Some pictures from the Pine Tree Avenue
STAY AT HOME VE DAY STREET PARTY!
Groby Sings Choir News Update Strange times. It is May already and by now, we at Groby Sings should be well ‘on the road’ to polishing up our songs from Calamity Jane and Simon and Garfunkel ready for our summer concerts at the end of June. Sadly, like so many events up and down the country, Groby Sings On The Road has had to go Off-Road for the time being. Thankfully, it’s not tied to a season like last summer’s concert, Groby Sings On The Beach, so we hope to pick up where we left off and, with luck, we’ll meet back at the Groby Club in the Autumn. For now, choir members are staying connected using technology such as email and Facebook, as well as the more traditional methods of the telephone, both mobile and landline (remember those?!) and occasionally face-to-face. As we have all TURN TO PAGE 2 ...>
Pizza Project
Bradgate Rotary continues during lockdown BRADGATE ROTARY is holding its weekly meetings on Zoom during lockdown to carry on its work of raising money for local charities, and giving support to the local community. They have already teamed up with the Stamford Arms to set up a pizza project for people living in the Groby area. Pizzas can be ordered from the Stamford Arms and delivered to the door - a service available on Friday and Saturdays between 4 and 7pm. Twenty per cent of the proceeds from pizza sales will go towards Bradgate Rotary’s charity work, including the production of next year’s Bradgate Park calendar, which raises much-needed funds for the Park. Bradgate Rotary is grateful to the Stamford Arms and its staff for their help and support in the pizza project. Pizza sales, together with a regional Rotary grant, will also enable some households to receive a free pizza. The club welcomes new members. Look for Bradgate Rotary on Facebook for more information.
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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-MAY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
Fed up with Lockdown? Travel the world on YouTube!
Groby & Field Head Spotlight
A RECENT CALLER to the Nick Abbot show on LBC said he was passing the time during Lockdown by watching road and rail trip videos on YouTube. In the previous few days, he’d ‘travelled’ from Namibia to South Africa by car, New York to Montreal by train, across the Falkland Islands, and even journeyed through Greenland. There are loads of filmed road trips available - some better than others, naturally - but they all give you the experience of travelling in foreign countries without having to leave the comfort and safety of your living room. The ‘Traveling Robert’collection of road trips includes a series of journeys across the USA, and elsewhere in the world, and are quite interesting. Amongst the others he came across was ‘The Ultimate East Coast Road Trip’ by car from St Johns in Newfoundland to Key West in the southern tip of Florida. A journey of 3,030 miles. The video of the journey lasts 12 hours and 15 minutes, so make sure you pack your lunch before setting off!
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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: 13th June 2020 Lockdown Permitting! DEADLINE: 30th May 2020
From page 1 found out, the latter is quite rare these days except when people meet by accident on the permitted daily walk or shopping trip or maybe over the garden fence, being careful to observe the 2 metre social distance, of course! However, for those of us who are not ‘shielded’ and confined to the house all the time, it has been good to experience walkers/ cyclists passing by and actually exchanging a smile and a greeting. We at Groby Sings always aim to be sociable and friendly at our singing sessions so it’s good to see our ethos spreading as we share this current feeling of all being in it together at this difficult time. As a choir we are trying to keep up with our songs as much as we can. We have a rehearsal cd that we can sing along to and on Mondays, at the times we usually meet, we are encouraged to sing along to the Song of the Week from Groby Sings On The Road so that we can feel like we’re all together again. Unfortunately, we haven’t got the resources to do a Gareth Malone version of Groby Sings where we would all record ourselves and some technical wizard would merge all the voices to sound like we’re singing as a choir again but we’re together in our thoughts. Of course, Monday’s Song of the Week wouldn’t be the same without cake and, as the absence of flour in the shops at the moment indicates, there must be a lot of baking going on during lockdown so we’re encouraging singers to have a cake break during their home singing session just as they would at the Club. We hope to have a picture gallery of Groby Sings bakes on Facebook so keep
a look out for that and it might not be just the singing that encourages a few new choir members when normal life resumes. As a bit of fun for choir members, we put together a few words to showcase 52 songs from the Groby Sings repertoire of over 200 songs performed over the last 7 years, including 3 from our current programme. See how many you recognise and, if you regularly attend our concerts, you might even remember which season each was from. Answers are on page 8.
Groby Sings says ‘Thank You For The Music’ As 2020 dawned I had a million dreams of what the year would bring. I planned to do one of my favourite things and booked a summer holiday to the Greek Islands in June. I thought that when summer is icumin in I would be enjoying walkin’ on sunshine and inhaling the fragrance of the wild mountain thyme on the beautiful island of Rhodes. Now I’m resigned to saying so long, farewell to a holiday abroad this year. Sadly, I’ll have to let it go but maybe, with a little bit of luck, we’ll all soon be able to travel the lovely country roads of the UK again, perhaps ending up at Scarborough fair or even singing the Skye boat song in the highlands of Scotland. Now we have all this social distancing, I wonder what is happening on the street where you live? You might see a super trouper entertaining the neighbours by singing from the rooftops (or maybe a balcony – we mustn’t forget Health and Safety!) or there are sure to be some little people (and their parents) having fun, fun, fun on their daily walks. Wouldn’t it be loverly to hear them singing over the rainbow whilst spotting the rainbow pictures in people’s windows? Then tonight, and every Thursday at 8pm, every street will be joining the national Clap For Carers event to celebrate the caring
services who are looking after us all in this time of crisis. At the end of the day there are so many stars to be thanked. This morning, the master of the house said to me, ‘What shall we do today? Here comes the sun and there are blue skies’. Last week I could have said, ‘Let’s go fly a kite’ as Leicester was a very windy city! I suggested, ‘Shall we dance?’ because I used to love pretending to be a dancing queen and I could have danced all night in my youth, though my husband could only move like greased lightning on the football field in his youth and if we dance now I have to look down to protect my toes! After a month of lockdown, most of us are saying that we’re a bit fed up with the four walls of our house and some people would like to be able to go out and climb every mountain or even go on safari in Africa if only they could get a ticket to ride somewhere. Even a day trip to Bangor would be a miracle of miracles at the moment. However, as we are more confined to the garden, it’s lovely to be able to hear the birds and see the Spring flowers which help us to appreciate what a wonderful world we live in. As the world is all shook up by current events, this is perhaps a good time to say, ‘Thank you for the music’ as we’ve seen how it’s helped people all over the world to come together. I’m a believer in the power of music to bring people together and the sound of music has been heard from balconies, in the streets, in virtual choirs and as accompaniment to all the online fitness videos. I whistle a happy tune, listen to my concert cds and think of something wonderful every day to help me stay positive. With a little help from my friends I am staying safe and healthy. I hope we’ll all be back soon on Mondays at Groby Sings, not only to sing songs from Calamity Jane and Simon and Garfunkel but for some happy talk and food, glorious food in our cake breaks!
Stay Safe Everyone!
At what age is it appropriate to tell my dog that he’s adopted?
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Special collection service re-introduced
HINCKLEY & BOSWORTH Borough Council are reintroducing their Special collection service accepting online bookings for additional refuse sack collections and removal of small clearance items. However due to the coronavirus pandemic this service is a one person operation with strict front boundary rule for sacks of waste. In accordance with coronavirus guidelines residents/households need to be aware that if they have coronavirus or are still symptomatic need to ensure that the waste is 72 hours old before it is presented for collection and is double-bagged. Items which will be accepted: • General household waste, including recycling • Garden waste ie grass and hedge clippings etc • Textiles, although if these can be recycled, passed onto charity shops when they re-open it would be encouraged Items not accepted: • No electrical items will be accepted. These can be disposed of using our Bulky Waste Collection Service • Soil • Rubble / hard-core • Paint tins which contain paint • Hazardous wastes such as asbestos or chemicals The cost for collection and disposal of items is: · £15 for a maximum of 10 sacks · £25 for a maximum of 25 sacks Small sized cardboard boxes filled will be accepted as one sack but they must be dry. Any additional bags or items a quotation is required. For full information visit www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk/otheritems The service may also be able to help with small types of shed or garden clearances but this work would need to be completed with one member of staff and would require strict social distancing from residents. To request a quotation please contact 01455 255977 or email streetscene@hinckleybosworth.gov.uk
LOCKDOWN By Peter May ‘They said that twenty-five percent of the population would catch the flu. Between seventy and eighty percent of them would die. He had been directly exposed to it, and the odds weren’t good.’ A CITY IN QUARANTINE London, the epicenter of a global pandemic, is a city in lockdown. Violence and civil disorder simmer. Martial law has been imposed. No-one is safe from the deadly virus that has already claimed thousands of victims. Health and emergency services are overwhelmed. A MURDERED CHILD At a building site for a temporary hospital, construction workers find a bag containing the rendered bones of a murdered child. A remorseless killer has been unleashed on the city; his mission is to take all measures necessary to prevent the bones from being identified. A POWERFUL CONSPIRACY D.I. Jack MacNeil, counting down the hours on his final day with the Met, is sent to investigate. His career is in ruins, his marriage over and his own family touched by the virus. Sinister forces are tracking his every move, prepared to kill again to conceal the truth. Which will stop him first - the virus or the killers? Written over fifteen years ago, this prescient, suspenseful thriller is set against a backdrop of a capital city in quarantine, and explores human experience in the grip of a killer virus.
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HINCKLEY & BOSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL NEWS
Councillor Ted Hollick reports A Thank you AS DEPUTY Mayor I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of all staff at the Borough Council for the work that they have done and are doing to support the elderly, vulnerable and homeless people throughout the Borough. It is also good to report that the borough was very quick off the mark in distributing the government business grant to help local businesses who are struggling at this difficult time The many individuals and groups who have voluntarily supported neighbours and residents in our communities deserve many thanks, the running of errands collecting groceries etc. is very much appreciated by those of us who are self- isolating.
Brown Bins IT IS welcome to see the brown bins being collected again but please assist the Council by not putting in unsuitable items such as plastic plant pots, coat hangers and plastic and glass bottles. This is very frustrating for the operatives at this difficult time if they have to waste time separating these articles from genuine green waste.
Large items and One Off collections A REDUCED large item collection service is being reintroduced but will not include items such as beds or 3 piece suites as it will not be possible for the one man crew to handle them. The provision of the service whereby large volumes of items resulting from house clearances or house move residue may still be possible by arrangement with the Borough Council.
Planning matters COUNCILLORS are increasingly frustrated over the Government’s insistence that planning decisions should continue to be made as normal which as we all know is just not possible in the current situation. We are particularly concerned over the number of large and controversial applications which are being brought before the Council and this is at a time when the public are not easily able to express their views or objections on a scheme or development which is likely to affect them. There is some good news however for residents of the Field Head area of Groby and Markfield’s Ratby Lane area where the planning appeal by a local distribution company has now been upgraded by the Planning Inspectorate from written representation to a Public Hearing at a date still to be fixed, this is due not surprisingly to the large number of objections received from members of the public. The Borough Council is currently looking at trialling a planning meeting embracing the Digital age by having a Virtual meeting instead of physical attendance.
