AUGUST 2022 SURPRISE MAGAZINE

There’s A Surprising Amount In It SURPR!SE M A G A Z I N E AUGUST 2022 WHAT SURPRISE?IS SURPRISE is an online magazine containing articles from my other four local printed magazines: Groby Spotlight, The Herald, Glenfield Gazette and Leicestershire Builder. Every month, I receive lots of interesting and useful articles - more than enough to fill the print publishedbeingofItaltogether.reducedwhenunderstandablycontributorsManypublications.oftheregulararedisappointedtheiritemsneedtobeinlengthoromittedseemsashametowasteallthisgoodcontent,soitisgatheredtogetherandhere. It should be a bit of fun, and hopefully will have something of interest for everyone. Have a browse through and let me know what you think. Mike Wilkinson info@surprisemagazine.co.uk Do you know of anyone living in Groby who might benefit from FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE? THEN consider the Thomas Herbert Smith’s Trust Fund. The Fund provides and supports with the object of improving the conditions of life for inhabitants of Groby. It has interests in social welfare by providing facilities for the aged and poor or those who are sick or in distress. It also considers applications involving recreation and other leisure-time activities. So who was Thomas Herbert Smith? Well, he was a Groby businessman, who died in 1961 after which a charitable trust was set up from his Estate with Waims interpreted to assist individuals or groups who are experiencing hardship in one or more of the ways listed above. So if you know of a Groby resident or group who might benefit from the Trust please let the Clerk to the Trustees, who administers the fund on a day-to-day basis, know by telephoning 01162 835345 or by e mailing andrew_york@sky. com or by post at 6 Magnolia Close, Leicester, LE2 8PS and he will help with making the application. St. Peters Church Copt Oak INDOOR & OUTDOOR POP UP MARKET SATURDAY 3rd SEPTEMBER 9am till 12noon at MEMORIALCOPTtheOAKHALLLE67 9QB (Next to Copt Oak Pub) Outdoor £5 ~ no need to book Indoor £10 ~ must be booked Entrance 50p - children admitted free Booking or further details ring 0116 2674746 or 01530 244229

2 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 Contents AUGUST 2022 4 GROBY SINGS 5 BAGWORTH SHOW 6 GLENFIELD FOLK DANCING • NEWTOWN LINFORD GARDENING CLUB 7 FOXGLOVE CHALLENGE • MY FUNDRAISING PLEDGE FOR THE BHF 8 THOUSANDS OF TREES MAY BE LOST • £2.1M TO IMRPROVE BLABY DISTRICT 9 SOUTH CHARNWOOD HEAD TEACHER RETIRES • GROBY SURGERY JOTTINGS 10 MARKFIELD SCOUTS • GROBY SPEED DATA • SOME EVENTS COMING UP 11 GRANTS AWARDED TO 53 GROUPS • BOOK BLUB • SLEEP ITEM #1 12 ST JAMES THE LEAST OF ALL • NATIONAL ALLOTMENT WEEK 13 “MY DAD DIED THREE TIMES” • EDINBURGH FRINGE 14 MARKFIELD METHODIST CHURCH PLATINUM JUBILEE 15 “LOVE TO MOVE” SESSIONS COMING TO GROBY COMMUNITY CENTRE 16 NEWTOWN LINFORD LUNCHEON CLUB • GROBY LITTER PICK • POPPY APPEAL 2022 17 KENNEL CLUB FESTIVAL IN RUTLAND • BOOK BLURB 18 BERMUDA TRIANGLE V THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE 19 SOME EVENTS COMING UP 20 WORKING OUT FROM HOME - AND WHY PEOPLE DO IT 21 BRADGATE ROTARY CLUB NEWS 22 NATIONAL TRUST LEICESTER NEWS • BEWARE ROGUE ROOFERS 23 GROBY ALLOTMENTS SOCIETY NEWS 24 GROBY NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN NEWS 25 WEED ATTACK - ARTICLE 26 NATIONAL HORSE WEEK 27 SLEEP ITEM #2 28 POSITIVE PARENTING - ARTICLE 29 MARKFIELD DEFIBRILLATOR PROJECT UPDATE 30 GROBY BUS LANE • SOME SAD NEWS IN BAGWORTH 31 WET ROOMS - ARTICLE 32 SUMMER READING CHALLENGE • COUNTY COUNCIL TREE SCHEME 33 DRUCK SUPPORTING LOCAL CHARITIES 34 DOVE BANK SCHOOL NEWS • DRESS YOUR FIREPLACE - ARTICLE 35 LEICESTER CURRY AWARDS FINALISTS • NO MOW MAY REPORT 36 LEICESTERSHIRE MACHINE KNITTERS - ARTICLE 37 ALL IN THE MONTH OF AUGUST 38 GROBY WI NEWS FOR JUNE

3SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 39 PHILIP LARKIN - ARTICLE • BOOK BLURB 40 SHOULD FIELD HEAD BE PART OF MARKFIELD? 41 BARGAIN HUNTIN - ARTICLE • DIAL A RIDE SERVICE 42 MARKFIELD WI NEWS 43 REMEMBERING ENID BLYTON 44 MARKFIELD LIBRARY NEWS • AWARD FOR LIZ JARVIS 45 AWARD FOR ROSE BLAYNEY • REMEMBERING PRINCESS DIANA 46 MP DR LUKE EVANS’ MONTHLY REPORT 48 BOROUGH COUNCILLOR MATTHEW LAY’S MONTHLY REPORT 49 £3,000 SET ASIDE TO FIGHT HOUSING PROPOSAL 50 BOROUGH COUNCILLOR ANDY FURLONG’S MONTHLY REPORT 51 COUNTY COUNCILLOR OZZY O’SHEA’S MONTHLY REPORT 52 BOROUGH COUNCILLOR MARTIN CARTWRIGHT’S MONTHLY REPORT 54 BOROUGH COUNCILLOR TED HOLLICK’S MONTHLY REPORT 55 COUNTY COUNCILLOR PETER BEDFORD’S MONTHLY REPORT 56 FIVE MINUTE FICTION 57 BLABY AGREES TO MORE HOUSES • GLENFIELD COUNTRY MARKET NEWS 58 GROBY LIBRARY NEWS • PAINTINGS OF GROBY IN 1954 59 BECOME A SCHOOL GOVERNOR IN GROBY • BOOK BLURB 60 GROBY POSTAL WORKER’S CHARITY WALK 61 DO YOU FEEL PEACE WITHIN YOU? 62 RECIPE: MEDITERRANEAN FISH BAKE 63 PIANO RECITAL COMING UP 64 MARKFIELD COMMUNITY CENTRE NEWS 66 SCARECROW FESTIVAL COMING UP 67 EAST MIDLANDS PARENTS “THE MOST LENIENT IN HISTORY” 68 GROBY WI NEWS FOR JULY 69 GROBY CHURCH NEWS PANEL • BOOK BLURB 70 GLENFIELD GARDENERS’ ASSOCIATION 71 MARFIELD CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH NEWS 72 MARKFIELD METHODIST MINISTER’S REFLECTIONS 73 LEICESTER ANIMAL AID FUN DAY 74 GLENWATCH BULLETIN 75 LEICESTERSHIRE NAMED “VAN THEFT HOTSPOT” 76 NEW SPORTS HALL FOR ANSTEY MARTIN HIGH SCHOOL 77 “WHO ARE YOUR LEADING COUNCILLORS?” • RAILWAY STORIES 78 NATIONAL LOTTERY FUNDING IN THE EAST MIDLANDS 79 LOROS SINGERS 80 “A CAN OF WORMS” - ARTICLE ABOUT PLANNING 81 CARTOONS 82 ANSTEY & GLENFIELD CRICKET CLUB NEWS

Performing in a concert is entirely voluntary and singers who choose not to be on stage will be very welcome in the audience. There is no fee to attend but as it costs approximately £2 per adult and £1.50 per young singer per session, members who are able to contribute something can do so by voluntary donation at the door or by a lump sum on which the charity may be able to claim Gift Aid, increasing donations by up to 25% Where and When?

• WEDNESDAYS, term time only, beginning 7th September 2022 until the end of November. There is a choice of sessions for adult singers: 1.30pm – 3.00pm (pre-school children welcome in the care of their adult with a crèche area available) or 7.30pm – 9.00pm. The Youth and Children’s Choir (7 years and over) is from 3.40-4.40pm. There is a ‘cake break’ in each session for a drink, a chat and ...cake!Forenquiries, please contact us via our website

Now we are ready to grow our numbers from the 100+ who came back this spring to the well-over 250 singers who enjoyed the music, the socialising and, of course, a cuppa and a cake before we were all blighted by Covid.

www.grobysings.org THROUGH THE SEASONS - from tulip time to winter snowsRehearsals at Groby Club from 7th September Wednesday afternoon choir: 1.30pm - 3pm Creche area available Children’s choir 3.40pm - 4.40pm for children aged 7 years old and over Wednesday evening choir: 7.30pm - 9.00pm Performances take place in November www.grobysings.org for more info Coming Up

Come and join us!

After a long 2 years when we couldn’t meet to sing in person, Groby Sings resumed sessions at The Groby Club in the spring and early summer this year, culminating in a wonderful singing party where singers past and present got together to sing a selection of songs celebrating this much-loved community choir being On The Road Again.

CALLING ALL SINGERS everywhere - Groby Sings needs YOU to help us go from strength to strength.

Anyone and everyone who loves to sing is invited to come along on Wednesdays during school term times beginning on 7th September. This autumn’s theme is Groby Sings Through the Seasons (‘from tulip time to winter snows’ – guess the songs!). Prepandemic and twice a year since it was formed in 2013, Groby Sings has entertained audiences from far and wide with a variety of music from the shows and films together with classic favourites from all eras and we’re really hoping to finish at the end of November 2022 with another concert. Groby Sings is a registered charity (no. 1180490) and is a fully-inclusive choir. Our members come from all parts of Leicestershire, not just Groby, and everyone, young and not so young, is welcome however they enjoy singing. Experience varies from crooning in the shower, accompanying the karaoke machine, singing with children and grandchildren or even more formal choral singing. There is a place for everyone and there are no auditions or a requirement to attend every week, though once you start you won’t want to miss a single Wednesday!

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• AT THE GROBY CLUB, Leicester Road, Groby, Leicester LE6 0DJ (ramps and disabled facilities available)

The Show is held at Bagworth Community Centre. There are cash prizes, certificates and over twenty trophies to be won. Please do not think that you are not good enough to enter. It only needs no entries in a class, which does happen, and you could be first! A list of the classes can be seen in the schedule. Copies of this can be found on the BFG Facebook page or alternatively paper copies are located in the coffee shop area at the Community Centre. The Centre is open every weekday from 10am to 2pm. This is when the Coffee Shop serves food and drinks at very reasonable prices, well worth a visit. With regard to the Show, it begins on Friday evening 26th August from 6pm to 8pm when the Centre will be open to receive any entries. It costs 25p per entry, enter as many items as you wish in the same or different categories. Children’s entries in the Children’s Section are free as they do not receive cash prizes but are given other goodies. The Centre will again be open on Saturday 27th August from 8am. All items must be entered no later than 10.30am. The halls will then be closed for judging. From 2pm the Centre will be open for all items to be observed and for exhibitors to see if they have won. Entry to the Show after 2pm is £1 per adult, children are free. At 4pm the trophies will be presented followed by an auction of the exhibits, collection of prize money and the Raffle Draw. Many good deals can be had at the auction. Food and drinks will be available during the day from the coffee shop area. Don’t forget that there are trophies for three particular classes, best large front garden, best small front garden and best allotment. All front gardens and allotments in the village are automatically entered for these classes and the results will be announced at the Trophy Presentation. Winners of the three classes will each receive a trophy. All of the profits from the Bagworth Show are used by BFG to enhance the life of the village. One of our main expenses is paying for the many plants in the majority of the planters throughout Bagworth. Don’t forget, if you live near to one please give it regular drinks of water. It makes a great difference. Also on the day of the Show, the Bagworth Platinum Jubilee Dog Show will take place on the field next to the Sure Start building. Again, the classes can be found in the schedule. There will also be a wide variety of stalls around the Dog Show. If you would like to have a stall or have queries about the Dog Show then please contact Bob Rushton on 07421 322653. If you would like to join BFG, please have a chat to one of the stewards at the Show.

