• FREE to a good home. Old but reliable SINGER SEWING MACHINE with attachment and bobbins but sadly no case. Tel: 0116 287 2536 (Glenfield)

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). Convince your wife that you work night shifts at a brewery by leaving at 8pm and and coming home at 6am smelling of beer.

Technically, all breakfasts are continental, unless you eat them in the ocean.

For publication dates and details of advertising rates, visit the website at www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

TOP RANKING 1960s

FILM STARS

Puzz

WORDSEARCH This is your Word Search!

and own

Omar Sharif

The Rules of MARRIAGE HERE ARE the real-life answers from a group of children: How do you decide who to marry? No person really decides before they grow up who they’re going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you’re stuck with. – Kirsten, age 10 What is the right age to get married? 23 is the best age because you’ll have known the person FOREVER by then. – Camille, age 10 No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get married. – Freddie, age 6 How can a stranger tell if two people are married? You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids. – Derrick, age 8 What do you think your Mum and Dad have in common? Both don’t want any more kids. – Lori, age 8 Is it better to be single or married? It’s better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them. – Anita, age 9 What do most people do on a date? Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough. – Lynnette, age 8 On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date. – Martin, age 10 How would you make a marriage work? Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a lorry. – Ricky, age 10

IF YOU can find the 20 top ranking 1960s movie stars in the Wordsearch grid above, you could win yourself a meal for ALECGUINNESS DEANMARTIN two and a bottle of house wine at The Stamford Arms in GEORGEKENNEDY HENRYFOND Groby. AllJOHNWAYNE you have to do to go into the draw is find - and mark aJULIEANDRE line through 20 TOP MOVIE STARS FROM THE 1960s. These KATHERINEROSS NATALIEWOO can overlap and run vertically, horizontally or diagonally (and PAULNEWMAN PETEROTOOL backwards!). RODDYMCDOWELL RODSTEIGER Send your marked entry forms to: MOVIE LEGENDS, Groby Spotlight, PO Box 8, Markfield, Leics. LE67 9ZT to arrive by SEANCONNERY TONYCURTIS SATURDAY 29th JANUARY 2022. Please remember to fill in your name and address. (Some people don’t!) The sender of the first correct entry drawn out of the hat will win the voucher forword a Meal forin Two and apuzzle. Bottle of House Wine at The Find the the Stamford Arms, Groby. Good luck! Words can go in any direction.

Here are the 20 FILM STARS you have to find:

Words can share letters as they cross over each other.

JOHN WAYNE • JULIE ANDREWS • PAUL NEWMAN • SEAN CONNERY

RICHARD BURTON • OMAR SHARIF • RODDY MCDOWELL • DEAN MARTIN

20 of 20 words placed.

TONY CURTIS • JACK LEMMON • ROD STEIGER • HENRY FONDA

GEORGE KENNEDY • ROD TAYLOR • ALEC GUINNESS • DORIS DAY NATALIE WOOD • PETER O’TOOLE • KARL MALDEN • KATHERINE ROSS Name: ..............................................................................................................

Address: ............................................................................................................. Copyright © 2022 Dis .............................................................................Postcode: ............................. Last Issue’s Winner was:

Mrs A BURTON of Forest View, Groby.

I like to have my pudding first, then my starter, then my main. Is that an eating disorder?

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JANUARY 2022 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council Local Plan 2020 - 2039 Site Allocations Expressions of interest were called for from landowners for potential development by the Borough Council across Hinckley & Bosworth including Groby with many respondents across the Borough.

HINCKLEY & BOSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL NEWS Councillor Martin Cartwright reports Tel: 0116 287 4500 Mob: 07850 707050 E-Mail: hbbc@appliancehome.co.uk light article. Meanwhile, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), government policy, states clearly that Neighbourhood Plans should identify future growth.

Much talk, discussions, debate, rumours and myths and untruths around what the site allocations will look like in the upcoming plan period 2020 to 2039 have taken place in recent years. In case you have not been made aware, those proposed allocations are now a matter of public record across the Borough, including the Groby allocation.