Don’t be fooled AS USUAL please be aware of unscrupulous people who are trying to capitalise on the Corona virus situation. One such scam is from someone sending out a fraudulent letter pretending to be from your Bank and asking for your Bank details! If you receive anything like this call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. I hope everyone is well and should the Lockdown situation be eased Please STAY SAFE and respect social distancing. Like many others I am subject to current restrictions but I am contactable by Mobile and Landline
Councillor Ted Hollick Call: 0116 287 5955 Mobile: 07962 373983 E-mail: ted.hollick@outlook.com Write: 7 Shaw Wood Close, Groby, LE6 0FY
At what age is it appropriate to tell my dog that he’s adopted?
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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-MAY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
AMAZING Dandelions!
Nostalgic film revisits classic Leicestershire literature
New film shines spotlight on local connections to iconic Ladybird Books LADYBIRD BOOKS conjure up fond childhood memories for many – and a new film is offering residents the chance to revisit their favourite titles.
MANY OF US actually like dandelions. Their amazingly cheerful colour always brings a smile to our faces. The not-so-neat-and-tidy gardeners among us can simply enjoy flowers where they grow. The name ‘dandelion’ apparently derives from ‘dent de lion’ – lions’ teeth, owing to the tooth-like shape of its leaves. There are many different varieties of dandelion, but they all have the toothed leaves arranged in a rosette around the single flowers, each one made up of up to two hundred [yes, really!] tiny florets on a smooth stem, that when picked, releases a milky substance known as latex. The golden heads, which close up at night, in wet weather, or if picked to go in a vase, give way to the seed-heads we all know as clocks. Who cannot remember proclaiming the time as a child, having blown the seeds away, counting each breath as an hour? And who, if this happened in the garden, remembers the reaction of a parent, or grandparent, to the efficient dispersal of the seeds all over the vegetable patch or flower bed! In the past, dandelion drinks and concoctions have been valued for their medicinal powers in combating a variety of complaints, and the Victorians used to cultivate them in order to fill sandwiches with the young leaves. Fizzy drinks manufacturers still produce a variety known as Dandelion and Burdock, and intrepid wine-makers can use the flowers to concoct a heady brew. The roots, some say, can be dried and ground up for use as a coffee substitute. It is those same roots, long and strong, that our grandmothers would water carefully, to the amusement of onlookers, in order to pull them up completely. To many of us, dandelions are one of Nature’s joys.
The short video – made available online by Leicestershire County Council - features a writer of several of the cookery books and siblings who donated their entire collection of Ladybird memorabilia to the museum and was recorded at the Secret History of Ladybird Books event held at Charnwood Museum. The film gives people an insight into the history of these iconic Leicestershire books and includes interviews and stories from those involved in the creation of the stories and the members of the public who loved them. Richard Blunt, county council cabinet member for heritage, leisure and arts, said: “Ladybird Books are fondly remembered by generations of people, including myself, who read them as children. “It was a real honour for Charnwood Museum and our teams to be involved in the national Being Human festival, as well as being recognition of the important role heritage plays in the life of our county and I am delighted that we are now able to share this wonderful film as a permanent record of the event.” The event was part of last year’s UK-wide Being Human Festival which celebrates the importance of arts, literature, history, and language in the human experience. Over 150 people, from former Ladybird employees, collectors and members of the public, came together at Charnwood Museum to share their memories of these cherished books, which were produced and published in Loughborough from 1914 to 1999. As part of the day, the county council team asked people to share their memories of the books. All footage taken of the day has gone into the national Ladybird Books Archive at the University of Reading, the Record Office for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and Leicestershire County Council’s Museum service collection, to be kept for future generations. Visit this link to view the short video: https://youtu.be/GylK8AN7L1I
I’ve been telling people about the benefit of eating dried grapes. it’s all about raisin awareness.
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Run run run!
DO YOU think of yourself as a runner? If not, now may be the time to consider taking it up. According to the NHS, running burns more calories than any other mainstream sport, which is perfect if you want to shed a few pounds. Running is a cardio exercise, which means it gets your heart rate up and your blood pumping. That not only improves your general fitness, but it is also great for protecting you from heart disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke. Running also improves your sense of well-being because it releases natural endorphins, which are your mood-boosting hormones. And if you want maximum benefit, try running in green spaces – being out in nature has a measurable positive impact on your psychological health. Don’t be afraid to start slow. Remember that ANY fitness activity which raises your heart rate and gets you a bit out of breath is good for you. One excellent way to begin is to try alternating a few steps of running with a few steps of walking. That will help build your fitness levels in record time! Go to https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/running-tips-for-beginners/ for the best way to get started.
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
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District councils issue almost £100 million in coronavirus funding to 8,000 businesses DISTRICT and borough councils in Leicestershire have distributed almost £100 million of vital government coronavirus funding to thousands of local businesses in the county. Since early April, officers at Blaby, Charnwood, Harborough, Hinckley and Bosworth, Melton, North West Leicestershire and Oadby and Wigston district and borough councils have been working hard to ensure the funding reaches eligible businesses as quickly and as securely as possible. In total, they have awarded just over £96 million to 8,000 businesses in the county. They have been distributing two grants for businesses, one for those directly impacted from the hospitality, leisure and retail industry, and another for those that already receive business rate discounts. On behalf of all the councils, Cllr Jonathan Morgan, leader of Charnwood Borough Council, said: “All the districts and boroughs quickly realised how vital this funding would be to keep some of these businesses afloat during these difficult times. “We have all worked very hard to set up safe and secure systems to distribute the funding and I would like to thank everyone involved for the efforts they have made. “The feedback we have had from local businesses has been very positive and at times very touching. We are talking about people’s livelihoods, with some businesses having taken years to build up from nothing and facing the very real prospect of being wiped out in weeks. These grants have bought vital time. “However, all the councils are fully aware that there is a long way to go. We are all fully committed to continue working with businesses, partners, communities and each other to ensure we offer the support needed to get us all through this crisis.” Not all eligible businesses have yet received the grant funding. For more information on the grants, businesses should visit their local council’s website.
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07734405374 contact@countycontractorsleics.co.uk www.countycontractorsleics.co.uk @CountyCon County Contractors, Groby, Leicester
There’s a new a travel guide highlighting towns and cities with badly laid paving slabs. It’s called TripAdvisor!
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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-MAY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
The new dieter’s 10 commandments 1. If you eat something and no one saw it – it has no calories. 2. When you eat with someone else, the calories don’t count if they ate more. 3. Tasting someone else’s food doesn’t count. 4. If people around us gain weight, we automatically become thinner. 5. If your movie ticket comes with a free tub of popcorn, it doesn’t count as food. 6. Every food you split into smaller pieces will contain less calories. 7. Tasting food while preparing it is essential, and therefore – healthy. 8. Foods with similar colors contain the same amount of calories. This is why it’s fine to eat pistachio ice cream instead of spinach. 9. Chocolate has a dedicated area in the stomach, which is why you should have it with every meal. 10. Frozen foods, such as ice cream, contain no calories. The reason is that a calorie is a measurement of heat units.
The Carer By Deborah Moggach From the bestselling author of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Tulip Fever, a deliciously funny, poignant and wry novel, full of surprising twists and turns. James is getting on a bit and needs full-time help. So Phoebe and Robert, his middle-aged offspring, employ Mandy, who seems willing to take him off their hands. But as James regales his family with tales of Mandy’s virtues, their shopping trips and the shared pleasure of their journeys to garden centres, Phoebe and Robert sense something is amiss. Then something extraordinary happens which throws everything into new relief, changing all the stories of their childhood - and the father that they thought they knew so well.
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Supporting you in your home We are leaders in the community helping people to live at home indepenently. Our friendly and supportive staff have been providing assistance to our clients for over 25 years our staff have full references, an enhanced DBS and have completed extensive training. At Bosworth Homecare we build and tailor packages of support to meet our client’s individual needs. Our support plans can be any combination of the many services we offer including, medication, personal care, assistance with domestic tasks and shopping. We also support our clients to hospital appointments, social activities and offer a befriending service.
Domestic Duties • Shopping • Meal Preparation Medication Assistance • Personal Care Support with Social Activities, Hospital Appointments and a Befriending Service
Tel · 01455 292648
We have been rated GOOD by the Care Quality Commission and became the first homecare provider to achieve the local authorities Dignity and Respect Award. If you would like to discuss any support needs for yourself or your loved one please contact our dedicated team.
Friendly and Compassionate Carer’s also required to support our clients in your area
Email · managementteam@givecare.co.uk | www.bosworthhomecare.co.uk Bosworth Homecare 7a Main Street Market Bosworth CV13 0JN
Possibly the worst time to have a heart attack? During a game of Charades.
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160 groups have received funding
Most vulnerable helped during COVID-19 thanks to successful scheme VOLUNTARY GROUPS have been praised for their ‘remarkable’ response to a scheme aiming to support the most vulnerable across Leicestershire during COVID-19. The Communities Fund was launched so that organisations were able to continue to carry out vital work across the county, despite the impact coronavirus is having on their finances. It saw 245 community and voluntary groups apply for a slice of a £1.5m pot – with the amount applied for exceeding £3m. The third, and final, round of the fund has seen £486,000 awarded to 62 groups. Groups receiving the funds to support A charity that supports older people and the most vulnerable in Syston was awarded £5,000 of the funding, vulnerable and isolated people meaning that those in need are still able to access the operate in the following areas: service. • Blaby (3 groups) - £12,537 Elaine Connor, from Age Concern Syston, said: “This • Charnwood (21 groups) - £206,344 grant has enabled us to keep our office open at a time when coronavirus forced us to stop all our community • Harborough (14 groups) - £110,613 activities, and all our income had ceased. • Hinckley & Bosworth (10 groups) £121,662 “Using community volunteers coordinated by our • Leicester & Leicestershire (eight groups) office staff we have quickly set up a telephone support £42,844 service for the elderly and most vulnerable in the Syston • Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (11 area. So far, we have supported over 140 people, and groups) - £85,671 carried out more than 200 tasks for them including • Leicestershire (55 groups) - £543,953 collecting prescriptions, shopping, signposting to • Leicestershire & Rutland (two groups) - £33,636 other organisations and providing help for many other • Melton (15 groups) - £112,628 essential services.” • North West Leicestershire (16 groups) As part of the fund, the council also focused on £167,311 ensuring that local radio stations received some funding • Oadby & Wigston (four groups) - £41,938 to enable vital COVID-19 messages to be communicated to listeners. Nick Rushton, leader of the county council, said: “The response we have had to the Communities Fund has been nothing short of remarkable. “I’m happy to announce that we’ve awarded all of the £1.5m fund to 160 groups. It’s great to see that groups are doing all they can to keep communities thriving during these challenging times and I’m proud that we’ve been a part of it. “It’s never been more important for communities to band together and support each other. These awards will help groups to continue their crucial work and step up activities to support vulnerable people and those isolating. “This fund enables people to stay safe by staying at home and ultimately, saves lives. I’d like to thank our volunteers and community groups for their fantastic work and for keeping the community spirit going.”