Bagworth Show

AFTER A BREAK of two years the members of the Bagworth Forward Group (BFG) are proud to announce that the Bagworth Show is making a welcome return this year.

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It takes place on Saturday 27th August. If you don’t know, the Show is a vegetable, fruit, flower, home preserves, home baking, arts and crafts show with a children’s section. One of the sections is the limerick competition. The first line is provided and entrants need to provide the final four lines. This year, the first line is: ‘A lass came to Bagworth in May.’

the Memorial

Most people will recognise James from his appearances on television, presenting on Gardeners’ World and the Chelsea Flower Show. Wearing his iconic hat, he is instantly recognisable to those of us who love gardening. He first made his reputation as a garden designer and his work can be seen all over the country and overseas. He is especially known in the USA and regularly appears at events over there. He has written articles in gardening publications for many years and is a published author. He is often seen at shows such as Gardeners’ World Live presenting on a variety of gardening topics, often accompanying Monty Don. We are delighted to welcome such a prestigious person in the gardening world to our Gardening Club. We are opening up this event to members of other gardening clubs and to people who love gardening and would wish to hear him speak, There are a limited number of tickets available to non-members of our club for only £15 and they can be obtained from the club secretary at 32couling@gmail.com or by phoning 01530 242452. Tickets will be available on a first-come-first-served basis and are available now.We are sure this will be a splendid evening and we are all looking forward to it.

DancingFolkGlenfield Mondays at Hall from 7.30 pm 9.30 pm? Geoff at or Sue at

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DID YOU KNOW that English Country Dancing takes place most

Publicise Your Group If you run a local club or association, tell us about it and we’ll give you a free mention in SURPRISE MAGAZINE. CO.UKSURPRISEMAGAZINE.INFO@

The Club will soon have a summer break and will recommence on 12th September but on 19th September we will be having a special free session to encourage people to come and see what it’s all about. We have callers who tell us what to do for each dance and you don’t need a partner.Wewould love to welcome you to experience this dancing along with us. For more information email

jennyandgeoffweston@gmail.com

until

susan.hodkinson50@gmail.com Newtown Linford Gardening Club JAMES villagewhotheoftheBorders.’called25thLinfordvisitinghorticulturepeoplemosthere),SINCLAIRALEXANDER-(picturedoneofthefamousinmodernwillbeNewtownonOctobertogiveusatalk‘DancingwithHewillbelatestinastringfamousnamesfromgardeningworldhavebeentotheinrecentyears.

David Couling

THIS IS the title of an article in the Guardian on 1st January 2022. It‘s easy to find online and is well worth printing out. Here are a few samples:

I HAVE A charity place to run the London Marathon on 2nd October 2022 in memory of my husband Nigel Dunmore who died very suddenly and unexpectedly on 11th February 2021. I have pledged to raise £3000 for the British Heart Foundation which I hope will fund research which will save many lives for anybody with a heart or circulatory condition. Nigel had served in Leicestershire Constabulary for 30 years and at the time of his death was working as a Public Rights of Way Officer for Leicestershire County Council. Nigel was extremely fit and well when he died and had shown no signs of a heart condition. Nigel has left a huge hole in mine and my family’s lives. We have 3 children and 4 Grandchildren now aged 6 years, 3 years, 21 months and 10 months. Our youngest Grandchild was born after Nigel died.

Christine Dunmore

AS AN ALTERNATIVE to the tallest sunflower this foxglove, is a present from the birds, and stands at a magnificent 7feet 5 inches high. I wonder if any reader has a taller one! Susan, Markfield 100 ways to slightly improve your life without really trying

Focusing on training for running 26.2 miles is a massive goal for me to achieve. Prior to retiring as a Nurse 5 years ago I was not a runner. I started running initially after completing a C25k programme. Previous to gaining this charity place the furthest distance I had run was a 5k Parkrun. Just before Nigel died at the outbreak of the Covid Pandemic I had returned to working as a Vaccinator and I continue to work as a Bank Nurse now. To help raise my pledged funds for the British Heart Foundation I am hosting a Charity Curry Night at Indian Fusion Restaurant in Markfield on Wednesday 17th September. Tickets are £18.95 per head and a percentage of this will be donated to my charity. If any readers would like a ticket please contact Muj directly at Indian Fusion. I If you would like to read my story my JustGiving link is https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/christine-dunmorebelow

7SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 Letter My fundraising pledge for the British Heart Foundation

• Start a Saturday morning with some classical music – it sets the tone for a calm weekend.

• Always bring something – wine, flowers – to a dinner/birthday party, even if they say not to.

• If you find an item of clothing you love and are certain you will wear for ever, buy three.

• Plant spring bulbs, even if they’re just in a pot.

Foxglove challenge

• Send postcards from your holidays. Send them even if you’re not on holiday.

Although relatively slow in reaching the East Midlands, the fungal disease has now taken hold in Leicester – and the council’s trees & woodlands team will soon begin the task of removing a significant number of dying ash trees that are so badly affected that they represent a serious risk to the public. A recent inspection of the trees at Gorse Hill Spinney off Anstey Lane established that around 250 ash trees were in such poor condition that they represented an imminent risk to public safety, having already lost more than 50% of their canopy to the disease.

Ash dieback arrived in Europe from Asia in the 1990s and rapidly spread, devastating the European ash that had no natural defence against it. The fungus releases spores that can be blown tens of miles away, penetrating a tree’s leaves and eventually blocking its water transport systems and killing it. Ash dieback can affect ash trees of all ages. Younger trees will succumb to the disease more quickly but, in general, an affected tree will show symptoms including discoloured leaves, diamondshaped lesions where its branches meet its trunk, and the characteristic ‘dieback’ that leaves the tree with a severely reduced canopy. In Britain, ash is the second most abundant tree species in small woodland patches after the native oak, the third most abundant in larger areas of forest, and the most common hedgerow tree species. Ash dieback will therefore have a devastating impact on the British landscape and the biodiversity of the nation’s woodlands.

THOUSANDS of ash trees may have to be felled in Leicester over the next 10 years as a result of a disease that has killed millions of trees across Europe. Ash dieback – which was first detected in the UK in 2012 – will decimate the country’s ash population, with 75–95% of the UK’s ash trees expected to be lost to the disease in the next 20 to 30 years.

£2.1 million to improve Blaby District

THE DISTRICT OF BLABY is set to benefit from more than two million pounds of Central Government funding to help improve the local area.

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Thousands of trees may be lost to ash dieback

“Ash dieback is a highly destructive fungal disease that shuts down the tree’s vascular system and progressively kills it,” said Leicester City Council’s trees & woodlands manager Dave Jones. “As the ash dieback fungus infects the tree, its branches gradually ‘die back’, become brittle and break apart – with falling branches representing a significant risk to the public. “We’re systematically monitoring the 25,120 ash trees in our ownership but there’s nothing we can do to stop the disease from spreading, other than by removing infected and dangerous trees.

“Over the coming months and years, my team – like everyone else who’s responsible for ash trees across Europe and the UK – will have the heart-breaking task of felling hundreds of ash trees that have succumbed to this disease.”

With more than £2.6 billion awarded across the country, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund’s aim is to build ‘pride in place’ and increase people’s life chances. The fund has three priorities, featuring “Community and Place,” “Supporting Local Business” and “People and Skills.” Blaby District Council is pleased to say that it will be awarded £2,115,168 from the total pot of money and will be in full control of how the money is spent over the next three years, and work has been taking place with local partners, community groups and other stakeholders.AttheFullCouncil

meeting on Tuesday 19 July, Councillors approved plans for the Leader of the Council and Chief Executive to submit an Investment Plan by Monday 01 August. An Investment Plan, setting out how the funding will be spent is well underway, and significant work has taken place to understand the challenges and opportunities that the funding may be able to contribute to. Nearly 30 projects across the district have been identified so far and are being assessed against the funding’s criteria.

THE HEADTEACHER of South Charnwood High School, Andrew Morris, retired at the end of the summer term after 20 years in post. Mr Morris arrived in April 2002 succeeding Mr James Etchingham as Headteacher. At that time the school was a Leicestershire maintained High School accommodating pupils aged 10 to 14. The school became an Academy in 2013 and changed its age range to 11-16 in 2014. The school’s GCSE results, as far as progress is concerned, are amongst the best in England. Mr Morris (pictured here) said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to be a Headteacher at South Charnwood for so long. The changes that have taken place over the past 20 years have been enormous. “All of the people associated with the school during this time have worked tirelessly to ensure that everything that has been done and all the changes that have been implemented have been for the benefit for the young people in our care. The school could not have achieved such success without the dedication and all the hard work of the staff, the conscientiousness and positive attitude of the thousands of pupils who have passed through the school and the incredible support of parents/carers. My thanks to them all. “I will miss the excitement and the challenges, the unpredictability and the surprises, but mostly the smiles and the laughter. I am grateful to have spent over half of my career as the Headteacher at South Charnwood and look forwarding to reading of its future success.”

13.

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Answers

From Norman Griffiths Groby Surgery UNDERSTANDING THE NHS STRUCTURE

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THE 2022 NATIONAL Patient Customer Satisfaction Survey of 6,418 surgeries across England has been completed and Groby surgery should be pleased with the findings. Despite the handicap of an 18th century listed building it has actually performed better than nearly 4,000 other surgeries, coming in at number 2,725 in the ‘league table’. There were 18 questions for patients to answer, and the surgery scored above the national average in 13, and the same as the national average in 1. PREMISES SEARCH MOVES FORWARD THE PARTNERS AT Groby surgery haven’t given up the search for a suitable site for a modern heathcare facility, and have approached the Parish Council for Athelp.the August Parish Council meeting members agreed to meet with Dr Chotai to discuss the problem.

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11.

THERE ARE MANY ways to describe how the NHS is structured. If you want one word then ‘complicated’ probably sums it up. If you prefer four words try ‘complicated and always evolving’. And because of the evolution Googling doesn’t always help as Google can sometimes appear like a confusing digital timeline, with many articles out of date. If you’d like a simple explanation and have 9 minutes to spare this You Tube video aimed at potential medics might be helpful - Googling PBR2NXodGhA seems to work. The video bridges the recent changes and the demise of Clinical Commissioning Groups. But watch it soon, before everything changes again.