The NPPF also states that a Neighbourhood Plan cannot deliver less housing than in the Local plan does currently established and proven with evidence above as 45 dwellings for Groby up to the conclusion of the upcoming plan period in 2039.

https://moderngov.hinckley-bosw o r t h . g o v. u k / i e L i s t D o c u m e n t s . aspx?CId=128&MId=2026

Recent articles from the Groby Neighbourhood Plan Group have stated these facts:

See below: Groby Extract from the document published on the Borough Council web site link. Groby: AS705 Laurel Farm,

Personally, I can’t see the residents of Groby wanting the figure of 45 dwellings to grow significantly.

Mid October 2021: “Where to build in Groby presumption of a minimum 200 new homes” and “could see 630 homes”

Land south of Leicester Road site capacity 45 to 2039.

Mid November 2021: “630 Homes Likely for Groby”

This translates to an additional 45 Dwellings in Groby between now 2021 and 2039 as far as the plan identifies, all of those being at land upon Laurel Farm.

So in one breath from a minimum of 200 homes to 630 being highly likely. You could well be confused by these two figures.

These proposals will go before the Borough Full Council on Tuesday 25th January 2022 having already passed through the Executive and Scrutiny stages at HBBC. I do not expect these to be voted down at the full council meeting to be held on 25th January. Whilst this is not the end of the process after it passes through full council and is subject to change it is the current and therefore RELEVANT position in terms of the truth right now, not a minimum of 200 homes & not 630 highly likely either. Following this it goes to a Government Inspector’s formal examination of the new Local Plan and then on to adoption. This supersedes all that has gone before it. I will update you on the result of the January Full Council meeting and the forward timescale from thereon in my February 2022 Spot-

I have never seen the local planning authority, HBBC, publish a figure of 630 homes or a 20% growth of housing planned in Groby alone in my time representing you as your Borough Councillor since 2007 (14 years now). That said, if they have, which as I have said I have not seen, recent events overturn that, in that the Borough Council will in January vote to accept 45 new homes between now (2022) and 2039 as the Groby allocation. Not dissimilar to elsewhere in the Borough, Neighbourhood Plan Groups have used shock and awe tactics to promote and encourage community involvement in their Neighbourhood Plan. Usually because they are facing large developments, far less certain times and certainly not in the position that Groby currently is. At my time of writing the “where to build in Groby article” (Spotlight mid

Cllr Martin Cartwright

Call: 0116 287 4500 Mobile: 07850 707050

E-Mail: hbbc@appliancehome.co.uk Write : Maverick House,10 Pine Tree Avenue, Groby, LE6 0EQ

@CllrCartwright

Meanwhile, the Groby Neighbourhood Plan Group and Groby Parish Council by its December vote is concerned about Leicester’s unmet need and would like to identify a site or multiple sites over and above HBBC justified by a “just in case” scenario. Personally this is not a position that I support as your elected member as with or without Leicester having any unmet need the proposals of the Parish Council will possibly lead to further development over and above that identified by the Borough Council in its local plan for Groby as a result of taking this potential action now. Naturally, this position will result in developers claiming that the local Parish Council should know its own patch better than the Borough Council and that the record will show that the Parish Council is committed to supporting growth and accepting far more than the 45 houses identified by the Borough Council as being the appropriate number despite the Borough Council having carried out a significant availability and deliverability exercise in order to come to its conclusion. In fact, developers can point to the vote by Groby Parish Council (taken in December 2021) not to settle for and defend the 45 allocation but instead to carry on and identify other potential residential development sites in Groby too “help meet Leicester City Council’s shortfall in housing numbers” as a “just in case” scenario . I have lost count of the number of conversations I have had with residents who have specifically stated they are not willing to see Groby take Leicester’s unmet need and also any significant new development mainly because of the infrastructure. Please take a look at the Groby surgery article from last months Spotlight for instance. It is important to also be aware that any unmet need for Leicester will not fall solely upon Groby but across HBBC as a whole, Charnwood, Oadby & Wigston and Blaby District Councils etc. Vitally, it is also important to note that any unmet need for Leicester will be forced upon the surrounding districts by the Government in Westminster.