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#Thisisfostering theme for awareness fortnight
It’s time to celebrate Leicestershire’s foster carers IT’S FOSTER CARE Fortnight and the spotlight is being shone on the life-changing work of families supporting children in care in Leicestershire. The awareness campaign runs from May 11 -24 and this year’s theme is #ThisisFostering During the fortnight, Leicestershire County Council is celebrating the contributions of local foster carers and the difference they make to children and young people in care. Lorraine, who has been fostering in Leicestershire for two years, said: “We considered becoming foster carers over many years but the time never seemed right, what with our family and work commitments. “As a result we were both aged over 50 by the time we started our fostering journey. “Fostering a child has been one of the most challenging but rewarding things we have done to date, from his pure excitement and joy at getting his first matching tracksuit, through all the ups and downs of his emotional turmoils. “All our hard work is rewarded by hugs and genuine smiles from the child. We can honestly say we would not change a thing.” Ivan Ould, county council cabinet member for children and families, said: ”We’re always grateful to our incredible foster carers but particularly now, for providing much-needed support and stability for our children and young people when there is so much disruption to routine and change to everyday life. Thank you for everything you are doing. “For anyone who has thought about fostering, and is now wondering more than ever about what you can do to help, we would encourage you to get in touch and find out more about making a difference to a young person who needs you.” There are many different ways to foster and although the council’s regular ‘find out about fostering’ events have been cancelled until further notice, the fostering team are available via phone, email and social media to talk through the various ways people can help. Find out more about fostering at https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/education-and-children/fostering or call 0116 305 0505 (Mon-Fri, 8:30am-4:30pm).
I think the hardest part of solving a Rubik’s Cube is not getting the little stickers stuck to your fingers.
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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-MAY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
Groby Sings Quiz Answers 52 songs from 15 seasons (including our postponed season, Groby Sings On The Road) A Million Dreams My Favourite Things Summer Holiday Summer Is Icumin In Walkin’ On Sunshine Wild Mountain Thyme So Long, Farewell Let It Go With A Little Bit of Luck Country Roads Scarborough Fair Skye Boat Song On The Street Where You Live Super Trouper Singing From The Rooftops Little People Fun, Fun, Fun Wouldn’t It Be Loverly Over The Rainbow Tonight At The End Of The Day So Many Stars Master Of The House What Shall We Do Today Here Comes The Sun Blue Skies Let’s Go Fly A Kite
Windy City Shall We Dance Dancing Queen I Could Have Danced All Night Greased Lightning Look Down Our House Climb Every Mountain Africa A Ticket To Ride Day Trip To Bangor Miracle Of Miracles What A Wonderful World All Shook Up Thank You For The Music I’m A Believer The Sound Of Music I Whistle A Happy Tune Something Wonderful With A Little Help From My Friends Be Back Soon At Groby Sings Sing Happy Talk Food, Glorious Food
Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council
Events cancelled BOROUGH Council organised events that were due to take place in June have been cancelled in response to the government’s continued advice around coronavirus and social distancing. The events that have been cancelled are:
• • • • • •
Music in the Mead on Saturday 6 June Mallory Mile cycle ride on Monday 8 June Traditional Sports Day on Saturday 13 June Hinckley BID Classic Car Show Meet on Thursday 18 June Music in the Mead on Saturday 20 June Armed Forces Day event and parade on Saturday 27 June
Simon Jones, Cultural Services Manager at the Borough Council explained: “we have to continue to follow government guidance and support all social distancing procedures and all non-essential contact with others, this includes large gatherings and crowded places such as our events and those we are involved with. “We are all incredibly disappointed as a lot of hard work goes into the planning of these events but completely necessary at the current time in order to enable all of us to do as much as we possibly can to reduce infections. “We will continue to monitor and review government advice before making a decision about events that are due to take place later in the summer and advise people in due course.” The Atkins Gallery at the Atkins building continues to be closed until further notice and there will be no conferences taking place for the foreseeable future. For more information about any changes to council services or upcoming events look out for information in local media, follow the council on social media or sign up for free email updates at https://www.hinckleybosworth.gov.uk/emailupdates
Both of the churches in Groby are closed for the foreseeable, with our usual services & activities suspended. But, we are still there for your spiritual needs during this time of great challenge. The brick/stone church has been replaced by a church of people communicating and supporting via telephone, e-mail and social media. Please check out what we are doing – we are actually reaching more people via our Facebook pages than we could fit in our churches, but we would love to reach even more. If you need any spiritual support or prayers please text/message your name and home telephone number to Rector – Rev Ed Bampton 01162396520 one of our elders on 07807036944 or 07368405207– you will get a call back. Rev Noel Colley 07757 302271 www.facebook.com/grobyurc/ www.facebook.com/StPandStJ www.achurchnearyou.com/church/5501 Online live streamed regular services as follows: Every Tuesday at 9pm Compline Every Thursday at 10am Morning Prayer Every Sunday at 10am Morning Worship
Online live streamed services 10am Sundays – follow us on Facebook for more information and daily posts to support & encourage you. Christian Booklets/Gospels/Magazines and DVDs - have been put outside the church on Chapel Hill for anyone who is interested and would find them helpful.
Aren’t Zebras just horses that escaped from prison?
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Markfield Writer
New Book from Local Author A Psychic In The Picture: True Life Stories Of A Psychic By Patricia Bown THIS BOOK tells, in her own words, the true life stories of a Psychic, PATRICIA BOWN. From the ‘Dancing Lights’ she saw in the corner of her bedroom at just eight years old, to Premonitions, Pictures of the Future, A Ghostly Wedding Guest and so much more. The book recalls a lifetime of extraordinary events. Prepare To Be Amazed!
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Serendipitous inventions
THE TERM “serendipity” is often applied to inventions made by chance rather than intent. Andrew Smith, editor of The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink, has speculated that most everyday products had serendipitous roots, with many early ones related to animals. The origin of cheese, for example, possibly originated in the Nomad practice of storing milk in the stomach of a dead camel that was attached to the saddle of a live one, thereby mixing rennet from the stomach with the milk stored within. Other examples of serendipity in inventions include: • The Post-It Note, which emerged after 3M scientist Spencer Silver produced a weak adhesive, and a colleague used it to keep bookmarks in place on a church hymnal. • Silly Putty, which came from a failed attempt at synthetic rubber. • The use of sensors to prevent automobile air bags from killing children, which came from a chair developed by the MIT Media Lab for a Penn and Teller magic show. • The microwave oven. Raytheon Photo courtesy the Science Museum London / scientist Percy Spencer first patented Science and Society Picture Library - Sample of the idea behind it after noticing that emissions from radar equipment had penicillin mould presented by Alexander Fleming to Douglas Macleod, 1935 melted the candy in his pocket. • The Velcro hook-and-loop fastener, whose idea came about on a bird hunting trip when George de Mestral viewed under a microscope the cockleburs stuck to his pants and saw that each burr was covered with tiny hooks. • The Popsicle, whose origins go back to San Francisco where Frank Epperson, age 11, accidentally left a mix of water and soda powder outside to freeze overnight. • The antibiotic penicillin, which was discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming after returning from a vacation to find that a Petri dish containing staphylococcus culture had been infected by a Penicillium mould, and no bacteria grew near it.
What do you call a magic dog? A Labracadabrador.
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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-MAY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
Charnwood Forest secures National Lottery support CHARNWOOD FOREST in Leicestershire has been awarded a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £2,767,300 to put this little known, but internationally important, heritage landscape very firmly on the map. This unique landscape is one of the most significant in the East Midlands, but very few people are aware of its value, both locally and internationally. The landscape is currently at risk and this grant will support new projects to protect and enhance it. The grant, made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, will fund the Charnwood Forest Landscape Partnership Scheme. This five year scheme will promote awareness and understanding of the importance of Charnwood Forest through geological conservation, habitat restoration, improvements to connections between sites for visitors, creating innovative interpretation, outdoor learning opportunities for young people and adults, and a five-year programme of cultural and heritage activities and events. John Everitt, Chief Executive of the National Forest Company, host organisation for the project, said: “Charnwood Forest’s future hinges on our ability to convey its story effectively. We need to fill people with surprise, delight and awe when they hear it. Only when they understand Charnwood Forest will they be moved to care for it. This Scheme will support more than 80 sites across Charnwood Forest and enable over 1,000 volunteers to learn about and help us to protect this precious landscape.” Charnwood Forest’s rocky outcrops, some of the oldest rocks on the planet, were thrown up by volcanic activity in the southern oceans more than 600 million years ago. Millions of years of global plate tectonic movements brought the Charnwood rocks to their current location, and with them the fossilised remains of the first moments of complex life on earth. These fossils are only found in a handful of places across the globe, and the most ancient are found in only two places on Earth: Newfoundland in Canada and Charnwood Forest in Leicestershire. Roadshows, events, outdoor activities and Citizen Science projects will enable 10,000 people to explore this incredible history. But the area is not just important for its fossils. The ancient volcanic geology created the steep, rocky ground and thin soils that are characteristic of Charnwood. These
are conditions which make arable farming difficult, so historically much of the area was grazed or left as woodland. Because the land has not been heavily cultivated, it still contains a wealth of nationally and internationally important wildlife, including the Charnwood Spider and rare lichens. John Everitt explained further: “When most people are asked where Charnwood Forest is, they point to a tiny area east of the M1 around Bradgate Park and Beacon Hill. But Charnwood Forest covers more than 150 square kilometres. It extends north and west of Leicester, into the National Forest and includes parts of Coalville and Loughborough and villages along the A6 corridor. This project will help reconnect local communities with the landscape and its incredible heritage. Working together to protect this unique landscape is now more important than ever as we mitigate and adapt to climate change. Charnwood is a hidden gem in the East Midlands and this award will help ensure its unique story and character are celebrated and secured for the future.”
These fossils are only found in a handful of places across the globe, and the most ancient are found in only two places on Earth: Newfoundland in Canada and Charnwood Forest in Leicestershire. Atul Patel, Chair of the Landscape Partnership Steering Group, said: “Many organisations and volunteers throughout Charnwood Forest have put in masses of work to achieve this award for the Charnwood Forest Regional Park. A huge thank you to the Fund’s Midlands and East Area Committee and lottery players for their support. This award will
What kind of STRESS do you have?