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this

Food & Drink cryptic clues from Sheila Fox 1. Sir Alan’s sweetener? 2. Dessert from North Riding 3. Ebony dessert but notsweet! 4. Pie from Derbyshire 5. Patty from very nearManchester 6. What a load of rubbish to eat! 7. Pie from Padstow or St.Ives? 8. Do you eat this in MeltonMowbray? 9. Wallace’s

Mr Morris is succeeded as Headteacher by Simon Andrews who has been Deputy Headteacher at the school since 2007. favourite food cars smashed up? Shrove Tuesday favourite Do nobble an orchardfor drink? Errol Brown’s favourite nighttime drink Turnover in Berne? Amphibian in an abyss? footballers eat them at Fulham? Loutish drink Do you drink this after afight in winter? found north of the border Candy cereal preferred by amale swan? AT THE END OF SURPRISE GOOD RESULT IN THE NATIONAL SURVEY

Heritage Weekend 10th and September11th ST PETER’S CHURCH, Thornton will be open during the weekend of 10th and 11th September to visitors. Come and explore our lovely Grade 1, historical church for yourselves. There is no charge though refreshments will be available to purchase.Thechurch will be open as follows: Saturday - from 10 am to 5 pm Sunday - from 1 pm to 6 pm.

Ride & SeptemberSaturdayStride10th

10.00 – 12.00 Saturday 17th Septembe

Some of the boys then went home but 6 beavers and 3 cubs camped overnight, and on Sunday joined in with sports activities and a jubilee street party. We all, leaders included, went home tired after not getting much sleep but having enjoyed a super weekend.

Markfield Scout Group News

Markfield Met hodist Churc “Working together for our Community”

First GROBY speed sign data available

CHURCHES TOGETHER in Markfield awill be holding a Christian Aid Coffee Morning at Markfield Methodist Church on Saturday 17th Sept from10am to 12 noon. Attractions include CAKES, TOASTED TEA CAKES, TOMBOLA, A RED STALL ... plus of course some delicious COFFEE. Put the date in your diary now, to make sure you don’t miss it.

CHRISTIAN AID COFFEE MORNING

RESIDENTS have always said that many vehicles exceed the speed limits on Groby’s roads. The first data available from the new speed activated electronic signs have confirmed that they are right. Sacheverall Way is where most of the data has been collected so far, with signs recording how many vehicles passed, and their speeds. They are moved to a different location after 3 weeks. The number of motorists exceeding the 40mph limit varied between 11% and 25%, indicating that many are over the limit. More number crunching is sure to follow. Norman Griffiths

RIDE AND STRIDE raises money through sponsorship for your chosen church and Leicester and Leicestershire’s Historic Churches Preservation Trust. You may walk, ride or drive to some of the 400 churches and chapels open 10th September, St Peter’s church, Thornton is one of them. Contact Shirley for sponsorship forms, a list of churches taking part and more information on 01530 230 TOGETHER IN MARKFIELD

ON THE WEEKEND of 11th & 12th June, 14 beavers, 3 cubs and 6 leaders from our group attended a district camp at Willesley campsite in Ashby.

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This was the first camp for three years and was very popular with around 450 members from across the Ashby & Coalville District attending. It was wonderful to finally get back to exciting scouting activities. On the Saturday our boys were able to enjoy potholing, go karting, zip wires, climbing and fire lighting to name but a few of the many activities on offer, followed by a camp fire in the evening.

CHURCHES

• MARKFIELD SCOUT GROUP currently has a Beaver colony for 6 and 7 year olds which meet on Thursdays from 6.45 to 7.00 and a Cub pack 8-10 years which meets on a Tuesday 7.00 to 7.30. There is no scout section as we don’t have any leaders. We also have vacancies on the Committee and can always use leaders in the other sections. If you feel you can help in any way or would like your child, boy or girl to join, you can contact either of the following: Alan.brine@googlemail.comliam@1stmarkfieldscoutgroup.org.uk

• A new shed for an allotment project for adults with disabilities (awarded to Choices Allotment Club) A rehabilitative support project for women recovering from breast cancer (awarded to Sue Young Cancer Support) Operational running costs for foodbanks in Stoney Stanton, Coalville, Loughborough, Enderby and South Leicestershire

After 12 years producing content for Newsnight, McAlister reflects with candour on her experience, sharing not just the secrets of how the best news gets made, but also the changes to the BBC, the future of ‘mainstream media’ in the age of clickbait and the role of power and privilege in shaping our media landscape.Thisisabackstage pass to the most unforgettable journalism of our times.

•

BLURBBOOK

The scientists concluded that the ideal is to aim for exactly seven hours’ sleep a night, from our thirties to old age. Getting too much more sleep than that, as well as too much less, may cause mental health problems and worse cognitive performance.

by Sam McAlister SHE IS THE woman who clinched the 2019 interview with Prince Andrew, described as ‘a plane crashing into an oil tanker, causing a tsunami, triggering a nuclear explosion’. She is many things beside: the first in her family to go to university; a trained barrister; a single mum; a master of persuasion. In her former BBC colleagues’ words, she was the ‘booker extraordinaire’, responsible for many of Newsnight’s exclusives over the past decade, including Stormy Daniels, Sean Spicer, Brigitte Höss, Steven Seagal, Mel Greig and Julian Assange.

MARGARET THATCHER famously thrived on four hours a night. These days, 40 per cent of us struggle to nod off at all, while the hoped for ‘ideal’ is eight hours a night. But how much do we really need? Recent research at the University of Cambridge and Shanghai’s Fudan University looked in depth at sleeping patterns, mental health and wellbeing, cognitive tests, brainimaging and genetic data.

Funding applications for

How many hours of sleep do you really need at night?

• A social activities group for people with disabilities (awarded to Melton Mencap)

•

11SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 Council funds projects to help support vulnerable people Grants of up to £10,000 have been awarded to 53 groups and organisations MORE THAN 50 charities and community groups have received a cash boost for projects which help vulnerable people in Leicestershire. Leicestershire County Council has announced the latest recipients of awards from its popular SHIRE Community Grants. The grants, of up to £10,000, have been awarded to a wide range of organisations. They include: • An employment support project for young parents (awarded to Angels and Monsters) • Support for charities delivering money, debt and welfare advice to people experiencing financial hardship (awarded to Melton and District Money Advice Centre and Soar Valley Outreach) • Refurbishment of the Ukrainian Association’s centre to help provide services for children and families fleeing the war in Ukraine • Inclusive cycling sessions for people with disabilities (Leicester Wheels for All) • A homelessness hostel worker (awarded to Hinckley Homeless Group)

In all, more

has been

callingSeptemberThewww.leicestershirecommunities.org.uk/grants/shire-community-grant.htmlhttps://deadlinetomakeanapplicationinthecurrentroundisWednesday7th2022andenquiriescanbemadeatshiregrants@leics.gov.uk,orby01163057020or01163057269.

• Adaptive sports sessions for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (awarded to Spectrum Sensory Sports UK CIC) than £220,000 awarded from a pot of £600,000 made available by the county council. the SHIRE Grant programme can be made at

Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC‘s Most Shocking Interviews

The study also found that consistency mattered – so it’s no good getting nine hours one night then six the next.

READ A GOOD BOOK TELLRECENTLY?USABOUT IT.

• An arts and environmental project for vulnerable people in Blaby (awarded to Buzzing Roots CIC)

online

St James the Least of All The Rev Dr Gary Bowness continues his tongue-in-cheek letters from ‘Uncle Eustace’…

• Lend your key to a neighbour and spend half an hour explaining the knack of locking the front door which entails pulling, turning, and pushing at the same time.

• Eat and sleep beside total strangers.

• Spend an hour looking for window lock keys which you have not seen since last year and why aren’t they in THEIR SPECIAL PLACE?

• Go to a quarry museum and try to convince yourself it is interesting as you never knew there was so much to know about slate and that it comes in so many colours of grey.

Things you do on holiday but never at any other time

• Get up at 3am to drive to an airport.

National Allotment Week - 9th to 15th August

• Buy postcards. • Eat chips with almost every meal.

Inevitably, this means that none of our church members will be joining your team as you visit the residents of the new tower block in your parish. Most of our congregation abandoned attempting stairs some years ago and their polite enquiries about which Hunt the residents belong to, and where they stable their horses may lead to a rather stilted conversation.

• Wonder if your cat is okay.

• Get on another bus and hope it is headed back to your hotel, whose name now escapes you.

• Wear a swimming costume while shopping.

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• Have a pocketful of foreign coins which you try to spend on your last day.

Instead, I feel it would be best if we attempt something a little more low-key: an invitation to sherry after Mattins, perhaps, where we could find out which of them plays golf and who may like to join the Bridge Club. Gradually, as the sherry flowed, we would also seek to discover who would be prepared to go on the brass cleaning, flower arranging and grass cutting rotas, which are the traditionally recognised signs of committed Christians, at least in this parish.

WHAT CREEPY CRAWLIES are lurking in your allotment? This year, National Allotment Week has teamed up with the Big Bug Survey to try and find out. The theme of the week is Bugs, Bees and Broccoli, and the aim is to acknowledge the importance of gardening with nature in mind. As the National Allotment Society (NAS) says, allotments are “a complex web of plants, micro-organisms, fungi, insects and animals that not only produces food but also supports eco-system services such as pollination and offers a refuge for wildlife in urban areas.”

• Climb on a bus without knowing quite where you are going, or where to get off.

You are, of course, all prepared to welcome your new residents with enthusiasm, excitement, and frenetic activity; our policy of polite indifference and brief conversations about the weather should soon help ours to settle in in no time. Your loving uncle, Eustace

On the best way to visit the homes in the parish The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren Your offer to bring in your team of church members, in order to make a house call on every home in our parish, was most generous.

I do understand why you would need us to accommodate your team of 25 visitors, and then hold a residential training weekend for our own members of the team. I accept that we would have to produce a visiting pack listing all our church organisations, giving contact names and numbers and a short resume of what each group did, along with our mission statement and safeguarding policy. I also understand your suggestion that we include a supplement outlining our stewardship scheme. Your plan that we should then hold an opening Service to which all the newcomers would be invited, and to which we might fly in a world-renowned speaker for the occasion, is understandable. And then of course we would need your help us to set up a finance committee with budgets and organised fund raising. But what you seem to have missed is that our entire parish consists of something like 70 homes. They would not feel visited, but invaded.

And Bugslife points out: “Bugs are so important to the healthy functioning of our allotments. We tend to focus on the ‘pests’ and ignore all the great work the other bugs are doing for us. They are pollinating our fruit and veg, controlling our pests and improving our soil.”

So if you have an allotment, why not take the survey, and so contribute to the monitoring of allotments and bugs? Go to: https://www.nsalg.org.uk/news-events-campaigns/national-allotments-week/

• Worry about your hanging baskets and runner beans.

• Worry about your cat.

• Miss having a proper cup of tea.

THIS YEAR MARKS 75 years of the Edinburgh International Festival.

THE RECENT Jubilee Celebrations brought back memories for Mark Finnigan of a less happy street party in Groby 20 years ago to celebrate the Queen’s fifty years on the throne.

“There were lots of cakes, drinks and bunting,” reflected Mark. “Terry, my Dad, being a part time club singer, took the microphone and sang to the large crowd. It was very much enjoyed by everyone, but shortly after, as he showed someone his Union Jack socks, he sadly fell down with a heart attack.

Just like everything else the pandemic has adversely affected the work of Take Heart. “Our hospital ward visiting and publicity stall volunteers have still not been allowed to visit the hospital,” said a spokesperson.