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council – Groby Ward. Executive member for: Licensing, Environmental, Climate Change, Rural Issues & Klondyke Community Hub

Cllr Martin Cartwright

October 2021) highlighting all the potential sites for Groby produced not one response from residents as a result.

cllr.martincartwright

Our administration, for which I represent you as an executive member, will continue to fight and disagree with Leicester dumping its unmet need around the surrounding districts including anywhere in Hinckley & Bosworth not just Groby. As far as housing growth is con-

cerned Groby is in a unique position right now. A forensic study of all land submitted has been carried out by myself and Borough Council officers; much of it is determined undeliverable for various reasons; I have the evidence for this, far too much detail to go into here. As a result of significant scrutiny 45 homes are planned for Laurel Farm and that will be voted upon at the Council meeting in January 2022. A fragile position, this is true, but one I am sure the majority of residents would appreciate being in right now. Especially as ever since the Parish Plan which I chaired back in October 2005 and the reason for me getting involved in the Parish Council then Borough Council is that survey after survey has identified two things required of its elected members from Groby residents.

1: No more housing growth 2: Infrastructure such as Doctors, Dentist etc does not support it. There is a place for Neighbourhood Planning but it is only fair and proper to consider the risks right now when looking at the whole picture and considering the current position of the local plan and other forums much of which is outside of our control such as the allocations of surrounding districts that are our neighbours and the potential for Leicester’s unmet need yet to be determined. Much more goes into the mix for housing, you may have heard of the need to maintain a 5 year housing supply and that HBBC fall short of doing this at this time. This is true, they do fall short at this time, but it is also true that despite the lack of a 5 year housing supply HBBC are still winning appeals to planning permission refusals. I have written this as I believe you should be aware and kept updated as to the current facts as they stand and not speculation or indeed even worse outdated data. You should also be aware of the potential risks and benefits of going in any one direction at any one time because quiet frankly we are at a fork in the road right now and a wrong turn can only lead to far more development than the majority of Groby residents would like to see imposed upon Groby.

Summary: 1: Groby housing allocation between 1st January 2022 & December 2039 is currently 45 new homes 2: As your elected member I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to allocate an additional site or sites just in case Leicester has an unmet need. 3: What happens next either protects and retains the position above or derails it resulting in far greater housing against the vast majority of Groby residents’ wishes.

To be successful at fishing, you should get there yesterday, when the fish were biting.

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18m Telephone Mast at Pymm Ley Lane / Flaxfield Close Entrance - Update ONCE THE local planning authority HBBC refused the application the applicant had an opportunity to appeal that refusal. The time limit in order to do this has now expired so there is no right of appeal left for the applicant in this case. However, during lockdown and many of us not moving around so much now that we are out and about again you can’t help but notice how many of these masts have been installed across the whole of Leicestershire. More importantly, some of the locations chosen to install these masts. I say this because although this one was turned down and the applicant did not appeal it will not be long before more applications are submitted in the future.

19-21 Ratby Road, Groby Planning Application DESCRIBED as a change of use from residential to commercial which in itself is incorrect when the application first came in I had concerns and it is my right as ward member to call the application in to the planning committee, which I did so. The access to this development is not from Ratby Road but Rookery Lane and forms proposals to sit behind Cathy Stephens Jewellers shop in Groby. The Entrance will be from what was the parking for Santander Building Society, now Stringfellows Gentlemen’s Outfitters in Groby. Since the original application there have been amended plans submitted that reduce the number of bedrooms by one for each of the properties. The number of bedrooms per se was not one of my more major concerns so as the amended plans do not address the concerns I had and still have. Officers have been advised that I still wish to call the amended application into the planning committee. At the time of my writing this I was advised that this is likely to be during the March 15th 2022 planning committee meeting. For more information, go online to www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk web site, Click: Planning and building control link, Click: View and comment online link (Teal Box), Add: 21/00674/ FUL to the search box & Click search, Click: Documents link, Click: View associated documents link. Please remember if I can ever be of help to you or your family please do not hesitate to contact me.

Global food crisis worsens AN ESTIMATED billion people worldwide are facing malnutrition as the global food crisis worsens, with 45 million already on the brink of famine. Of these billion people, 239 million are African. Countries such as Madagascar, Mozambique and Zimbabwe are among the worst affected.

Write It All Down: How to Put Your Life on the Page WHY DO we want to write and what stops us? How do we fight the worry that no-one will care what we have to say? What can we do to overcome the obstacles in our way?