THESE ARE stressful days. The towering storm clouds of coronavirus and financial trouble are casting a long shadow over all of us. Many of us deal with our stress by expressing it. Loudly! We lose our temper, swear, shout and even throw things at our loved ones. We overreact to various personal setbacks because we can’t retaliate against the virus or the stock market. But some of us do the opposite: we under-react. We display ‘quiet stress’. “We quietly hold our stress within: we don’t speak up about how we feel. And crucially, we become inert. We don’t act on situations that require action.” So warns Jillian Lavender of the London Meditation Centre. “We stay in unhappy relationships and unfulfilling jobs. We feel overwhelmed, yet we ignore important admin tasks. We procrastinate. Quiet stress creates an emotional paralysis that keeps us ‘stuck’ in unhappy situations. Inaction is just as much of an inappropriate response to stress as over-reaction is” A further danger of ‘quiet stress’ is that instead of taking positive action, people can withdraw into themselves, and turn to comfort eating or drinking too much. This further lowers their immune system.
unlock further match funding, and we can’t wait to get started on work on the ground as soon as the Covid-19 situation allows.” Cllr Blake Pain, Cabinet Lead for Environment at Leicestershire County Council, said: “I am delighted that the Charnwood Forest Landscape Partnership bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund has been successful, and thank everyone involved for their hard work and commitment. The £2.7m will provide much needed and welcome investment in Charnwood Forest and I am confident it will enable people to explore, understand and care for Charnwood Forest and its hidden gems and provide the impetus for the creation of a valuable legacy for Leicestershire. “Leicestershire County Council has been proud to support and contribute to this project and we look forward to continuing to work with the wide range of partners involved over the next five years and beyond.” The award, match funded by additional contributions to the value of £963,000, ensures that 18 coordinated projects will go ahead. These include: • Geological conservation and research • Innovative interpretation • Habitat restoration • 15 natural flood management projects • 10km of improvements to Rights of Way and the creation of a safer, off-road path between Beacon Hill and the Outwoods • Heritage and health programmes, in particular for those with access and special health needs • Roadshows, events and Citizen Science projects involving 10,000 people • 1,250 volunteering opportunities • Participatory arts programmes to engage people to record and celebrate Charnwood • Outdoor learning • Improved visitor information • Mapping of Charnwood’s distinctive stone walls. • Advice and support for farmers and landowners, small businesses, and community organisations through training programmes and grant schemes. The projects are designed to engage and attract many different audiences, and build a wide passionate base of Charnwood supporters: local residents, families, walkers, people with restricted mobility, urban communities, small businesses, visitors, older people, non-car owners, schools and special interest groups.
My Doc asked if I drank to excess. I said I’d drink to anything.
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Movie Quotes QUIZ BELOW are 20 well-known film quotes. Can you identify the films? Answers are on page 26. 1.
2.
3. 4.
5.
6. 7. 8.
“They may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom!” “If you let my daughter go now, that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.” “I’m walking here! I’m walking here!” “Badges? We ain’t got no badges! We don’t need no badges! I don’t have to show you any stinking badges!” “You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya punk?” “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.” “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.”
9. 10. 11. 12.
13. 14. 15.
16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” “I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.” “I’ll have what she’s having.” “I don’t want to sound like a sore loser, but when it’s over, if I’m dead, kill him.” “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” “A boy’s best friend is his mother.” “Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.” “Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape.” “There’s no crying in baseball!” “If you build it, he will come.” “Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.” ‘I need your clothes, your boots, and your motorcycle.’
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DREAMLAND by Bob Lazar Bob Lazar was a brilliant young physicist that found himself employed at a topsecret facility in the middle of the desert outside Las Vegas. Under the watchful eye of the government elite, he is tasked with understanding an exotic propulsion system being used by an advanced aerospace vehicle he was told came from outer space. The stressful work and long, odd hours start to wear on Bob and he becomes concerned for his safety. He tells his wife and a couple close friends about what he’s doing in the desert, and his employers find out and are furious. When they station goons outside his house, Bob seeks help from wealthy UFOlogist, John Lear, who encourages Bob to take his story to award-winning investigative journalist George Knapp at KLAS-TV. To prove he’s telling the truth, Bob takes a group of people out into the desert to watch a test flight of the ‘flying saucer.’ On the way home, they are stopped by the police, who notify the base, and Bob loses his job. In a series of interviews with CBS TV, he then blows the lid off ‘Area 51,’ blows the whistle on the effort to conceal this craft from the American people, and blows up his career as a top physicist. Bob Lazar’s reports have been the subject of intense controversy for decades. He has been interviewed numerous times and his story has been corroborated by other individuals he worked with and who were present when these events happened. But until now, Bob has never told his own story, in every detail in his own words, about those exciting days in the desert outside of Las Vegas and how the world came to learn about the experiments being conducted at Area 51.
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So what if I can’t spell ‘armaggedon’? It’s not like it’s the end of the world.
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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-MAY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
County Councillor’s Report from Ozzy O’shea Watch out for children’s welfare during lockdown THEIR door is shut. Ours is always open. Tell us if something isn’t right. Residents are being urged to be extra vigilant of children’s welfare during lockdown and report any concerns they may have. The ‘Their door is shut. Ours is open’ campaign has been launched following a fall in calls to local safeguarding teams since the introduction of social distancing measures. However, the Leicester and Leicestershire & Rutland Safeguarding Partnerships are concerned that, despite this fall, cases of child abuse may be on the rise, with fewer opportunities for it to be seen, reported and stopped. Local councils, police and health partners acknowledge there are additional pressures on families at the moment which could potentially lead to increased safeguarding concerns for children. The number of people children see and are able to talk to about their concerns is reduced so partners asking everyone to be extra vigilant about safeguarding concerns for children in their community. We are all spending more time than ever at home and home should always be a safe place for children. But sadly, this is not always the case. “We are continuing to work hard to protect our children. If family members, or members of the community have worries about children we encourage them to contact our duty team as soon as possible so that any necessary support and assistance can be put in place to keep children safe. Residents are asked to look and listen out for signs that may indicate abuse: • Very young children being left on their own • Children looking dirty or not changing their clothes • Children are withdrawn or anxious • Aggressive or repeated shouting • Sounds of hitting or banging and things being broken • Children crying for long periods of time
• Relatives denied access to talk to children by phone or video call To report concerns about children’s welfare in Leicestershire call: 0116 305 0005 (for urgent situations) or report online www.leicestershire.gov.uk/ report-abuse-of-a-child
Groby and Ratby Community CV19 Response Team WE OBVIOUSLY know that all our residents are facing a tough time under the present threat of covid-19. The Community Response Team based in the Church Rooms in Ratby is going from strength to strength helping our communities. We can help with the following • Food shopping service for those who cannot do it themselves. • Prescription collection and delivery service. • Care package delivery service delivery of emergency food nonperishable to those residents who had nothing until we could organize a shopping trip for them. • Care packages for those who are struggling don’t be ashamed, if you need us please contact us we are here for our community. Please phone 01162 393768 or email cvresponsegrobyratby@gmail. com. Out of Hours 07808 585825 or 07880 711222 or 07757 302271.
Temporary Traffic Regulation order Burroughs Road, Ratby LEICESTERSHIRE County Council Highways has agreed to a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order A road closure is required on Burroughs Road, Ratby from the turning for The Plough Inn Public House on the 20th May2020 for 1day. The Temporary Traffic Regulation Order will be implemented for public safety for Leicestershire County Council to facilitate carriageway patching works and any other associated work to the highway. Leicestershire County Council apologises for any inconvenience caused during these works.
Warning regarding fake bank letters. THE PUBLIC should be on the lookout for a sophisticated fraud that involves fraudsters sending fake bank letters.
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The convincing letters being sent are a replica template from banks and include their logo, address and signature from a customer service representative. The letter tells recipients that there have been some “unusual transactions” on their personal account or that there is an outstanding payment that needs to be paid immediately and asks them to call a number highlighted in bold to confirm they are genuine. Automated messages are then harvesting details. When victims call the number, an automated welcome message is played and the caller is asked to enter their card number, account number and sort code followed by their date of birth. Victims are then instructed to enter the first and last digit of their security number. Sophisticated phishing The letters are essentially a sophisticated phishing attempt and serves as a warning to consumers to question written correspondence from their banks. If you are ever suspicious about correspondence from your bank you should call the customer serviced number on the back of your card. We are asking people to remain vigilant. Please would you pledge to #Tell2 elderly neighbours or relatives who may not have access our community alerts and pass on this advice. Help us to protect others.
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Tel 0116 239 4336 Mobile 07808 585825 To report a fraud and cyber crime and receive a police crime reference number, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use our online fraud reporting tool. In an emergency dial 999
New Suspicious Phishing Email Reporting Facility Unfortunately, over the last few weeks there has been a marked increase in both Covid-19 type scams, but also in phishing emails of all types – “banks”, Netflix, HMRC, DVLA, Supermarket vouchers and surveys to name just a few The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) have launched a new reporting service for suspicious emails. Anyone can now forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk The service has been co-developed with the City of London Police. As well as helping to identify and take down malicious sites, it will also help by identifying new patterns in online offending. For further information : https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/reportsuspicious-emails Renew Your Netflix Email Scam
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DVLA Text Message Scam I have been made aware that residents have been receiving scam text messages purporting to be from the DVLA stating you are overdue a payment and refund please visit our secure link. Never click a link they are after you bank details.
Community Message FINALLY SO many of you are adhering to the Covid-19 regulations and I would like to thank everyone for their support by Staying at Home, Protecting the NHS and Saving Lives. However the Police have seen many who are gathering in certain places and they are receiving a high number of calls relating to Covid Breaches. The Police message is simple. This can be avoided by ensuring that your households are all aware about the importance not to meet others, even friends or family that are not in your house hold. You can spread the virus even if you don’t have symptoms. For more information about the rules of the lockdown and updates visit the below link. https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus I would like to thank you all for your continued support and remind you that should you need my help or advice, I always pride myself on making myself available to residents. Remember I am only a phone call or email away. Stay safe
Ozzy O’shea. Always Working for you Cllr Ozzy O’shea Tel 0116 2394336 Mobile 07808585825 Email Ozzy.O’Shea@leics.gov.uk Email ozzyoshea@hotmail.com
Police have recovered my stolen sofa - very kind of them. It was looking a bit tatty.
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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-MAY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
The Big Bakes Reveals Top Secret Sausage Roll Recipe WITH GREGGS stores remaining closed around the country, The Big Bakes has unveiled its secret sausage roll recipe to help self-isolating Brits recreate the iconic snack at home As lockdown continues, there will be plenty of things that people will be missing. Yet The Big Bakes, the UK’s first and only live baking competition, is proving that Brits needs not be deprived of their favourite things during selfisolation. The award-winning baking events brand has unveiled its top secret, mouth-watering sausage roll recipe, to help Brits recreate the iconic savoury snack at home. The news comes in the wake of Greggs making a u-turn on its decision to re-open some of its stores. At the end of April, the bakery chain announced plans to open 20 shops on a trial basis, but less than a week later the company confirmed that the trial will begin in-house, meaning its loyal customers will have to wait a little longer to get hold of their favourite Greggs goodies. Yet worry not, because Brits will soon be able to make the ultimate sausage roll at home, using The Big Bakes’ secret, tried and tested recipe, which YouTube star LadBaby recreated during a hilarious bake off session last September. The Big Bakes invited the renowned lifestyle blogger to its London tent, for a husband and wife sausage roll off – an event that has been viewed online almost half-a-million times, and for good reason! Now, in the wake of the disappointing news from Greggs, The Big Bakes has decided to reveal the sausage roll recipe that LadBaby has already mastered, to give the public the opportunity to have a go at home. Keen bakers can cook along to a simple tutorial video, available via The Big Bakes’ social media channels, and will need the following ingredients to take part:
The Big Bakes - Top Secret Mouth Watering Sausage Roll
In danger from domestic abuse? DOMESTIC ABUSE is soaring just now. Even as far back as early April, it was up by 30 per cent. No wonder, then, that charities are urging us to keep an eye out for anyone in danger. The warning signs include bruising, repeated shouting and all types of controlling behaviour. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police. If you dare not even speak, then use the silent solutions service by dialling 999 and press 55. If there is no immediate danger, you can still contact the 24-hour confidential National Domestic Abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247. Refuge, the national domestic abuse charity, estimates about 1.6 million women already experienced domestic abuse last year, and that “self-isolation has the potential to aggravate pre-existing abusive behaviours.”