Luckily there were several nurses from the Glenfield Hospital, and others around, who performed CPR. Dad died three times, but those ladies didn’t give up until the ambulance arrived. Of course, both the LRI and later the Glenfield Hospital helped him, and as a result he became a member and then a Committee member of the Take Heart. He often attended with Janet, my Mum, at the bookstall and the support group, where he particularly enjoyed talking to, and giving reassurance to anyone experiencing heart problems. Mum also helps the Take Heart Support Group, both in person and by selling jams, pickles and more. Over time he has had several implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) and stents fitted, and is just fine and walks daily in the nearby woodlands.”

“My dad died three times and has supported the Take Heart charity ever since”

Contacts: email : thl@takeheartleicester.co.uk

Norman Griffiths Edinburgh Festival 5th–28th August

13SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022

Mark’s appeal is that readers learn how to deliver CPR, and approach Take Heart, either as a patient or as a family with concerns, as there are members who have been where you are and, as we say “got the tee shirt.”

An ICD is a small device which can treat people with dangerously abnormal heart rhythms. It continually monitors and sends electrical pulses to regulate abnormal heart rhythms (specifically those that can be dangerous and cause a cardiac arrest).

• Volunteer Services : 0116 2587221

It was in 1947 that the first Edinburgh Festival was held. It was the idea of the then General Manager of Glyndebourne Opera, Henry Harvey Wood, as well as the Head of the British Council in Scotland and leaders from the City of Edinburgh. Their aim was to establish “a world class cultural event” that would bring together audiences and artistes from around the world. Over the past 70 years, it has done just that, featuring performers from the worlds of dance, opera, music and theatre.Ifyouwould like to see this year’s programme, please go to: https://www.eif.co.uk

But the group is active in fundraising and this enables it to buy equipment for cardiac services at Glenfield. “We are still looking into funding systems which allow patients to be monitored from home, saving a long hospital stay, and blood pressure monitors.” One recent donation of £1,000 was made by a local company who lost a colleague to a heart attack at work. Following the disruption of the pandemic the monthly Support Group meetings are getting more and more attendees, though there are Committee gaps which still need to be filled. If you can make the meeting on August 6th at Glenfield Hospital’s Mansion House you’ll enjoy a lively talk on belly dancing by Roxanne, our well known local exponent. “It would be a pleasure to welcome new or potential members, their families and friends for a coffee and chat,” said Chairman Gerry Vora. “Our experienced volunteers would be most pleased to listen and help if anyone is worried or anxious.”

KNOWINGElizabeth’sQueenloveof flowers, it seemed appropriate to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee with a flower festival, & we feel that we did her proud. During the three-day celebration the church was filled with 17 flower arrangements showing aspects of the Queen’s life and reign. We are grateful to Markfield WI, the Library, & the History, Art & Reading & Rhyme groups for providing wonderful displays alongside those donated by church members. Patricia Hardy’s card stall was also a valuable addition. There is certainly a lot of artistic & imaginative talent in our midst. For those still wondering why a cabbage made an appearance - “Cabbage” is the name that Prince Philip affectionately called his wife! Less easy to spot were the small corgis knitted by WI members. However, a few eagle-eyed folks found them all & claimed a pri ze.A variety of refreshments was available every day & people welcomed the opportunity to sit, have a chat & watch a slide show of the Queen’s life in the process. On a rather cool Saturday bacon butties went down particularly well, & the cake stall & tombola did brisk business.Attheend of a weekend of acknowledging & giving thanks for our monarch’s remarkable achievement, it was fitting to hold a “Songs of Praise” service when we sang many of our members’ favourite hymns. We didn’t quite raise the roof - but we came pretty close. Thank you to everyone who supported us &, as always, we extend a warm welcome to all our events & Sunday worship.Coming up.... Piano Recital - Friday, September 2nd CTiM Christian Aid Coffee Morning - Saturday, September 17th Harvest Ploughman’s Lunch - Saturday, September 24th (For more information please contact Linda on 01530 242607)

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Platinum Jubilee Celebrations at Markfield Methodist Church

• the lighting in the room is dim

15SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022

• the person is rushing to get to the toilet during the day or at night

• rugs or carpets are not properly secured

WITH ALL the pressures on the NHS, the last place people want to be is stuck in a queue at A&E at the Royal Infirmary. Falls are infuriating, partly because a proportion of them are avoidable. Elderly people are more likely to fall : over the course of a year half of those over 80 will have at least one fall. It’s a little less if you include those between 65 and 80, but it’s still a third. So it’s sensible to think about the risks and consider what you can do to keep you on your feet and off the floor. And that should include considering joining one of the two new groups that have started at the Groby Community Centre on Forest Rise on Wednesdays by Hazel Adcock to help improve peoples Steadywellbeing.Steps is to improve balance and strength for over 65’s, for those who have had a fall or have fear of falling. The group

A Love to Move is the first cognitive enhancement exercise programme of its kind in the UK, based on scientific research. Groby Community Centre Forest Rise Groby LE6 0BD An engaging seated exercise programme designed to improve balance, co -ordination, strength, cognition and wellbeing. Physical and emotional benefits designed to get you moving more. Hazel 07817303018 Wednesdayhappyhome07@hotmail.co.uk11.1512.15

If these sessions can reduce the risk of falling, they’ll be well worth the time spent at the Community Centre. Although most falls don’t result in serious injury there’s always a risk that a fall could lead to broken bones and attendance at A&E. A fall can also result in a loss of confidence and feeling that you have lost your independence.

Many everyday tasks are done on ‘autopilot’ but as we get older the time comes to switch the autopilot off and take extra care as we move around the home. Norman Griffiths

• the person reaches for storage areas, such as a cupboard or is going down stairs

• home maintenance work is being carried out balancing on a ladder.

LOVE TO MOVE

Info:ForWhere?When?more

Apparently a fall is more likely to happen if:

Groby Community Centre sessions aimed at helping the elderly avoid falls

Laura Dodds, the Prescriber at Groby and Glenfield surgeries, explained that it’s “taking a holistic approach to people’s health and wellbeing It’s help which doesn’t come in a tube or a bottle, to help manage people’s needs in a way which suits them. I have helped people through a host of life’s challenges such as carer strain, bereavement, loneliness & isolation, help navigating adult social care, unemployment and benefit help or just help to join a new group or activity.”

meets on Wednesday afternoon at 1.15pm. On Wednesday mornings, at 11.30am, Love to Move is an age and dementia friendly seated movement programme unlike any other. The programme has its roots taken from gymnastics and uses specially designed coordination and bilaterally asymmetrical movement patterns( BAMP) which are thought to have the effect of increasing a person’s cognitive reserve. If you are trying to work out what exactly that means, this explanation of BAMP was found on the internet : “You will be aware that the right side of your brain controls the left side of your body and vice versa. When you make a movement that is not symmetrical i.e. one movement on one side and something completely different on the other, the brain hemispheres are forced to work independently. When challenged like this, the neural pathways fire up and your brain’s cognitive function is getting a workout.” It’s a serious business, but no doubt there are some laughs along the way to lighten things up. Patients at Groby, Glenfield and Ratby surgeries are welcome to attend, if you are interested just contact the surgery you normally attend and ask for a referral. Promoting activities like this is one part of the role of the Social Prescriber at your surgery.

• floors are wet, such as in the bathroom, or recently polished

NEWTOWN LINFORD LUNCHEON club is looking to increase its membership and welcome new members into the club. We are a ladies’ group who meet monthly at Lingdale Golf Club, Woodhouse Eaves, to enjoy excellent food, good company and entertaining after dinner speakers. Our membership is made up from ladies across Leicester and Leicestershire. The yearly membership fee is £20.00, lunches are £19.00 monthly and consists of a 3-course set meal plus tea or coffee. Dietary requirements or special requests are catered for. Our year starts in September and runs until June, with two months off during the summer period. We would be pleased to hear from anyone who wishes to join us or require any further information. The contacts are; Jenny Dowling (Membership Secretary) on 0116 429 1458 or Irene Scott (Committee Member) on 01455 823056.

Liz Mitchell County Youth orLeicestershire.cyo@rbl.communityOfficer Grace Newland Fundraising Relationship Assistant 0345

Poppy Appeal 2022 AS SOME OF you will know, I retired from my position of Poppy Appeal Organiser (PAO) at the end of the 2021 Poppy Appeal. Therefore, there is a vacancy for this voluntary position serving the four villages of Bagworth, Markfield, Stanton-underBardon and Thornton. This voluntary job involves ordering poppy stock and wreaths, distributing the trays and collection tins to the shops, businesses, and schools, and wreaths to the Parish Councils in the villages. Then after the two-week Poppy Appeal period, gathering the trays and collection tins back. The collection is then counted, and the money banked. Records must be returned to Aylesford for scrutiny. Most of this will take place in the two weeks prior to the 11th of November. PAOs will be expected to store the collection tins (approximately 32) and other remaining poppy stock at home. PAOs are not required be a member of the RBL or have any military background or experience.Iamcontinuing to volunteer for the RBL and the Poppy Appeal by teaching remembrance to schools and colleges across Leicestershire and Rutland and supporting the PAO in Coalville. I will be happy to give advice, offer support and answer any questions in relation to the PAO position.Ifyourequire further details, please contact me. 845

The Groby Litter Pick HAVE YOU noticed that Groby village is looking a little tidier?

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The Groby Litter Pick last month was a great success and collected twenty six bags of rubbish. “We had 22 people take part,” said Parish Clerk Sue Hackett. “In addition to 6 Councillors, myself & the deputy clerk, there were 14 volunteers.”There’sbeen positive feedback from the event, and another community litter pick is planned for the Autumn. Norman Griffiths

GNewland@britishlegion.org.uk1945 WANT TO RECEIVE A LINK TO THE ONLINE SURPRISE MAGAZINE? If you’d like to be notified when a new issue of the magazine is available online - and supplied with a direct link to the updated SURPRISE magazine - please send your email address to us at: info@surprisemagazine.co.uk Thanks! (We promise not to pass it on, or use it for any other purpose.)

Newtown Linford Luncheon Club

Wombling Free

16 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022

THE BODIES OF OTHERS is about how we came to the harrowing civilizational crossroads at which we find ourselves - engaged in a war against vast impersonal forces with limitless power over our lives and which threaten the freedoms we have always taken for granted. In her most provocative book yet, Dr. Naomi Wolf shows how these forces -- from Big Tech and Big Pharma to the CCP and our oligarchical elites -- seized upon two years of COVID-19 panic in sinister new ways, to not only undermine our Republic but to fundamentally reorient human relations.Theirtarget is humanity itself. Their end goal is to ensure that our pre-March 2020 world is gone forever. Irretrievable. To be replaced with a world in which all human endeavor-all human joy, all human fellowship, all human advancement, all human culture, all human song, all human drama, all worship, all surprise, all flirtation, all celebration-is behind a digital paywall. A world in which we will all have to ask technology‘s permission to be human. But we, the people of the world, did not vote to abandon our old systems and destroy our old ways so absolutely they could never be recovered. And Wolf shows how, against overwhelming odds, we still might win.

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Kennel Club International Agility Festival Returns To Rutland

Events Executive at The Kennel Club said: “The International Agility Festival is always a highlight in The Kennel Club events calendar, and it is great to be returning to the Rutland Showground after last year proved such a success. We are incredibly grateful to the community in Rutland for welcoming us to the area once again. “We are especially proud to be hosting international competitors at the festival this year from eight countries, including Austria, Italy and Spain who were unfortunately unable to attend in 2021 due to travel restrictions, as we continue to return to the normality of global events.”