Recent studies also show that, globally, 22% of children under the age of five are ‘stunted’ due to lack of nourishment, and that many of these – an estimated 14 million babies and young children – are suffering acute and severe malnutrition. Nearly a third of the world’s population – more than two and a half billion people – lack an adequate supply of food. Millions of people are going to bed hungry, every single day. In Madagascar famine has followed years of drought and other environmental disasters. Many people have been reduced to trying to eat bark from trees or cactus leaves, and many have already died. While famine is an issue that affects all people, Christians who are already persecuted and impoverished are often among the worst affected. Reports also indicate that famine and food insecurity only increases the likelihood of violence and conflict, which includes the anti-Christian violence experienced by believers across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. To try and help, Barnabas Fund has launched a new initiative, food.gives. If you would like to join others who are filling up their food boxes in their homes and churches, please visit https://www.food.gives/

If you enjoy reading the Spotlight, please pass it on to a friend or relative when you’ve finished with it. This reader did. It’s good to share! Thanks.

Sunday Times bestselling author Cathy Rentzenbrink shows you how to tackle all this and more in Write It All Down, a guide to putting your life on the page. Complete with a compendium of advice from amazing writers such as Dolly Alderton, Adam Kay and Candice Carty-Williams, this book is here to help you discover the pleasure and solace to be found in writing; the profound satisfaction of wrestling a story onto a page and seeing the events of your life transformed through the experience of writing a memoir. Perfect for seasoned writers as well as writing amateurs and everyone in between, this helpful handbook will steer you through the philosophical and practical challenges of writing, whether you’re struggling with writer’s block or worrying what people will say. Intertwined with reflections and exercises, Write It All Down is at once an intimate conversation and an invitation to share your story.

Happy New Year from Churches Together in Groby! Please see our on-line links below for up to date information.

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16th Jan 8am Communion, 9.30am Morning Worship, 4p m Chattabox family servic e 23rd Jan 9.30am Communion, 6pm Evenson g 30th Jan 8am Communion, 10am Benefice Communion at Ratb y . 6pm Evenson g 6th Feb 8am Communion 9.30am All age worship, 6pm Communio n . 13th Feb 9.30am Communion, 6pm Evenson g

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Cllr. Martin Cartwright I bought a life assurance policy today. Once a month someone calls me to assure me that I’m not dead.

Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-JANUARY 2022 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk

Groby Village Society Meetings

Bradgate Rotary News

Supporting the community across the Bradgate area

January: No meeting

BRADGATE Rotary helped Santa with his visits to Groby, Markfield and Anstey in the lead up to Christmas.

February 24: Members Evening

First came the 12 Days of Christmas Trail, where Santa made a visit on his sleigh at Groby Library. After finishing the 12 Days of Christmas Trail and solving the puzzle, families were greeted by Father Christmas on his brand-new sleigh built by the elves and staff at Druck.

March: No meeting April 28: A.G.M.

A few days later Santa visited the Laundon Way Co-op where over 100 children met and talked to the Big Man himself before being given a small, wrapped gift prior to Christmas. The sleigh, covered in many fairy lights, looked truly magical as nightfall approached.

The usual 7.30 start in the Village Hall

The following day Santa visited the Nook, Anstey, where, aided by some Rotary helpers, he handed out gifts and visited customers in the Nook Corner Café Shop. Finally, before making his deliveries across the world, Santa visited the pupils and staff at Mercenfeld Primary School, Markfield. Bradgate Rotary would like to thank everyone who supported them throughout what was another difficult year, yet still resulted in thousands of pounds being raised for Bradgate Park Trust and lots of local charities including Baby Basics, Leicester Children’s Holidays and LOROS Hospice. Special thanks go to Druck and the Stamford Arms for their help and assistance. You can also make a difference in your community with Bradgate Rotary Visit a Bradgate Rotary meeting to see what can achieve with some help. Email your contact details to Adrian Walker – walk77a@yahoo.com and we’ll be in touch.

Meetings 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

Wise Words

“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” Joseph Campbell “Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” Marilyn Monroe “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” Desmond Tutu “It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” Eleanor Roosevelt

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Never be afraid to laugh at yourself. After all, you could be missing out on the joke of the century.