For the pastry: Strong flour - 200g Salt - ½ tsp Chilled butter - 200g cubed Chilled water - 40g For the filling: Pork sausages - 450g Green apple - 1 (peeled and grated) Fennel - 2 tsp Salt & Pepper to taste 1 Beaten egg for brushing and finishing METHOD: How to make the ultimate sausage roll Preheat your oven to 190c. Mix the flour and salt together in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub in using your finger tips, stop when the butter is pea sized. It will not be completely mixed in. Add enough chilled water to make a shaggy dough - you may not need all of it. Turn the dough out onto your work surface and work the dough with your hands into a ball, flatten
slightly and wrap your disc of dough in cling film. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Once chilled, remove the pastry dough from the fridge and dust your work surface with flour. Roll the pastry out to a 30 x 15cm rectangle, then take the short ends of the rectangle and fold towards the middle of the dough. Repeat again to form a book. Repeat step 6 and rest the dough in the fridge for a further 30
minutes. While the dough is resting make your filling. METHOD: To make your Filling. Remove the sausages from their casings and place in a large mixing bowl. Peel and grate the apple and add to the pork along with the fennel, salt and pepper. Mix to combine and shape into 2 logs 30cm long and wrap in clingfilm. Rest in the freezer. Now split the dough into 2 portions, roll each portion into a rectangle 15 x 30cm. Lay half your sausage mixture down each piece of dough, lengthways in a cylinder shape leaving a 1-2cm edge. Brush the long edge with beaten egg and tightly fold the pastry over the sausage mixture until the edges meet each other. Turn the sausage logs over and cut into 8cm lengths, brush with egg and top with fennel seeds. Rest in the freezer for 20 minutes Bake on a greased baking tray for 20 minutes.
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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-MAY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
Groby Gardening Society NEWS LAST MONTH’S allotment society news quoted from Charles Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times”. To continue that theme, these are certainly unusual times with different challenges presented to all of us on a daily basis. There is of course, no news from the Gardening Society this month. The April meeting had already been cancelled before the country went into lockdown, and the same fate has befallen the May meeting, and probably will happen to further scheduled meetings too. At this time it’s unclear if the Plant Sale will be able to go ahead, nor the Village Show, as soon as I know more I’ll share the information. Everyone’s social calendar has been put on hold for the next several weeks at least as the pandemic forces different routines onto the majority of the population. The lockdown has allowed (encouraged? forced?) people to carry out more work in their garden (and allotments!) than they might otherwise have done. Ironically, following one of the wettest winters for many years the lockdown coincided with a period of unseasonably dry weather. The Met Office records that this has been the sunniest April since records began. Only a couple of weeks since I was brushing rising water away from outside the front door I was watching the cracks appear in the parched soil and having to water the plants I had thought waterlogged and drowned. Spring is of course the time when gardeners begin to tidy up the garden after winter, weeding the borders, mowing the lawn for the first time of the year, and sowing seeds for summer planting. As such, a lot more garden waste has been generated, which, if it was not compostable, has had to be stored for longer because the
Groby Garden Society visited Kew Gardens last year garden waste collection service was temporarily suspended so as to protect the more important general waste collection, another consequence of the pandemic. Thankfully the service has now been resumed; those key workers making the collections were probably surprised by the weight of the bins, if mine was anything to go by. One thing that has been particularly noticeable in the lockdown has been the reduction in road traffic, and that wildlife in the gardens and parks has been more noticeable. Without the background hum of traffic, birdsong is more noticeable, and the birds themselves seem to have been more adventurous, blackbirds scurrying around searching through newly-turned soil, and robins keeping an eye on things in general. Even a small garden allows a chance to enjoy fresh air and sunshine in these times of social distancing. The air seems somehow clearer (less traffic, so fewer emissions), and it’s been pleasant to sit quietly in the sunshine with a mug of tea and another slice of home-made cake and watch
Remember traffic jams? ONE GOOD thing about the lockdown is that you’ll have spent less hours stuck in traffic this Spring. Recent research has found that in 2019, car-using commuters lost an average of 115 hours stuck in traffic. No surprises that London was the most congested, with people losing 149 hours over the year. After all, London comes 8th in the world for bad traffic jams. Belfast was the next worst, with 112 hours lost per commuter. That is closely followed by Bristol (103 hours), Edinburgh (98 hours), and Manchester (92 hours). London and Edinburgh have tied for the title of UK’s slowestmoving city centre, with the average speed being about 10mph.
Nature get on with things, and maybe wonder what plants we would have been buying had the garden centres been open. The Covid-19 virus is a reminder of human frailty within the Natural world. You can’t see a virus but you can certainly feel the effects. (A trivial demonstration of scale points out that if a standard virus were the size of a tennis ball, then a human would be 500 miles tall.) Gardeners are only too aware of how viruses can affect plants e.g. tomato blight, fruit tree viruses etc, but they are also responsible for many of the variations in colouration and appearance of flowers such as tulips, wallflowers and pansies. As we cope with having more spare time than expected, a quote from the Welsh poet William Henry Davies seems appropriate “What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare”. Stay safe. (If you have any queries about the society, please email Helen Box on helen_box@hotmail.com in the first instance.)
Keith Poole
Mend and make do
ACCORDING to handicraft expert Kirstie Allsopp, a missing button was the number one reason why 350,000 tonnes of wearable clothing may end up in UK landfill this year. But that was before lockdown. Now you have time to make do – and mend! Rescue and reuse your clothes. After all, it saves money and the planet.
Sweet dreams? FROM LARGE pink hamsters that smile and wave at you, to cars that can’t get off roundabouts, a lot of us are reporting weird, vivid, and intense dreams just now. Experts say that financial worries, cabin fever and boredom may all be factors. But – on the plus side, there is also the fact that many of us are finally catching up on our sleep. And by waking up without an alarm, we will have better recall of our dreams.
Crime up and down THERE ARE four crimes on the rise during lockdown: domestic abuse, the online grooming of children, commercial property theft and coronavirus-related frauds. Nearly all other offences have declined, including murders, robberies, domestic burglaries and assaults.
The whole birthing process came as such a shock to me, I couldn’t speak for two years.
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National Trust Leicester Association NEWS DURING THE first few weeks of the Coronavirus lockdown you may have watched the TV series “Belgravia” on Sunday evenings. What was probably not apparent was the fact that six of the main film locations were National Trust properties.
Firstly, Ham House near Richmond on Thames (above) became the Brussels office of James Trenchard from where he made his fortune supplying the Duke of Wellington. The house was built in 1610 for Sir Thomas Vavasour, Knight Marshal to James l. The interiors of the Trenchard’s London home were provided by the interiors of Basildon Park near Reading. This beautiful manor house was built in the 1780’s by Francis Sykes, a self-made man who accumulated a vast fortune in the service of the East India Company. Luckily it was rescued from demolition in the 1950’s by Lord & Lady Iliffe. Montacute, in Somerset, is a beautiful Tudor manor house which has barely changed since it was built in 1610. It has an awe-inspiring golden exterior, a historic Long Gallery and intricate gardens, so was an excellent choice for the Trenchard’s country estate.
Are your double glazed windows STEAMED UP or
West Wycombe Park, built in the early1700’s, has opulent interiors which stood in well as the Duchess of Bedford’s London townhouse. The Music room (above) was used as the set for the afternoon tea party, a custom that was first popularised by the real Duchess of Bedford. The expensive life style of the second Lord Berwick at Attingham Park in Shropshire led to his bankruptcy around 1830 and the house only fully recovered by the time of the eighth Lord. The property was therefore ideal as the home of the Brockenhurst’s with their own trials and tribulations. Finally, Quarry Bank textile mill was used as Girtons Mill in the production. Quarry Bank was built in 1781 and its giant waterwheel, the most powerful in the UK, still drives the restored Victorian spinning machines and looms. The National Trust Leicester Association has cancelled or postponed all of its meetings and events until further notice. To find full details of the Association, to check the current situation regarding its programme and to see updates on Stoneywell Cottage please check the Association web site at – www.leicesternt.btck.co.uk All National Trust properties are closed to the public until further notice.
Alan Tyler Publicity Officer NT Leicester Association
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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-MAY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
News from the Allotments Heroes and Villains I’ve been busy on my allotment plot ever since the lockdown, as have many other tenants, as our daily exercise. It is very good to get out and do some gardening safely. I don’t think I’ve seen the plots looking so good before! However, I haven’t been getting rid of all of the weeds on the plot. It turns out that the dreaded dandelion is actually a bit of a hero. It is an important source of nectar
early in the year for bees and other pollinating insects and so I have been leaving the dandelions on my plot until they have finished flowering. I have been careful to remove the lovely ‘dandelion clock’ seed heads before they send all the dandelion seeds onto my and my neighbours plots! Other interesting facts about the humble dandelion are that the leaves are rich sources of vitamins A & C and iron and can be used in salads. The Victorians grew them specifically to use in salads and sandwiches. More gardening uses for them include making a foliar feed.
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However, villains appear to be getting closer to Groby, and the allotments on Ratby Road in particular. In the Leicester Mercury recently, there was an article about the dreaded Japanese Knotweed is not far away, in fact according to the report, there are currently ten occurrences within 4km of the allotments!! These are photos of the shoots in Spring, the leaves and the flowers later in the summer. Japanese knotweed is a very invasive species and spreads quickly. The plant even grows through concrete and has caused lots of damage
to houses, foundations etc. So, I would suggest that on your daily exercise walks around the village, you look out for the villain and you can then report your sighting of it to the Environet Knotweed map on https://environetuk.com/exposedjapanese-knotweed-heat-map. You may also want to report your finding to the unlucky householder if you see it in their garden, or to the Parish Council if you see it on other areas. Happy hunting!
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Lockdown leading to lasting business change, new figures suggest
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Twelve parish councils signed-up to take part in the project
County council wildflower scheme to bloom A SCHEME is set to blossom thanks to a trial that will see wildflowers and wildlife flourish on roadside verges across Leicestershire.