Peak traffic times around the International Agility Festival are expected to be on Wednesday 10 August as competitors arrive for the event. There are no plans for temporary road closures or traffic diversions around the event, however, drivers are advised to allow extra time for journeys as roads around the Showground will be busier at these peak times.

The Kennel Club is welcoming dogs of every size, shape and breed to put their best paw forward to compete in the four fast-paced days at the UK’s largest agility show. The festival packs in four size categories, 18 rings and 200 classes, so there is an opportunity for every dog and owner duo to take the stage at an internationally renowned agility competition, whether a complete novice or established professional.Whilstentries for the 2022 International Agility Festival have now closed, spectators, and their dogs, are still encouraged to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the world-class displays of this skilled and competitive discipline, with no advanced bookingVanessarequired.McAlpine,

THE WORLD’S most renowned agility festival is returning to Rutland Showground this month, from 11 – 14 August 2022. The Kennel Club International Agility Festival, supported by Skinner’s, will see thousands of dogs and owners, from the UK and abroad, leaping back into action in the East Midlands location, for a second year running.

by Naomi Wolf

More information about The Kennel Club International Agility Festival can be found at: thekennelclub.org.uk/iaf or via The Kennel Club’s dedicated Facebook page: facebook.com/groups/agility.news.thekennelclubuk/. For spectators interested in attending, no advance booking is required, though a small £5 parking fee will need to be paid on arrival, and visiting dogs will need to be signed in on the day. A specially-made video for owners interested in getting started in agility with their dog can be found at The Bodies of Others: The HumanWarCOVID-19Authoritarians,NewandTheAgainstthe

thekennelclub.org.uk/newtoagility BLURBBOOK

AND THERE’S MORE TO COME German logistics firm DHL, for example, is to expand in the UK in response to the growth in home deliveries, setting up new depots and enlarging others. This amounts to an investment of £482m across its UK e-commerce operation, DHL Parcel UK, following a 40% rise in volumes since the start of 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic led to a surge in online shopping.

The company says that in addition to the giants of UK haulage, smaller independent logistics companies are also numerous in the Golden Triangle and are typically based in logistics centres. Proximity to major motorways, notably the M1 and M6, means that major cities such as London and Manchester are not difficult to reach. With London’s huge demand and scarcity of property meaning rental for a typical premises is much more expensive than in the Heart of England, the result is that the Midlands has close to 150 million square feet of warehouse space. This is more than twice the combined warehousing activity of London, Scotland and Wales. Brownfield sites, already developed, are not always available, and those who travel across the Triangle will be familiar with how these developments have accelerated in recent years, the disappearance of fields, and the appearance of massive new buildings. In 2015, the Golden Triangle was home to 13.4 million square metres of warehouse space, but in the next six years it is estimated to have increased to 18.5 million.

“There is no official precise measurement of exactly what constitutes the Golden Triangle, but it pretty much covers Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, plus parts of Staffordshire and Derbyshire,” explains RCS Logistics, a specialist in warehousing and distribution services. “When you throw in Birmingham International Airport and East Midlands Airport (which itself contains a freight hub) plus the various rail links to the UK’s ports, the Midlands begins to look more and more like the natural home for nation’s supply chain.”

9. According to the well known proverb, what can’t you make from a sow’s ear?

What’s the difference between the Bermuda Triangle and the Golden Triangle?

“As well as being in proximity to the huge distribution centres of supermarkets and high street stores, Midlands-based supply chain companies enjoy access to over 90% of the UK population within 4 hours drive.”

MOST READERS will have heard of the Bermuda Triangle, but some may be less familiar with the term ‘Golden Triangle.’

“Activity in the UK industrial and logistics market went into overdrive during 2021, although insatiable demand is being challenged by rising costs and acute supply shortages,” says Lambert Smith Hampton, a leading UK commercial and residential real estate consultancy and agency. “Even against the backdrop of a stellar few years for the industrial and logistics market, 2021 will go down in history as the year in which just about every conceivable record was emphatically broken With over 50 million sq ft of active requirements across the UK, the main impediment to both occupier and investor activity is a critical lack of supply.” Developers have responded with a record 20.7 million sq. ft pipeline of speculative space under

3. The slogan “Good things come to those who wait” was used to advertise which brand of alcoholic drink in the 1990s and 2000s?

4. According to a well known proverb, what “is the mother of invention”?

Industrial and logistics expansion has broken all records in recent years.

1. According to a well known proverb, “good” what “make good neighbours”?

At its simplest level there are two differences. The first is that the Bermuda Triangle is in the Caribbean, but the Golden Triangle is in England. The second is that the Bermuda Triangle is associated with the mysterious disappearance of ships and aircraft, but the Golden Triangle is associated with the disappearance of open spaces and farmland.

Ten new collection and delivery depots will be created across the UK, while 20 more existing sites will be expanded. It includes a new 25,000 sq. metre hub in a warehouse park south of Coventry airport, which will be able to handle more than 500,000 items a day. The hub will have a 48-door cross-dock facility so that products from a manufacturer are distributed directly to customers, with little or no storage required.

2. Which proverb, which warns someone from the dangers of inquisitiveness, was also the title of a 1980s pop group?

8. Which play by William Shakespeare has a title that is also used as a proverb?

6. Which proverb was the title of the only UK number one hit single by The Tremeloes?

10. “The pen is mightier than the sword” is a well known proverb, but with initial letters “A.S.L.T.W.”, which other proverb appears to contradict this? Proverbs

7. Which former U.S. President is credited with popularising the phrase “if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen”?

5. In the Bible, is the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament or the New Testament?

18 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 I M PROPERTIES DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL NEAR GROBY

SURPRISEENDATANSWERSTHEOF

19SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 construction, up 80% year-on-year. Some critics dislike the speculative nature of some of the developments. “They’ve been built to meet demand from investors in Europe, the Middle East and the United States to achieve returns on their cash,” says Samir Dani, professor of operations management and deputy director of Keele Business School. Texasbased investment firm Hines is said to have bought at least five warehouses in the golden triangle in less than a year, while American pension investor Blackstone is also thought to be a big buyer.

IMP came to the conclusion that Groby is within one of these key areas. “Given the shortfall in land required to accommodate floorspace needed to 2041 identified in the land use forecasts section, we have identified general broad areas across Leicestershire where new strategic logistics sites should be located (Areas of Opportunity),” says the report. And it does identify six key areas which it shows on a plan, and acknowledges that the boundaries are not definitive and are shown for indicative purposes only. Groby is just outside the key areas identified and, even with the caveat concerning boundaries, it is legitimate to question their interpretation of the report.

Norman Griffiths Social Afternoons for All FOLLOWING on from the Jubilee tea there will be social afternoons at Thornton Community Centre twice a month on Wednesdays until December. The first two will be on 14th and 28th September from 2 to 4 Everyonepm. is invited to drop in for a cuppa, cake and chat. Board games will be provided and a book swap available. There will be toys available for young families. Meet new friends, exchange ideas, learn new skills or just come for the company. Just pop in and spend some time in happy surroundings. If this new venture proves successful we hope to continue in the New Year. For more information contact Shirley 01530 230 422.

Free session for toddlers: Little Angels, Thornton

YOU AND YOUR preschool child, toddler or baby are welcome to join us for this free monthly session. 2-3pm on the first Thursday of the month in term time (1st Sept, 6th Oct, 3rd Nov & 1st Dec) in St Peter’s Church, Thornton. Songs and short bible story followed by a chance to relax, chat and meet friends while your child plays.Whether you are a parent, grandparent or childminder, you are very welcome to join this friendly group. Why not wander down and give it a try? No charge and no commitment.

THE GROBY CONTROVERSY When justifying the Anstey Lane development at Groby, less than a mile north of the Glenfield Turn on the A50, I M Properties referred to a study commissioned by councils across Leicestershire to look at the warehousing and logistics requirements across the county. “This identified the area west of the A46 as one of the ‘key areas of opportunity’ for road linked logistics sites.” said the company. “First and foremost, the site is well connected to key transport corridors (the A50, A46 and M1) which provide access across the East Midlands and to all parts of the country.”

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A NALYSIS of Google search trends revealed that demand for home gym equipment over the past 12 months is up 23% on the pre-pandemic levels. Lockdown and the rise of working from home clearly had an impact on our attitude towards remote fitness, as demand for online coaches and personal trainers also saw a rise of over 20% on prepandemic levels. With that in mind, FactoryWeights. co.uk commissioned a survey of 1,000 gym-goers and 1,000 nongym goers to discover exactly why the gym is falling out of favour with the UK public. With the current cost of living crisis, cost was the biggest reason for people to avoid joining a gym, with 57% of respondents stating this was a factor for them, closely followed by finding the time at 51%.Clearly, gym culture was also a factor, with 27% stating outright that they didn’t feel comfortable with the culture, joined by 30% of the respondents admitting anxiety that they’d get something wrong and 24% feeling that they’d be judged for not being fit enough. What a catch-22 that is! In the survey, the top 5 reasons given for avoiding joining a gym were:• Cost: 57% of respondents

• Worried about getting things wrong: 30% of respondents

The survey of gym-goers intended to discover the issues turning people towards other forms of working out. Dealing with the opposite sex was a big issue on the agenda. 20% of total gym-goers felt they regularly attract unwanted attention whilst at the gym. This issue is exacerbated when looking at the stats for women, with 2 out of 3 stating they’d been stared at or had unwanted advances made towards them. 2 out of 3 men also claimed that they’re regularly checked out, however, the overwhelming majority said they did not mind. Interestingly, less than 20% of women admitted to ever checking out guys – maybe the men need a reality check?

• Too busy at peak times: 29% • Travelling to and from: 23%

• Others not putting equipment back: 19%

goers. It was found that those who classed themselves as an introvert were a massive 40% less likely to have any kind of fitness routine and 73% less likely to be a member of any in-person facilities.

regularly enough”they’rejoining•unwantedattractattentionAquarteravoidagymbecause“notfit

Another issue flagged was weights room anxiety, with 35% of respondents admitting they did their best to avoid the weights room. Again, this issue is amplified for women, with 53% anxious about heading in there. The top 5 things gym-goers said they didn’t like about their gym were:• Weights room anxiety: 35%

Founder of FactoryWeights.co.uk, Tom Russell, said “We launched our business after seeing the demand for good quality gym equipment surge throughout the pandemic. The success of the business is further verification of the results of this survey and a shifting mindset. People want fitness without limitations – good quality home equipment, online coaches and programmes can deliver that – so it makes sense. That said, the gym industry will be fine – there will always be a large proportion of people who enjoy the atmosphere and love the social aspects.”

Sarah said, “Lockdowns pushed us to find new ways to keep fit. I think a lot of people realised that they had broader options than going to a gym and this invigorated people who thought they’d never be serious about fitness and got them moving. It’s easy to see why introverted people would avoid the gym. But there’s another way”.

• Introverts are 40% less likely to have any form of fitness regime

• Negative views of gym culture: 27% of respondents

• Not fit enough: 24% of respondents

• Unwanted attention: 20%

• 2 out of 3 women

Another key part of the research looked at the key differences between gym-goers and non-gym

Four-time Olympian and two-time World Champion, Sarah Stevenson MBE, has joined FactoryWeights. co.uk in a campaign to show the results that can be achieved with an entirely remote, at-home fitness program. She’ll be one of the trainers joined by students that include Paul Woolston, the 23-year old former Manchester United goalkeeper who was recently forced into early retirement due to injury. Paul aims to restore his fitness levels as he transitions from access to elite training facilities and staff, to his own regime at home.