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HINCKLEY & BOSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL NEWS Councillor Ted Hollick reports The Golden Triangle - A Public Consultation HINCKLEY has the unenviable accolade of being in the centre of what developers and industrialists call the Golden Triangle for logistics warehousing and distribution companies. This is due to the fact that it is effectively slap bang in the centre of England close to the M1, M6, M69 and the heavily trafficked A5 and all the problems that emanate from the many bridge strikes that occur on that road resulting in much disruption in Hinckley as well as the surrounding area. It is in view of this that I wish to draw your attention to a Public Consultation which has just started (Wednesday 12th January) for a project that is Government-backed and described as being strategically important. It will be known as the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange. The 440-acre site will be built next to junction 2 of the M69 near Sapcote with a new slip road servicing the site at which 16 trains a day will arrive from ports such as Felixstowe, Liverpool, Southampton, and the Humber Estuary. It also means that those 16 trains (each a mile long) will depart the same day (16 in 16 out.) The industrial estate of 14 warehouses - one of which will measure 1.5 million square feet - will operate 24 hours a day/7 days a week and would possibly produce around 8,000 jobs or so we were told on a recent webinar! The impact it is going to have on the surrounding villages and hamlets will be considerable, including the naturally sensitive Burbage Common. ‘What about the lorries?’ you may ask. Well they intend to build a lorry park big enough for a hundred lorries. It is also worth noting that 5,000 lorry movements per day are anticipated. Publicity Notices have been placed in villages within 10 kilometres of the site. Tritax Symmetry will host two webinars during the formal consultation on TUESDAY 25TH JANUARY 2022 (2pm-4pm) and WEDNESDAY 2ND FEBRUARY 2022 (6pm-8pm). If you would like to register for either of these webinars, you can complete the registration form at https://www. hinckleynrfi.co.uk/db-webinar-registration/ For more information, please see the project website: www.hinckleynrfi. co.uk

Trees planted in preparation for Jubilee

Letter from Uncle Eustace

On how to survive a residential conference The Rectory St James the Least of All My dear Nephew Darren I am glad you enjoyed your conference, but please do not be deluded into thinking that conferences are there to teach you anything. Conferences exist to provide another entry on your CV, to give you time off while flattering yourself that you are working, and to make the person leading it feel that their life is not wholly pointless. As it happened, I was also invited to the same one, the one entitled ‘Learning how to say no.’ But I refused to attend, thereby proving that I didn’t need it anyway. There are certain useful points you need to learn for conferences. First, about half the attendees will have been together only the previous week attending another conference in another part of the country. They will be eager, enthusiastic, and overflowing with management platitudes. Avoid them at all costs. Should one of them say to you: ‘expect the unexpected’ you have my permission to strangle them. They won’t have expected that! Secondly, when you are all asked to go through that ghastly process of introducing yourselves to everyone else, make it up. I think the last time I was obliged to do this, I became a butcher specialising in exporting offal to Saudi Arabia. All your clerical colleagues will then panic that they have turned up for the wrong course and the leader will make sure that you are not asked another single question throughout the event. Both outcomes are satisfying. Thirdly, do realise that when you are asked to divide into small discussion groups, it means that the conference leader has run out of ideas about what to do next. Do not, at all costs, volunteer to be chairman. It only means that when you have to report back – and if the leaders use the word ‘plenary’, then by all means contemplate strangling them also – you will be involved in sticking sheets of paper on to walls, which will then rip off the wallpaper when you try to remove them. You will also have the embarrassment of finding that every felt tip pen you try to use will be empty, and what you thought were the conclusions your group had arrived at will be volubly contradicted by all the other members.

THE PHOTO on the right shows children from Elizabeth Woodville help estates manager Mark bennett plant trees in preparation for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

No, if you are ever obliged to attend another course, take a good book, enough claret to cover every evening away, and develop a debilitating illness that, while enabling you to attend every meal, obliges you to retreat to your room for the rest of the day. You will leave having learned as much on whatever the topic was as your colleagues, but you will return refreshed and eager to make the next booking. Your loving uncle,

Eustace

Burbage lights switch-on

ON 17TH DECEMBER, Ann and I joined in the switch on of Burbage Christmas lights and joined in singing carols around the tree. The occasion raised around £800 from the large crowd towards the Mayor’s four charities namely Cancer Research UK, MacMillan Cancer Support, Rainbows Hospice and the Dogs Trust.

Councillor Ted Hollick Call: 0116 287 5955 Mobile: 07962 373983 E-mail: ted.hollick@outlook.com Write: 7 Shaw Wood Close, Groby, LE6 0FY

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