The COVID-19 lockdown is causing lasting changes to the way UK companies operate, new figures from the Institute of Directors suggest. In a survey of hundreds of business leaders, four out of ten said their organisation had made adjustments that they intend to keep in place after lockdown. Increased working from home and a greater focus on digital services were common actions directors expected to continue in the long term. Businesses have been innovating in response to the lockdown, with almost one in six of those polled reporting that they had launched a new product or service due to the circumstances. The majority of these were related to the country’s medical response, from producing hand gel to procuring PPE. Meanwhile, with digital skills being put under pressure like never before, more than a third of those surveyed were likely to use the next three months to pursue online training for their staff. Edwin Morgan, Director of Policy at the Institute of Directors, said: “The coronavirus crisis is throwing up colossal challenges for business, but directors are nothing if not adaptable. Lockdown means few businesses can operate as they used to and, as a result, many companies are finding a way to innovate through the obstacles. The solutions they create might just end up becoming the new normal. “Some changes, such as distancing on production lines or providing PPE to staff are virus-related necessities, but others, in particular making services digital and more flexible working, bring benefits of their own. With it looking likely that restrictions will continue in some form for months, more and more directors will fundamentally change their business models. “The country’s digital and management skills are under the spotlight, and despite everything, there is still appetite among businesses to help their people continue developing. The government has a role to play here. The Department for Education has moved quickly with its new Skills Toolkit, but there are other steps that should be considered like helping firms use untapped Apprenticeship Levy funds on shorter-form digital courses.”
The Urban Wildlife Verge Project will aim to improve biodiversity and encourage wildlife. It forms part of our wider work to tackle climate change and commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2030. We have been working alongside parish councils, giving them the opportunity to turn urban roadside verges into dedicated wildflower verges. A total of twelve parish councils signed-up to take part in the project, which will involve volunteers giving up their time to make a difference in their community by weeding, planting seeds and developing areas of wildflowers at identified locations in the county. Councillor Trevor Pendleton, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “We take our climate and environmental responsibilities seriously. “This trial will help to introduce new areas that will be managed differently to encourage growth of a range of wildflowers and provide habitats for wildlife to thrive.” We began our annual grass-cutting programme on rural verges earlier this month. Currently only grass in rural areas where it impacts on road user’s visibility at junctions and on bends will be cut to ensure highway safety. We maintain nearly 3.8million square metres of urban grass in residential areas. Trevor continued: “We reviewed our highways work due to COVID-19 and initially delayed our urban grass cuts as they are primarily for aesthetic rather than safety reasons. In line with further government guidance and our social distancing practices, we are now in a position to carry out our urban grass-cutting operations as well as the rural visibility splays at junctions. “We will review our current approach regularly to make sure we’re working safely and maintaining social distancing. “At the moment, we can’t specify cutting dates for individual areas and therefore unfortunately can’t respond to individual queries. Thank you for your patience and understanding while our staff work hard to cut the grass across the county.” Nine two-person gangs using a ride-on mower with flail and a strimmer cut the grass in towns and villages. Although the majority of highway verges are our responsibility, some are privately owned, and some are managed by contractors on our behalf.
Q By Christina Dalcher Elena Fairchild is a teacher at one of the state’s new elite schools. Her daughters are exactly like her: beautiful, ambitious, and perfect. A good thing, since the recent mandate that’s swept the country is all about perfection. Now everyone must undergo routine tests for their quotient, Q, and any children who don’t measure up are placed into new government schools. Instead, teachers can focus on the gifted. Elena tells herself it’s not about eugenics, not really, but when one of her daughters scores lower than expected and is taken away, she intentionally fails her own test to go with her. But what Elena discovers is far more terrifying than she ever imagined...
I got chatting to a lumberjack in a pub. He seemed like a decent feller.
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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-MAY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
Has Anyone Seen My Sex Life? by Kristen Bailey (Author) I wake up, bleary-eyed. It’s been two years, six months and three hours since I last shaved my legs, and the llama-patterned knickers I’m wearing have seen better days. We have seven minutes before the kids wake up, and my husband shuffles closer. ‘Ouch,’ he says, a piece of Lego sticking into his back. Then, a light comes on in the landing. Small footsteps creep down the stairs. A little voice screams, ‘IS SOMEONE COMING TO MAKE BREAKFAST?!’ All hope of having some ‘alone time’ is replaced with wondering if we’ve run out of Cheerios, thinking about the overflowing laundry, and remembering that I forgot to take out the recycling. Again. Just a typical Monday morning for the Morton family… Except today, when I go downstairs in my dressing gown, I find something. Something belonging to my husband. Something that definitely wasn’t in the wedding vows. And it’s either going to make us… or break us.
How to make your wife more efficient AN EFFICIENCY expert was delivering a seminar on time management for a company’s junior executives. He concluded the session with a disclaimer: “But whatever you do, do NOT attempt these task-organising tips at home,” he said. When he was asked why not, he explained: “Well, I did a study of my wife’s routine of fixing breakfast. I noticed she made a lot of trips between the refrigerator and the stove, the table and the cabinets, each time carrying only one item. So, I told her: ‘Darling you are making too many trips back and forth carrying one item at a time. If you would only try carrying several things at once you would be much more efficient.’” He paused. “Did that save time?” one of the executives asked. “Actually, yes,” the expert answered, “It used to take her 15 minutes to fix my breakfast. Now I get my own in seven minutes.”
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Looking for Hope Amongst the Clutter IN THIS strange locked down season, because of the coronavirus pandemic, I’ve noticed a change in the type of pictures posted on social media. In place of the look-here-atme selfies are snapshots of buds opening to display the colours of spring. Such hopeful images counterbalance gloomy statistics in the news media. There are also more memory pictures – this is what I was doing on this day years ago with people I love – I wish we could be together now. While we’re not allowed to make the kind of memories depicted in those pictures, we find comfort in memories we already have. One thing I’ve done with this unexpected free time is to organize printed photographs into albums. The photos and the albums have been there for a while, waiting for me to get a round to it. You remember the old joke? Imagine people finding their round tuits in cupboards and drawers all over the country. How would you use yours? To sow seeds that had not been planted? To read the book gathering dust on a shelf? What else needs tackling? Now may be an ideal time to face the daunting corner where clutter lurks. Daunting because of what you may disturb among age-old piles of unsorted belongings. Looking squarely at the past may be an unwelcome prospect. It makes us face uncomfortable questions. Projects we may never finish, equipment we cannot use any more, objects of attachment from people we’ve lost. Isn’t that like what we’re doing as a nation in these unprecedented times? Issues we have been avoiding are suddenly highlighted through unfamiliar circumstances. There is much talk about how we’re looking forward to getting back to normal on the other side of this international crisis. Some people say they hope things will have changed, that normal will not look the same as it used to, because we have learned valuable lessons about what really matters in life. It’s up to us whether or not we rise to the challenge, to reorganize society more fairly, to care more for the environment. By myself I cannot change the world, but I’m determined to look after the little space that is in my care, not to let it be overwhelmed with needless clutter. Be brave. Use this negative time to make a positive change in your small corner. If you choose to sort it out, I guarantee that amidst all the mess you will find at least one thing, however small, to bring you joy – even if it’s just a clean and tidy corner.
The Premonition Code: The Science of Precognition, How Sensing the Future Can Change Your Life by Theresa Cheung and Julia Mossbridge Have you ever had a feeling something was going to happen and it did? Have you had a dream and then seen it play out in your waking life? Most people dismiss these premonitions as coincidences, but scientific evidence suggests that some of these experiences are far from coincidental. What if we could use information from the future to guide our choices, and to drive positive change in our lives and in the world? Now you can learn about the science behind precognition, read real life case studies, and cultivate your precognitive abilities to participate in the largest scientific experiment of its kind on precognition.
My uncle choked to death on a piece of cheese. Now I can’t have my picture taken without bursting into tears.
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On why holding an Arts Festival in church is not a good idea The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren Your decision to hold a Summer weekend Arts Festival in church, bringing culture to your inner-city streets, was most commendable. Pity, how it all turned out. The Friday evening started well with the concert of Scott Joplin piano music. Obviously knowing that the pieces were originally played in seedy bars on pianos wildly out of tune with several notes missing, your committee must have gone to endless trouble to find precisely the right instrument. Your stagehands, were, however, less careful and hadn’t noticed that the platform had a noticeable list to port. After each piece, the pianist had to relocate the piano stool closer to his nomadic piano, with the last piece being performed with both entirely out of sight behind the pulpit. It created much innocent entertainment for the audience, but the fault really should have been remedied before the Saturday evening choir concert. Discarded kneelers and rotting hymn books do not form a stable base for a stage supporting an 80-strong choir. So when it came to the enthusiastic rendering of hits from ‘Oklahoma’, with copious hand movements, it came as something of a relief that the stage took this as the moment to signal defeat, tipping the tenors behind the altar. The audience’s thunderous applause, assuming this was a carefully choreographed part of the performance, was quite touching. I am sure all the compensation claims will soon be sorted out. Your one great mistake was to take on responsibility for organising the refreshments afterwards. Church entertainments committees have centuries of collective experience in judging the numbers of ham sandwiches and bottles of milk required. I am forever proud that our own ladies – through years of experience – can now get five cups of tea from every tea bag and can butter bread so thinly that one pack can last several months. What you now do with 29 surplus loaves of bread is a problem you have brought upon yourself. You could possibly use them for supporting the stage next year. Your loving uncle,
Eustace
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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-MAY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
HINCKLEY & BOSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL NEWS
Councillor Martin Cartwright reports
Coronavirus : COVID-19 I HOPE you are staying safe. My article this month covers an update on the Coronavirus. As your Borough Councillor I appreciate that these are very worrying times for most people. As I write this month’s article some of the Borough Council services are returning. Enclosed are the details of those I have at this time but maybe are subject to change by the time you read my article in the Spotlight:
Green Waste WHILST it is with regret that we had to temporary suspend the Green Waste collection I am very proud of the way the Borough Council have reintroduced this service and as quickly as possible. Whilst some residents missed two or three Green Waste collections we have extended both the expiry of last year’s service by two months and or given the residents who have subscribed for this year’s green waste collection a further two months at the end of the contract by way of compensation. In reality, a month of missed collections has been replaced by a two month extension to make up for the loss in the first place. Personally, I think this is a very generous offer by the Borough Council. All subscriptions have been automatically extended by up to two months for customers to cover the one month period the service was suspended. Garden waste bins displaying 19-20 subscription stickers will now be collected until 31 May 2020. Garden waste bins displaying the 20-21 subscription stickers will now be collected until 31 May 2021. Anyone who wishes to subscribe to the 20-21 garden waste service who hasn’t already done so is encouraged to go online at www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk/ gardenwaste or call 01455 238141 if they don’t have internet access to ensure their service continues beyond the extension period. The cost of the service is £24 a year.
Customers are asked to allow at least 10 working days for the 20-21 sticker to arrive before presenting the garden waste bin. Thank you to all the bin crews who have worked so hard to maintain the black bin and recycling collections throughout this crisis. We all appreciate your hard work and effort to keep this service going throughout the pandemic. The Council apologises for the inconvenience and thanks customers for their patience during these challenging times.