Cost, time and unwanted attention: study reveals the reasons more people are choosing to work out from home

• Don’t have time: 51% of respondents

A small team of Bradgate Rotarians helped apply a muchneeded lick of paint to the picket fence around Martinshaw School, in preparation of pupils returning at the end of the summer holidays. Making a difference in your community. New members are welcome! We are a Breakfast Club that take a keen interest in the community, the environment, and local causes. Visit a Bradgate Rotary breakfast meeting to see what can achieve with some help. Email your contact details to Adrian Walker – walk77a@ yahoo.com and we’ll be in touch.

Bradgate Benches

Bradgate Rotary are also looking for good quality toys, baby equipment and clothes that people would like to sell or donate for the September event. The Club can store items or organise to see what people have so they can be priced ready to sell. Refreshments will be available and with entry for adults only £1, with accompanied children being free this eagerly awaited event shouldn’t be missed. Opening will be at 10.00am and finish at 4.00pm. Funds raised will be donated to Baby Basics and other Rotary charities. For further details contact 07813 623873.

With money so tight for everyone, especially families, it makes so much sense to recycle and reuse children’s toys, clothes, and equipment. The Reloved Event being held in Groby Village Hall will come as a great relief to parents’ pockets as we start to head into autumn and on to the Festive Period. Each room in Groby Village Hall will be packed with stalls selling Children’s unused or unwanted clothes, toys, as well as local stallholders and crafters selling eco-friendly crafts, gadgets, and re-claimed items.

For all information and entry details follow Bradgate Rotary on the website, Facebook and Twitter. ReLoved Sale and Craft Fair on September 24th in Groby Village Hall

Adrian Walker THE COMMUNITY ACROSS THE BRADGATE AREA

GROBY SCARECROW FESTIVAL on September 24th and 25th September will have a theme of “Films” Readers of Spotlight voted overwhelmingly for this year’s theme, “Films”. Over 70 scarecrows were entered in last year’s competition and organisers are hoping to attract over 100 entries this September. Main organiser, Brian Rigby said “With this being the second year of the competition we would love to break over the 100 mark to make the Scarecrow Trail bigger and better. At a cost of only £5 households and organisations in Groby can join in the fun and possibly win a prize. Free straw will be again available at the Stamford Arms from September 10th, to make it even easier to build your scarecrows and enter.”

When you next take a walk through Bradgate Park look out for the six new benches just off the main thoroughfare through the Park. The benches have been strategically placed following feedback from park visitors that they needed more places to rest. The seats have been funded by money you donated when purchasing your yearly Bradgate Park Calendar. The 2023 Calendars should be available from September.

Bringing colour to School

Bradgate Rotary News

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BRADGATE ROTARY NEWS – SUPPORTING

Stoneywell Cottage is now open again to the general public every Friday to Monday, until the end of October. All visits still have to be pre booked either on line at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/stoneywell or by telephoning 0344 • THE NATIONAL TRUST Leicester Association has a guided walking tour of Desford and a private visit to the Romany Museum in Stamford in early September before moving onto its winter programme of afternoon and evening meetings with a speaker and its lecture lunches.

BBC ONE Daytime has announced a new programme, “Make it at Market”, to be presented by The Repair Shop’s Dom Chinea. It will be broadcast in 15 x 45 minute episodes and should be on our screens this autumn, during the afternoon.

Alan Tyler, Publicity Officer

The whole series has now been filmed in a very busy five days at our local NT property, Stoneywell Cottage, at Ulverscroft. In fact, after the initial editing, the team returned to Stoneywell for another two days for some extra filming.

PLEASE ADVISE your readers that rogue roofers are back in the area, this time in Groby.

National Trust Leicester Association

The programme sees Dom Chinea working with a team of business and craft experts to help a group of budding entrepreneurs make a living from their crafting hobby. The team set challenges to assess if the amateurs had what it takes to make a living from their talents and to work out what kind of business model might work best for them in the real world.

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Name & Address Supplied10.30 SUNDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER www.markfieldmethodistchurch.orgFBmarkfieldmethodistchurch MARKFIELD METHODIST CHURCH 12.30 SATURDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER Tickets £7.50 FOR LUNCH TICKETS & MORE DETAILS PLEASE CONTACT 01530 242607 OR 01530 242166 We welcome you to j oin us in celebrating Harvest Time HARVEST PLOUGHMAN’S LUNCH MARKFIELD Methodist Church invites you to celebrate Harvest Time at a special Harvest Ploughman’s Lunch at 12.30pm on Saturday 24th September 2022. Tickets cost £7.50. You are also invited to a Harvest Festival Service at 10.30 on Sunday 25th September 2022 - supporting STARFISH MALAWI. For lunch tickets and more details, please telephone 01530 242607 or 01530 242166.

Letter Beware Rogue Roofers

All the filming was carried out in the grounds at Stoneywell and there was not any filming inside the cottage. Also some of the filming was carried out by overhead drone and the drone operator made a point of telling the Stoneywell staff that the results were some of the best sequences he had ever filmed.

The series features a wide mix of approximately 80 amateurs, ranging from potters, blacksmiths and weavers to woodworkers, jewellers and furniture makers, from across the UK. The head of BBC Daytime said that the programme reveals the extraordinary skills that, with a helping hand, people can use to change the course of their lives. Do watch the programme schedules to see when the programme will be screened.

For details of the NT Leicester Association please call 0116 222 9133 or visit our web site at www.leicesternt.com New members are always welcome.

On this occasion they cold called an elderly widow offering to put mesh around her solar panels to stop pigeons and other birds nesting under them, for £60.00. They added that they had done similar work on a nearby property. Since this had been a problem causing mess and a blockage to guttering, the householder agreed to the work being done. Four men then arrived in a new black pick-up truck which advertised roofing repairs and maintenance and gave a mobile phone number but no obvious trading name and no business address. They set about their work and, surprise surprise, they announced they had discovered loose brickwork on the chimney and said they would return the next day with an estimate to repair it. They duly returned and the quote to replace three bricks and re-bed the capping slab and two chimney pots was £2,000! There had been nothing obviously wrong before their visit on the previous day and whilst no one actually saw the men on the roof “create” the problem, it is highly likely that they purposely did disturb the brickwork with a view to charging a pensioner an exorbitant Needless to say, they became both aggressive and offensive when their quote was rejected and they left without completing the work originally agreed leaving the householder with a costly problem they had most likely caused.

Will we have a drought?

23SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 Groby Allotments Society News

WE ALWAYS complain about the weather don’t we, and it has been very hot recently but what worries all gardeners is that is has been so dry for such a long time. We had a dry Winter, followed by a dry Spring and now a dry Summer. On the allotments many of us collect rainwater to water our plants because we don’t want to waste precious resources but also because rainwater is very good for plants. However, this year, most of us have found that our water butts have either run dry or are almost empty and so our plants and the harvest is suffering. I have lost a few plants altogether with this heat and lack of rainfall. I’ve had some lovely, tasty raspberries from my plot, but they have been very small this year, and most of my plants are not as tall as they usually are as I don’t water them once they have become established. Perhaps the government needs to officially declare a drought and appoint a minister for drought? Last time I recall that happening was in 1976 and a few weeks later we had such torrential rain that the minister had to be renamed as the minister for floods! Here’s hoping! Loss of produce THIS IS VERY sad to relate but quite a lot of our allotmenteers have reported that they have had produce stolen from their plots over the last few weeks. This ranges from beetroot, spring onions and beans to courgettes. It is so depressing that someone thinks it is okay to steal produce that a person has been carefully tending as soon as it is ready to harvest. Especially this year, when prices are so high in the shops, many of us are more reliant than ever on the crops that we grow to help us through. I think it is very mean-spirited to act in this way. We often have excess vegetables and fruit on offer at our Open Shed Sunday events, and if someone is severely hard-up, they could always approach us to see if we can send out a general request for any excess harvest produce, or they could come and rent a plot and grow their own fruit and vegetables - we deliberately keep our rental prices low so that they are affordable for everyone.

ON TO MORE optimistic things – we are holdingAllotmentsour Open Day on Sunday 14thfromAugust10amto 4pm. I realise that by the time many of you read this article, our Open Day may well be over, but if not, do come along and see what we have to offer! We will have our usual stalls, with refreshments and food offerings, but we will also be having guided tours around the Ratby Road site, giving you a potted history of allotments in general and ours in particular. We will also have a Master composter with us who will be holding a Compost Help Desk and also demonstrating how to make a plant liquid feed.Ifyou bring along a bottle, you may be able to take some home with you! You can also find out about renting a plot if you are keen to grow some of your own fruit and vegetables – they really do taste amazing when they are eaten really fresh!

It is National Allotments Week from 8th to 14th August and apart from promoting the benefits of having allotments with regard to good fresh food, lots of free exercise and the benefit of making some new friends and having a new hobby, there is also the opportunity to encourage wildlife and biodiversity, by helping the good beasties keep the bad beasties at bay! We will also be holding a mini version of the Produce Show, with some interesting categories and for the children there will be a nature trail, a compost safari to see how many beasties they can find, as well as a colouring competition, face painting and a kids bran tub! Check out the flyers around the allotments for timings. Hope to see you there! Carol Lincoln

Allotments Open Day

• Increased value through scarcity

GROBY

• Benefit to mental health and wellbeing

community survey as the basis of further investigation for inclusion in NeighbourhoodthePlan.

Community Survey

Full results from the community survey are available to download referenceneighbourhood-planhttp://www.groby.org.uk/fromorforaspapercopies in the Parish Council Offices and in Groby Community Library. The Steering Group are working to produce more in-depth analysis that will be released periodically online and in the Spotlight magazine. Groby NeighbourhoodParish Plan Steering Group

Groby parish residents appear to value views and vistas of the countryside (typified by fields and woodland) wherever it might be. Why are Important?they Perhaps the majority of respondents appeared to be identifying places they valued or liked to visit rather than views they liked to see and understandably, it is difficult to separate the two. Common themes when explaining the importance of views:•Beauty•Senseof calm, peace, and space

• Feeling of nostalgia • Connection with the past

THE VIEW of Bradgate Park is the view most enjoyed by Groby Parish residents based on the responses we received to the recent community survey. We asked residents to identify any important local views and to explain why they were special. We received 635 responses to this question and not surprisingly for such an open question, the results proved to be a diverse and richBradgateresource.Park received 285 mentions including references to ‘Bradgate Hills’ and ‘Old John’ (in fact it is the War Memorial in Bradgate Park that is most easily seen from Groby village with Old John Wood obscuring Old John Tower). Groby Pool was the second most popular view with 179 mentions.Because Groby village and Bradgate Park are both elevated, the view of Bradgate Park was identified from many parts of the village and from The Brantings, Groby Lodge, the A50 and the A46. Groby Pool can only really be viewed close up. Many respondents identified views from their bedroom window or from their garden and while these are important to those individuals, the neighbourhood plan must concern itself with public views.Other views of note included ‘Anstey’ (93 mentions), ‘Rothley Brook Meadow Green Wedge’ (66 mentions) and ‘Fields with Wind Turbines’ (42 mentions). These, as well as some other views, may have received increased nominations due to the threat posed by the ‘Groby Employment Park’ proposal. With no local common name, it was easiest for respondents to refer to the fields between Sheet Hedges Wood and Anstey as the ‘Fields with Wind Turbines’ although some respondents thought that the wind turbines were iconic of Groby and added to the quality of the view.