Small businesses urged to claim unpaid grants SMALL businesses across Hinckley and Bosworth are being urged to claim £4.3 million of unpaid business grant support that is available from Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council to help them during the coronavirus crisis. Nearly 1,500 businesses have already received a share of £22 million in emergency support and more businesses are set to get funding. Ever since the announcement of the funding, teams at the council have contacted hundreds of businesses to pull together the information required to issue the grants in the Borough, a process that is still ongoing. However business owners worried that they might have missed this contact or may not have provided up to date contact details or a mobile number are now being asked to contact the council directly by telephoning 01455 238141. To receive a small business grant you are eligible if your property is registered for business rates and is a: • shop • restaurant, café, bar or pub • cinema or live music venue • assembly or leisure property - for example, a sports club, a gym or a spa
• hospitality property - for example, a hotel, a guest house or self-catering accommodation • letting or estate agents All businesses in receipt of small business rate relief or rural rate relief will be eligible for a payment of £10,000. Local businesses who have already been awarded their grants commented that they have been helpful during this unprecedented time. Leader of the Council, Councillor Stuart Bray said “We have awarded more than £17.5 million in the last few weeks to help protect businesses and jobs in the local area. Understandably, this period of disruption caused by the coronavirus lockdown has hit businesses hard and we are working to ensure those businesses which are eligible for funding receives it as quickly as possible. We urge local businesses to contact us to ensure that they receive the funding they deserve and are eligible for. “I must take this opportunity of thanking all the staff involved for working so hard during this difficult time, working at weekends and the Easter bank holiday to ensure that these monies are distributed. Without them it would not be possible.” Personally I am proud of the speed and compassion that has been given to the recipients of the grant by Borough Council officers which like the Leader of the Borough Council I wish to thank.
Leader of the Council Cllr Stuart Bray Letter to all Residents A letter has been posted to every household in the Borough providing an update from the Council and offering some useful sources of information.
Cllr Martin Cartwright Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council – Groby Ward. Executive member for: Licensing, Environmental, Climate Change, Rural Issues & Klondyke Community Hub
Call: 0116 287 4500 Mobile: 07850 707050 E-Mail: hbbc@appliancehome.co.uk Write : Maverick House,10 Pine Tree Avenue, Groby, LE6 0EQ
Transport IT WAS reported over the last weekend of April that train companies are drawing up plans to run an almost full timetable within three weeks, with the Government telling operators to prepare for an 80% weekday service from May 18th, in the event the Government potentially lift the current lockdown.
Bulky Waste Collections to resume THE COUNCIL is resuming a limited bulky waste collection service in May. The collection of bulky waste items – such as domestic furniture and appliances – was halted in March due to severe staff shortages arising from the coronavirus pandemic. However, while staff levels have now improved, the service must comply with social distancing requirements which require the council to limit the items that can be collected. This means that only items that can be safely moved by one operative working alone can currently be booked for bulky waste collections. Up to three items - including washing machines and other similar sized household appliances, smaller items of furniture such as dining chairs and footstools, electrical items such as televisions, monitors and music centres and outdoor items including lawn mowers and bicycles - can be collected at a cost of £15. Concessions are available. To see the full list of items that can be collected and to book a collection and go online to www. hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk/largeitem or call 01455 238141. The council has already contacted customers who had previously booked a bulky item collection to rearrange the service where possible and those collections started last week. With the household tips, which are run by Leicestershire County Council, currently closed due to movement restrictions and social distancing it is strongly recommended that anyone choosing to use a private waste collector to dispose of larger items at this time checks the collector is registered to collect waste and asks for a waste transfer note in order to see where the waste is being taken to for disposal. See the register of
My doctor said I need to quit my helium addiction before I get carried away.
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Boots helps domestic abuse victims as cases rise during lockdown waste carriers, brokers and dealers at www.environment.data.gov.uk Clinical waste collections (sharps) – are now being collected fortnightly. Affected customers have been advised about alternative collection dates. Hazardous waste – the team are still clearing away any reported hazardous waste such as needles, glass and dog mess but members of the public are advised this is taking longer than usual due to staffing and social distancing issues. •For the most up to date information about any changes to council services look out for information in local media, follow the council on social media or sign up for free email updates at https:// www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk/ emailupdates
Planning Applications AT THE time I write the planning committee could be underway again on Tuesday May 19th 2020. If this is to happen it is likely to be via a Zoom meeting with the planning committee members taking part from home rather than the Council Chamber. Details are being finalised as members of the public have to be able to access to the debate that takes place as if it were carried out in the traditional way. Government have recently released advice that planning applications must continue to be processed and determined.
I’m here to help AS YOUR Borough Councillor I am here and available to help you. If you live in Groby and are experiencing any difficulties please contact me and I will do all I can to help you Home Phone: 0116 287 4500 Mobile Phone: 07850 707050 Email: hbbchelp@ appliancehome.co.uk To keep residents updated I am posting as much relevant information as I can on my social media channels. Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. Facebook: Cllr Martin Cartwright Twitter: Cllr Martin Cartwright @CllrCartwright Instagram: cllr.martincartwright Thank you and take care.
Cllr Martin Cartwright Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council – Groby Ward
• Boots provides safe space for domestic abuse victims during coronavirus lockdown • The health & beauty retail giant has teamed up with charity Hestia BOOTS has set up a safe space for domestic abuse victims at its UK pharmacies as cases rise during the coronavirus lockdown. Domestic abuse victims will be able to access the spaces at Boots pharmacies under measures to improve access to support. The Metropolitan Police said it was making an average of about 100 arrests a day for offences linked to abuse in the home since the lockdown was imposed last month. Many victims, who are unable to seek help while at home trapped with their abusers, will still be expected to shop for food and medicine. Meanwhile, domestic abuse charity Hestia is overseeing a safe space model in consultation rooms at most of the 2400 Boots pharmacies across the country. Those who need to use the safe space consultation room need to ask at the pharmacy counter. They will receive access to the 24-hour national domestic abuse helpline, the men’s advice line and phone numbers for services specific to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. “We recognise that key workers in pharmacies hold a unique position within the community as a single point of contact for victims,” Hestia head of UK Says No More campaign Lyndsey Dearlove said. “By creating this safe space in Boots pharmacies, we hope many will be able to safely access support while following government guidelines.”
Locations of Boots Pharmacies in Leicestershire • Leicester Highcross Shopping Centre, 38-39 Shires Walk, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE1 4FQ • Leicester Gallowtree Gate, 30-36 Gallowtree Gate, Leicester, LE1 1DD • Leicester 149 Uppingham Road, 149 UPPINGHAM ROAD, Leicester, LE5 4BP • Leicester 212 Uppingham Road, 212 Uppingham Rd, Leicester, LE5 0QG • Leicester Beaumont Leys, 20-22 Fletcher Mall, Leicester, LE4 1DG • Leicester Braunstone Lane, 532 Braunstone La, Leicester, LE3 3DH • Birstall Sibson Road, 123 Sibson Road, Birstall, Leicester, LE4 4ND • Leicester Fosse Park Shopping Centre, Fosse Park Shopping Centre, Leicester, LE19 1HJ • Leicester Oadby The Parade, 35 The Parade, Leicester, LE2 5BB • Leicester Oadby Leicester Road, 11C-11D Leicester Road, Leicester, LE2 5BD • Leicester Thurmaston Shopping Centre, Barkby Thorpe Lane, Leicester, LE4 8GP • Leicester Wigston Bell Street, 27 Bell Street, Wigston, Leicestershire, LE18 1AD • Leicester Syston, 1326 Melton Road, Leicester, LE7 2EQ • Sileby Swan Street, 54 Swan St, Sileby, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE12 7NW • Loughborough Quorn, 16 Station Road, Quorn, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE12 8BS • Loughborough Barrow Upon Soar, 21 High Street, Barrow Upon Soar, Leicestershire, LE12 8PY • Loughborough Market Place, 11-13 Market Place, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3EQ • Coalville New Broadway, 9-11 New Broadway, Coalville, Leicestershire, LE67 3XJ • Hinckley Britannia Centre, 2 Britannia Centre, Hinckley, Leicestershire, LE10 1RU • Asfordby Bradgate Lane, 5 Bradgate Lane, Asfordby, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE14 3YD
“If you love someone, tell them. Forget about the rules or the fear of looking ridiculous. “What is really ridiculous is passing up on an opportunity to tell someone that your heart is invested in them.” “When someone gives you their time, they are giving you a portion of their life that they will never get back. It’s one of the most precious gifts you can receive. Don’t waste it.”
My wife just said she left me four weeks ago because of how unobservant I am.
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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-MAY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
Nationwide house price index for April 2020
Drop in house price growth last month, but significant annual increase TWO PROPERTY leaders have reacted to the latest Nationwide House Price Index figures:
No plastic please, we’re the National Trust THE NATIONAL TRUST is going to get rid of its plastic membership cards. Replacing the five million membership cards with a paper alternative will save 12.5 tons of plastic each year. The new cards will be made from a strong and durable paper, with a waterbased coating. The cards will be recyclable and compostable. The National Trust also has plans to almost completely remove single-use plastics from its sites by 2022. It has already replaced all disposable food packaging with compostable products. Next, it wants to remove plastic drinks bottles and eliminate plastic packaging from its shops.
“Over the years I’ve come to realize that mistakes are just lessons, life lessons almost like school. Once you’ve learned a lesson in class, you move on to the next lesson because now you know it. “Well mistakes are exactly the same.”
Rashard Royster
Jamie Johnson, CEO, FJP Investment comments: “Nationwide’s house price index has delivered the news we were all anticipating – a month on month drop in the rate of house price growth. However, it is surprising and positive to see the positive rate of annual growth. “Let’s put things into context. We are in the middle of a health pandemic. As a result, accessing finance has become difficult and lockdown measures have naturally deterred or prevented people from buying a property. Of course, house prices will naturally adjust to reflect this new climate. “What we should really be asking is why house prices are dropping. Is it because there is no longer market demand or is it a result of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 social isolation measures? I think most people who accept that it is the latter; demand at the start of 2020 was soaring, so the medium- and long-term outlook needn’t be bleak. “I believe a price recovery is imminent. After all, the index shows a significant annual increase in house prices. What the UK Government should consider, however, is whether tax reliefs are needed to reignite transactions in the immediate aftermath of COVID-19. A Stamp Duty holiday has been touted as a potential reform – this would be beneficial, and I would be more in favour of reforms to Stamp Duty as part of any 2020 Autumn Budget.” Paresh Raja, CEO, Market Financial Solutions says: “House prices have dipped, and they will continue to do so as long as lockdown measures are in place. This will affect property valuations and no doubt play on the minds of sellers and those in the middle of a transaction. “However, I am optimistic – a short-term fall in house prices may open new opportunities for buyers. Taking advantage of the current circumstances could mean buyers see notable price growth once COVID-19 has passed and the market recovers. As was witnessed in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, the property market is able to bounce back quickly. “The challenge for buyers, however, is finding lenders who are still receiving new loan applications and have the resources to undertake on site valuations. I’d expect to see a general increase in the number of buyers looking beyond high street banks to specialist lenders for loans during this pandemic.”
Beware soft drinks HAVING just one soft drink a day in middle-age could increase your risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. Recent research has found that the sugar-laden drinks raise cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of clots that cut off blood supply to the heart or brain. It was found that daily consumers of soft drinks were 53 per cent more likely to have large amounts of a fat called triglycerides, that collects in vessels and arteries, compared with people who rarely touch sugary soft drinks. The study was done at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. Cardiovascular disease is the UK’s number one killer, claiming 170,000 lives a year. It is responsible for one in four premature deaths.