• Appreciation of separation between settlements

• Connection with nature

Some Important Views

• Contrast with heavy traffic on the three main roads Neighbourhood Plan Neighbourhood Plans can identify important views to be protected. Responses to the survey confirmed that the ability to view significant green space around them, in the form of the green wedge, is important for health and happiness. The Groby Parish Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group will use the views nominated by respondents to the NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN

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Spaghetti roots

Hoe, hoe, hoe

Some weeds such as docks and dandelions have tough and chunky roots that are very difficult to kill. If you leave any sizeable bit of the root in the soil, it’s likely to form a new plant so do everything you can to take out the entire root.

When you’re next shopping for plants in your local garden centre or nursery make sure that you only bring home what you want, not those stowaways that often lurk on the compost surface.

Laying carpet

Some weeds such as the purple flowered oxalis spread by forming tiny ‘bulbils’ or miniature bulbs below ground. If you try to dig these weeds out now, the bulbils will be shed into the surrounding soil as you lift the plant out. Wait until next spring when the bulbils will be firmly attached and weed them out then.

Stop stowaways

A dictionary will define a weed as ‘a plant growing in the wrong place’. Ask a gardener and they’ll give you a stronger definition - they’ll tell you that weeds are often the number one menace in their garden. To stand a chance of winning, you’ll need to take a multi-pronged attack strategy. Off with their heads Whatever the weed problem, it’s essential to prevent them from setting seed. Make sure you cut off its head before it has a chance to even start to set seed. The old saying that ‘one year’s seed is seven years’ weed’ isn’t far from the truth.

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Timing

Some weeds like couch grass, bindweed and nettles have amazingly resilient and far-reaching underground stems or roots. Don’t use a powered cultivator or rotovator as this will chop the roots into little bits and end up spreading and increasing the problem in the process.

Lawn weeds such as dandelions and daisies are difficult to control as, unlike the taller weeds, these rosette-forming plants won’t be harmed as you mow the lawn. One of the best methods is to tackle them with a sturdy old kitchen knife or a daisy-grubber tool. Deep rooted problems

For large areas, try covering the surface with a layer or two of old carpet, fluffy side down, held in place with bricks. If it’s left in place for at least 18 months, the weeds will start to die off from lack of light. Make sure that the carpet is made from natural fibres, not synthetic or else you’ll be left with it in the soil.

An old fashioned and still just as useful method of weed control is the hoe. They’re a great way to weed your garden, especially if it’s largely annual weeds such as chickweed or groundsel that invade your plot. Keep the hoe sharp and use it regularly. Careful composting Only compost the green, leafy bits of weeds; avoid any chunky roots, and never put any flowering or seeding weeds in the compost heap. Some weed seeds will easily survive most domestic composting systems. Weed Attack

Lawn louts

And racing has created a unique opportunity through National Racehorse Week to help people meet these incredible animals, experience the life of a thoroughbred and talk to the dedicated teams who care for them

From 10-18 September 2022, in an experience like no other, over 150 events across the country, including training yards, studs and retraining centres, will open their doors to the public to show what life as a racehorse is really like. Places are free and you can book your tickets to attend at Racehorseandwhonationalracehorseweek.uk.TVpersonalityChrisHughes,isaracehorseownerambassadorforNationalWeeksaid:“Theimpactofgettingupclose to a horse cannot be underestimated.

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MORE THAN ONE QUARTER OF YOUNG EAST MIDLANDS CITY DWELLERS HAS NEVER SEEN A HORSE IN REAL LIFE

Research commissioned by Great British Racing to support the launch of National Racehorse Week has revealed a disconnect with animals and the countryside among the East Midlands’ dwellers, including the startling finding that over one quarter (26%) of 12-40 year olds has never seen, or can’t remember seeing, a horse in real life. Across the UK as a whole, 27% of those surveyed had not seen, or could not recall seeing a horse ‘in person’, rising to 50% of 18 to 24-year olds. Coming into close contact with a horse is also something that many of those surveyed in the East Midlands have never experienced or could not remember doing. Almost one third (30%) have never been physically close to a horse (within two metres) and 38% have never touched one. Across the UK, 34% of city dwellers surveyed have gone through life without ever coming into physical contact with a horse.Thismay be explained by the fact that people in cities aren’t venturing into the countryside frequently. Over half (55%) of people surveyed in the region had not visited the countryside in the last year, while 6% have either never visited, or can’t remember ever visiting, despite 61% saying they would like to do so more often.There is clearly an appetite among people to remedy the situation: 50% of those surveyed in the East Midlands said they would like to have contact with animals more regularly. If people living in cities can spend more time with our fourlegged friends, it is likely to have a positive impact on their wellbeing, with 87% of those in the East Midlands saying they feel happy when they do get a chance to be close to animals.

The research was commissioned by Great British Racing to support the launch of National Racehorse Week, a nationwide, annual celebration of the racehorse and a chance to see first-hand the love, care and attention that goes into looking after Commentingthem.onthe research findings, Gabi Whitfield, Acting Head of Welfare Communications at Great British Racing said: “Spending time in the countryside and coming into contact with animals is excellent for our wellbeing and is something we want to encourage everyone to do more of. With almost one third of young people in the East Midlands’ cities having never seen a horse up close, National Racehorse Week is the perfect opportunity to put that right, and to experience first-hand the outstanding level of care these beautiful animals receive.”

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In the East Midlands, one example is trainer Laura Morgan, who will open her Leicestershire yard on Saturday 17 September, where her dedicated family team will take members of the public on a guided tour through the live of a racehorse, meeting the horses themselves, seeing them exercise, and watching some retired racehorses as they demonstrate the new skills that they have learned away from the racetrack! Lincolnshire trainer Nick Kent also opens his superb facility on Sunday 18 September, inviting guests to meet the horses in his care and learn more about their daily routine and care. National Racehorse Week has been funded by the Racing Foundation, with additional support from the Horserace Betting Levy Board.

One researcher explained: “Sleeping with a romantic partner or spouse shows to have reduced sleep apnoea risk, less sleep insomnia, and overall improvement in sleep quality.”

This year’s event will be bookended by the open days taking place at major racing centres including Epsom and Malton on 11 September and The Henry Cecil Open Weekend in Newmarket on 17-18 September, with trainers across the country, together with studs and aftercare centres, opening their doors to the public throughout the week.

But meanwhile, the number of couples in the UK who choose to sleep separately has doubled in the past decade. According to the National Bed Federation, one in six couples now prefer to sleep alone at night. And the Sleep Charity advises that it is “quite sensible to sleep apart if your partner causes you disturbed sleep on a regular basis.”

· Research shows 26% of 12-40 year olds living in East Midlands’ cities have never seen – or can’t remember seeing - a horse ‘in person’·30%have never been within two metres of a horse, while 38% have never touched one

ADULTS SLEEP better together than they do alone. Of course, that may be hard to believe if your partner snores, sleepwalks or likes a different level of darkness and coolness in the bedroom. But a recent study at the University of Arizona has found that workingage adults who sleep with a partner fall asleep faster and are less likely to experience insomnia and general fatigue. Whereas adults who sleep on their own are more likely to be tired, depressed, and anxious.

· This surprising lack of contact extends to other rural animals including sheep, which one in ten city dwellers in East Midlands have not seen ‘in person’; chickens (8%); cows (9%); goats (19%); and pigs (16%)·87% say they feel happy when close to animals; 50% would like the opportunity to have more contact Two sleep better than one

365 days a year. There is nothing quite like this in any other sport. More than 11,000 places will be available to book free of charge at locations up and down the country with everyone welcome to join.”

Bedtimes: Bath and bedtime can sometimes be fraught. Chat about your child’s day and praise their good behaviour. Star charts for going to bed without a fight work well - with a small treat every few days for doing well. Don’t leave it a whole week as this is too long for young children. The more positive interaction you have with your child, not only praising, but giving them firm boundaries for behaviour, really will help you to form a close, positive relationship.

Praising good behaviour

When your child is misbehaving it can sometimes feel easier to give in to their demands rather than stick to your guns. But every time you change your mind, you are telling your child that if they are persistent enough, they will eventually win. Stay calm and before you say ‘no’, give yourself a few seconds to think your way round the situation that is positive for both of you. For instance, if your child starts playing up in a shop, say that if they behave now, you will do something fun later, or give them a treat. If they carry on misbehaving, warn them of the consequence and if it continues, take calm action, for instance taking away a privilege. For small children, any consequence must happen within a couple of hours to be effective (for instance, missing a TV programme) otherwise they won’t remember what it was related to.

There can often be situations - such as your young child (or grandchild) screaming in a heap on the supermarket floor - when you feel that you have no control over their behaviour, but giving in to their demands doesn’t seem to improve things. However, dealing positively with bad behaviour in a calm, consistent way will help your child as they test you and push the boundaries.

Keeping positive

Tackling trigger points If you are aware of certain points in the day where problems flare up, it will be much easier to deal with them.

Going out: If you know your child needs time to adjust after a nap or likes to choose their own clothes before going to nursery, make sure you factor in enough time. If they are indecisive, give a choice of two things and ask which one they would prefer. Meal times: Again, make sure your child has plenty of time to eat a meal and is not rushed. If they’re given foods they don’t like, offer an incentive to at least try it - and praise them when they do.

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You’re probably aware of how often you tell your child off, but are you aware of how often you praise them? Parental praise is a big motivator for young children - it makes them feel happy, loved and secure and will raise their self-esteem. Little things like telling them they brushed their teeth really well, or put away their toys without being asked, are all positive affirmations which make them realise you are noticing them.

Positive Parenting

MEDICALMARKFIELDCENTRE

Details of how to book a place are on the poster alongside this article. Please try and book your place by SEPTEMBER 1ST using the following email address: MarkfieldPatientsGroup@outlook.com or the telephone number on the poster if you are not on the internet. I really look forward to seeing as many of you as possible there.