St Sofa’s
We worship at St Sofa’s now Since Covid came to stay We don’t dress up or do our hair But still we come to pray! Our Vicar is a clever chap A Zoom with his IT And so we sit down ev’ry week And meet up virtually! Our Parish Church stands empty With praise she does not ring; But still her people gather round To pray, and praise, and sing! The virus is a nasty thing Yet it has helped us see The church is NOT a building But folk like you and me!
By Nigel and Carol Beeton
After The End By Clare Mackintosh Max and Pip are the strongest couple you know. They’re best friends, lovers—unshakable. But then their son gets sick and the doctors put the question of his survival into their hands. For the first time, Max and Pip can’t agree. They each want a different future for their son. What if they could have both? A gripping and propulsive exploration of love, marriage, parenthood, and the road not taken, After the End brings one unforgettable family from unimaginable loss to a surprising, satisfying, and redemptive ending and the life they are fated to find. With the emotional power of Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper, Mackintosh helps us to see that sometimes the end is just another beginning.
Sometimes I make a mental note and then forget where I put it.
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Depression implant transforms patient’s life A GRANDFATHER FROM GROBY who struggled with severe, treatment-resistant anxiety and depression for 30 years has become the first East Midlands patient to be fitted with a vagus nerve stimulation implant. And Johnny Spillane says the tiny device – which sends a small electrical stimulus into his brain - is transforming his life. And he says it is giving him the strength to support the people he loves through the COVID-19 crisis. (Read his story below) Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust is one of just a handful of NHS Trusts with a vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) service. The special battery-powered ‘pacemaker’ style device is implanted surgically by a neurosurgeon beneath the left side collarbone and wired up to the vagus nerve at the base of the neck. Fitted as a life-long treatment, the device delivers regular pulses
Dr Girish Kunigiri with Johnny Spillane in a pre-lockdown check. to the nerve, at intervals of around five minutes, transmitting to areas of the brain known to be critical for the treatment of depression. The treatment is being pioneered by LPT’s electro-convulsive therapy service, based at the Bradgate Mental Health Unit. The team of
~ Johnny’s story ~ Johnny Spillane, 56, from Groby in Leicestershire, was diagnosed with anxiety and depression in his mid 20s and has been taking medication for more than three decades. He spent three weeks in intensive care after attempting suicide, had a number of admissions to mental health wards including two nine-month stays, and tried a variety of treatments – including electro-convulsive therapy – without finding an effective treatment for his severe mental health needs. His illness resulted in having to give up driving, long spells off work, the loss of his job as a manufacturing production manager and led to the break up of his marriage. He said: “I came out of hospital and had to go through divorce and finding a new home. I had a lot of family support and work colleagues were supportive but I couldn’t go back. Then when I was discharged from the ward I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease – I had thought my tremor was medication induced. “Dr Kunigiri reviewed my medication and we talked about different options before referring me for a second opinion. We spoke to a neurologist who agreed that VNS was the best option for depression and because it can have a positive impact on Parkinson’s symptoms. “I had no hesitation about agreeing to VNS and I haven’t regretted it. I am now on the optimum level of stimulation for depression. Physically I feel just a little surge as the impulse starts up, and it changes my voice. “My life just keeps improving. I used to need carers and couldn’t leave the house but I have been able to travel abroad on holiday for the first time in years, Before the Coronavirus outbreak I was having alterations made to my house and going out socially. I’ve also been participating in Recovery College courses and volunteering with two charities, The Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation and Age UK, promoting wellbeing for people with dementia. “One of the best things is that I was able to start picking up my little granddaughter Imogen from nursery and feel independent again. “For five years of my life I didn’t want to wake up in the morning and now my life is fantastic. My depression was so bad before, I didn’t get off the sofa for two years and now I feel really well and I’m able to help others who are struggling with having to stay at home during the pandemic. “My sister and son both work in the NHS and I miss being able to see them and lmogen, my granddaughter but the lockdown hasn’t had a negative effect on my mental health at all. “I have been decorating and gardening at home and now I feel I have the strength to support others, like my mother and my neighbours. I go shopping and help with their gardening. I’m going to bed at night looking forward to the next day.“
doctors and nurses worked together to train and set up the VNS service, which is being supported by health commissioners for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. It comes after the Trust hosted a symposium in 2018, bringing together experts from across Europe to explore its use in the UK and Europe. Consultant psychiatrist Dr Girish Kunigiri, who is also an international speaker on this subject, explained: “Ours is the first NHS Trust in the UK to get sign off from commissioners and we
have developed a partnership with neurosurgery services in Nottingham to implant the device. “VNS is established as a treatment for intractable epilepsy and growing evidence highlights it as a successful long-term approach to treatmentresistant depression. “We have developed a robust pathway with neurosurgery specialists in Nottingham and collaborated with them on the region’s first implant in September last year. “Since then the patient has reported significant improvements in his mood and quality of life after experiencing treatment-resistant depression for more than three decades.” Once fitted, the implant has a battery life of up to a decade and Johnny’s progress is being monitored and reviewed regularly by Dr. Kunigiri’s team and together they agree on appropriate changes to the level of stimulation the implant delivers. “VNS not only results in better outcomes and quality of life for patients but we expect it to reduce mental health hospital admissions and reliance on community mental health services. In the long term it will also mean patients will need to take less medication.”
Just a pint of social media for me, please EVEN BEFORE the lockdown, social media seems to have been replacing the role of pubs in socialising, as far as young people are concerned. In 2005, an estimated 18 per cent of young people aged 16 to 24 were non-drinkers. According to one study, that has now risen to 29 per cent. “Online technology has made friends and family instantly accessible and the role of pubs and clubs for initiating and consolidating social networks appears to have changed.” So says Dr Dominic Conroy, a psychologist at the University of East London. Dr Conroy adds: “With the internet being used to initiate and maintain social relationships, both romantic and otherwise, the use of alcohol as a social lubricant may be less necessary.” He co-authored a recent study on the subject with Prof Fiona Measham, a criminology expert at Liverpool University.
It bothers me when I see taxpayer’s money wasted on signs telling deer where to cross the road.
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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-MAY 2020 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
Hundreds of key workers get help from Leicester Bike Aid NEARLY 400 key workers have been helped by Leicester Bike Aid since it was launched by Leicester City Council a month ago. Under the scheme – which offers free bike loans for key workers and free repairs to existing bikes - almost 200 people have applied for a bike. In addition, the scheme has fixed more than 180 bikes for free to help keep essential workers moving during the coronavirus crisis – with some of the first customers being nurses, in uniform, on their way to work at Leicester’s hospitals. Further recipients have included care workers, teachers, bank and supermarket staff, and food production workers. Doctor Rachel Wong (pictured) got her free bike last week and said: “This is a fantastic scheme – I am one very happy cycling anaesthetic registrar! Thanks to the team at Leicester Bike Aid, I can get to work during the pandemic.” To further support key workers, the city council has created two new temporary cycle tracks to make one of the UK’s first ‘pop-up’ cycleways, with other cities following suit. The tracks run along a section of Saffron Lane and Aylestone Road, close to Leicester Royal Infirmary. The routes – designed to take advantage of the current lower volumes of motor traffic – help cyclists to complete their journeys safely. Data from the council’s count sites shows numbers of cyclists and pedestrians have dropped in the city centre – as expected while people heed Government advice
to stay at home. However, at other count sites - including Braunstone Park, Glenfield Road, Forest Way and the riverside – there is an increase compared to the same time last year, suggesting people are using these routes to commute or for their daily exercise. The city council’s Wheels2Work scheme and grants for businesses to help more of their employees choose active travel are continuing despite the lockdown. Twelve Wheels2Work bikes – including 10 e-bikes – are currently out on
hire, to people studying or working in diverse roles such as nursing, probation, manufacturing and lecturing. The bikes are used to travel anything from five to 13 miles a day. Leicester Bike Aid is open to city and county residents. To find out more about Leicester Bike Aid, walking and cycling routes visit the Choose How You Move website. Donations are welcome – Contact cycle-city@leicester.gov.uk to offer your support.
Small Ads
• Adidas black & gold MAN’S BAG, minor mark on front - £5 • Shark Rider FANCY DRESS COSTUME, worn once, small repair where stitching came undone, but not noticeable. Cost £30 new - £15 • Mini Cooper R56 LED front FOG LIGHTS. Unopened and comes with all wiring and connectors needed £100 • 5 x power 8 AWG WIRING KIT, up to 800 watts, unopened - £5 • Nerf Centurion DARTS - £2 • Pioneer Full Range CAR SPEAKERS, 200 watts RMS, 400 watts ACH, 25HZ-20KHZ, sensitivity 95DB. Unused and never installed. Comes with all equipment needed to install as standard - £25 • Female AB-TEK BELT in good working order, fully anti-bac cleaned plus carry bag - £8 Can deliver locally if unable to collect. Tel: 07801 529250 (GROBY) • Panasonic DVD PLAYER/RECORDER - £20. • JVC super ET VHS RECORDER - £5 Tel: 07941 049939 (MARKFIELD) • LAWNMOWER Flymo Chevron 34C. Only two years old. Excellent condition. No unusual noises. Sharpened blade. Price: £49.00 o.n.o • Also VARIOUS PARTS available from Chevron 34VC, which is almost identical to the 34C. Tel: 07866 109206 (GROBY)
‘Thumbs up’ for bin crews YOUNGER residents in Hinckley and Bosworth can now show their appreciation for bin crews by colouring in a #thumbsup poster and displaying it in their window or sticking it to their bin. The poster is available to download at www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk/ colouringposter or across the council’s social media channels. The poster was inspired by the Royal Mail’s campaign to support our local postmen and women. The move comes after the council received lots of thank you messages from residents for bin crews for their service during the coronavirus pandemic. Council Leader, Councillor Stuart Bray said: “The crews have really appreciated all the good wishes and thank you’s they have received over the past weeks and whilst the vast majority of children are home from school, this is a small project they could complete and families could continue with their appreciation. “The crews empty around 70,000 bins during the course of a week and are out in all weathers and whilst a vital service to the borough often do not receive the recognition they deserve. The teams have worked incredibly hard in difficult circumstances and displaying a #thumbsup would be a small token of gratitude. We hope children and families will enjoy supporting the campaign.” For more information about any changes to council services look out for information in local media, follow the council on social media or sign up for free email updates at www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk/emailupdates
Movie Quotes Quiz Answers - FROM PAGE 11 1. Braveheart, 2. Taken, 3. Midnight Cowboy, 4. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, 5. Dirty Harry, 6. Gone With The Wind, 7. Cool Hand Luke, 8. It’s a Wonderful Life, 9. The Godfather Part 2, 10. Airplane, 11. When Harry Met Sally, 12. Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, 13. Jaws, 14. Psycho, 15. Monty Python and the Holy Grail, 16. Planet of the Apes, 17. A League of their Own, 18. Field of Dreams, 19. Back to the Future, 20. Terminator 2 Judgement Day.
I’ve been scratching my head all day trying to figure out how I managed to get head lice.
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