To Book Your

to

COMMUNITYMARKFIELDSEPTEMBERCENTRE DO YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO? COULD YOU SAVE A

for

or to find out more Email MarkfieldPatientsGroup@Outlook.ComorCallAngelaon07971254165 Learn

Markfield DEFIBRILLATOR Project UPDATEAUGUST

Following on from the

Robert

CPR & TRAININGDEFIB Successful Defib Installation Project, the Markfield PPG in Association with East Midlands Ambulance Service Training All 7pm to 8pm 6th LIFE? Place How Use a Defibrillator BE A LIFE SAVER FOR YOUR LOVED ONES

The Post Office AED is fully operational, as Hill Lane’s will be at any moment. Huge congratulations to Manny and his team at the Post Office, and at Hill Lane to Emma and all on the Estate who have supported her. This takes Markfield to NINE 24/7 AEDs, with plans for extending coverage on the north east side of the village. With the AED Project nearly completed planning is starting for the winding up of the Project, including a location map of the village AEDs. It will be printed in the Herald and in a format that can be downloaded and displayed on notice boards across the village. I have Mike Wilkinson’s kind editorial support and other expert assistance.Dialling999 is always step one in the event of a Cardiac Arrest, the call handler gives the site of the nearest active registered Defibrillator to be collected and administration of vital Resuscitation (CPR) starts The dual essentials of CPR and AEDs has been a constant theme for the Project, and it is so good that Alan Bourne and the PPG have taken up the baton for CPR. The latest Training Event is on 6th September (again given by the fine Ben Ryrie of the Ambulance Service). Details are in Alan’s piece below, and please give the Event your full support. I really hope this will be the start of CPR initiatives by other groups across our community. I will be delighted to give details of other quality organisations offering CPR training – often asking for just a donation to funds. For more information on the Project please contact Robert at: MarkfieldAEDProject@outlook.com

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is Organising FREE

Update on CPR /Defibrillator training events AS YOU ARE ALL aware by now, Robert has undertaken the mammoth task of doing the work to arrange the installation of Defibrillators around the village and close by. It must be among the largest number for a similar sized community in the county. As the Chair of the Patients Group at Markfield Surgery I felt it important to provide educational events to make you all aware of how to act should the unfortunate occasion arise when someone has a cardiac arrest where the defibrillator may need to be used. The first training event took place on June 28th at the Community Centre which over 30 people attended and the talk and demonstration was carried out by Ben Ryrie from the East Midlands Ambulance Service.Iamreally keen if possible that the next event which takes place on 6th of September is attended by some of you out there who are involved in local sports clubs, but of course the event is open to anyone. (max 40 People).

The

Alan - Chair of Markfield Patients Group MARKFIELD PARTICIPATIONPATIENTS’GROUP

Learn How to Perform CPR YOU COULD

Recent research has found that the wholegrains found in oats, as well as brown bread and brown rice, are the key to midlife weight control and loss. Wholegrains are usually low in fat, rich in fibre and starchy carbohydrate and often have a low glycaemic index. They also provide a range of nutrients, vitamins, and fats.

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One scientist explained that “the data suggests that people who eat more wholegrains are better able to maintain their blood sugar and blood pressure over time. Managing these risk factors as we age may help to protect against heart disease.” So, eating porridge for breakfast could be an easy way to improve your health.

Opened on Wednesday 20 July it’s on the inbound Groby Road (A50) and starts around Mary Road. If you don’t know the street names the best landmark is the flower shop on the Groby side of the Garland Avenue/ Brading Road junction. The bus lane then runs down to near Medina Road, on the Leicester side of the BP garage, near the Fosse Road North/ Blackbird Road lights.

LOVE THEM or hate them, bus lanes look as if they are here to stay. How you feel about them may depend on whether or not you travel by public transport. If you’re a driver you need to be aware of the latest bus lane addition in Leicester.

Sad news in Bagworth THE MEMBERS of the Bagworth Community Centre Trust (BCCT) have very sadly accepted the resignation of Lauren, the Centre Administrator. Most people will be unaware of the hard work that she has put in to this post behind the scenes in order to ensure the smooth running of the Centre. Lauren has had a positive effect on the many people with whom she has come into contact in this role. Sadly for us, but good for Lauren, she has been offered another post which has proved to be too good for her to decline.Asaresult, BCCT will be looking to replace Lauren in the very near future. Details will be published so please look out for them. Should you be interested in applying for this role and have any questions regarding it, then please contact Bob on 01530 230429, or austininbagworth@gmail.com or Harry on 07429 909187.

The new Groby Road bus lane will be accompanied by the extension of the 30 mph speed limit. Eight different bus services operate along the route, with up to seven buses every hour travelling into the city via Groby Road. The £50,000 cost will be covered by the first 1428 drivers who pay a reduced fine of £35 within 28 days. Leave it any longer and the fine is £70.Inthe past there have been complaints about the quality of the signage, so drive carefully, stay out of the bus lane, and avoid adding to all those other escalating household bills.

LOROS Singers are recruiting new members. Come and join our choir - no previous experience required - you need just to enjoy singing. We are a ladies’ choir comprised of staff, former staff, volunteers and friends. We perform in and around Leicester & Leicestershire at fundraising concerts for LOROS and other events. We meet most Wednesdays at 5.00pm—6.15pm at St Anne’s Church Hall. Letchworth Road, LE3 6FN. If you are interested, please contact Judy Dodd, musical director on 0116 285 6217.

Eat your porridge - CONTROL YOUR WEIGHT

In August 2018 the Leicester Mercury revealed that cameras set up to catch motorists illegally using Leicester‘s bus lanes had generated nearly £4 million in the preceding two-and-a-half years. Nearly 116,000 penalty notices had been issued. Groby motorist Ian Walton, told the Mercury “I don’t much like the cameras and, whatever the council says they should just be honest, they’re mainly a cash machine. It’s a tax on the daft. If you’re stupid enough to drive where you shouldn’t, you deserve to pay a fine.”Two years later, in 2020, another 30,000 fines had generated an income of £900,000, despite the cameras being shut off in April and May during the first national Covid-19 lockdown. The City Council says the cameras are not a means to generate cash, but are to enable bus journey times to be shortened. “The success of our cameras will be judged on how few rather than how many people they catch,” said City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby. “Their objective is to provide areas where buses can pass freely to improve journey times and therefore make them more appealing as an alternative to private motor vehicles.”

A DAILY SERVING of wholegrains can help slow down your middle-aged spread.

Norman Griffiths

LOROS memberslookingSingersfornew

HOW TO SAVE £70: stay out of the Groby Road bus lane

What can go wrong?

They’re hip, they’re hot and they’re wet, wet, wet – and no, we’re not talking about an Eighties pop band, but the aspirational trend for bathrooms. Just what is a wet room anyway? In a conventional wet room, the whole bathroom is, potentially, the shower area. There’s no step up into the shower cubicle – in fact, there’s no shower cubicle; instead, the room is tanked (treated to make it completely waterproof) and given a floor drain and a decent-sized shower head. Add a conventional loo and basin, and bingo, you have a wet room.

What are the technicalities?

Together with the need to follow building regulations religiously, planning and fitting a wetroom is not a job for amateur DIYers. You are strongly recommended to use a professional. Rooms

It’s not advisable to convert your only bathroom into a wet room – potential buyers tend to want at least one bath and, what’s more, you do need access to a dry loo and basin, especially if there’s more than one of you in the household. In a family bathroom a wet floor may create problems for small children. As with all home improvements, adding an inappropriately overthe-top wet room to an otherwise ordinary house is not a good idea. Without good ventilation a wet room can all too quickly become musty and mouldy. And, last but by no means least, there’s every wet room owner’s nightmare – a failure in the tanking resulting in leaks and damp patches in adjoining rooms. Is there a ‘half-way’ option? Absolutely. You can create a walk-in shower, which is larger than usual, at floor level for ease of access, and just as streamlined and chic.

The advantage is that it has its own below-floor drainage area and is enclosed by a good-looking glass panel: thus the water is contained in one area, and the room won’t need such extensive preparation with regard to drainage and tanking.

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The risk of leaks is reduced – though there are no guarantees.

Wet rooms are often recommended for ground floors and basements, where the sub-floor is more likely to be solid. In a first-floor installation it’s more tricky. You may need to strengthen joists in order to bear the load of heavy stone tiles; you’ll certainly need to ensure that the floor is stable, as wooden joists that flex could create cracks in tiles or waterproofing. In all cases you need to create a suitable drainage slope, either with a ‘former’ and suitable levelling compound, or a pre-formed tray set into the floor. To accommodate waste fittings, you may need to raise the entire floor level of the room, which could mean having to re-size the doorway.

What else do I need to know? You’ll need really good tanking, sealing to vulnerable areas, heating to help avoid condensation and a good extractor fan. You’ll also need to bear in mind that if you have low water pressure or a small tank this will need addressing before you even start.

Wet

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Join the Gadgeteers for this year’s Summer Reading Challenge

Leicestershire County Council currently provides a free tree scheme for farmers and landowners and works closely with the Woodland Trust to offer tree packs for planting projects.

The aim of the Summer Reading Challenge is to encourage children to read whatever makes them happy, including library books, eBooks and eAudiobooks or books from home – and to have fun while they do it! Once a child has read six books and visited a library three times, they will receive a certificate and a unique wooden medal for completing the challenge. There will be range of ‘Gadgeteer’ events taking place at libraries across Leicestershire during the Summer Reading Challenge. Full details of the events are available from local libraries and on our website.

and-hedges-for-new-plantingand-sustainability/apply-for-trees/trees-environment-and-planning/conservation-https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/

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It’s free to join and runs until Saturday 10 September in all Leicestershire libraries, including community-managed libraries. For this year’s challenge, The Reading Agency has partnered with the Science Museum Group to create ‘Gadgeteers’. This special science-themed challenge aims to inspire children to use their curiosity and creativity to discover the science behind the everyday activities they enjoy – whether that be baking, making music or whatever they love doing. Children set their own reading targets and collect rewards as they work their way through their chosen books over the summer holidays.

Leicestershire Libraries offer an opportunity to access the huge range of books available, including with the library’s digital reading app and the use of smart libraries for those who cannot attend during staffed hours.

To find out more about the digital library, or download titles for free, visit our digital library.Children can sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge at any time throughout the summer at any library or online at the Summer Reading Challenge 2022 website. (https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk)

AMBITIOUS PLANS aiming to secure a greener future for Leicestershire have reached a major milestone – with more than 100,00 trees planted in the last year. The landmark signals progress in Leicestershire County Council’s drive to plant one tree for every person in the county.Theauthority supports the initiative by planting trees directly, applying for funding or giving away tree planting kits and is thanking residents for getting on board.Thetree planting season normally runs from mid-November to around early March, though this is dependent on location and type of tree. This allows for planting when the tree remains dormant, increasing the saplings’ chances of survival.Leicestershire is one of the least wooded areas of the country with currently around 6% woodland – well below the national average of 10%. Trees and woodlands play an important part in cleaning up the environment, providing clean air, improving soil quality, and reducing flooding. The tree planting will also support the council’s pledge to become a net zero carbon neutral county by 2045.

All children taking part in the Summer Reading Challenge are entitled to free admission to Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre and the 1620s House & Garden at Donington le Heath by showing their Gadgeteers poster at the admission point (one child per full–paying adult).

A CALL HAS GONE out for children aged between four and 12 to become Gadgeteers and explore science in a fun way by taking part in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge. The challenge, run by Leicestershire County Council’s Libraries Service, allows children to collect rewards for reading books.

Everything is wonderful My face in the mirror isn‘t wrinkled or drawn. My house isn‘t dirty, the cobwebs are gone. My garden looks lovely and so does my Ilawn.think I might never put my glasses back on.

Druck Limited – 50th year celebrations Supporting Action Homeless and LOROS DRUCK IS CELEBRATING its 50th birthday this year and the company wants to continue its support to chosen local charities, Action Homeless and LOROS. Action Homeless are also celebrating their 50th year, so a fundraising push has been the focus. LOROS has also been supported by Druck for many years and they will be onsite raising funds on a celebration day in September. Druck hopes to raise lots of money for two very worthwhile charities. Druck is organising a raffle to support Action Homeless and is appealing to local businesses to donate raffle prizes. The raffle will be drawn in early September, therefore if any donations could be coordinated with Druck’s Debra.Farmer@bakerhughes.comrepresentativetheywill be gratefully received.

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Walnuts A HANDFUL OF WALNUTS may help reduce your feelings of hunger. Walnuts are unique among nuts in that they are mainly comprised of polyunsaturated fats, which help decrease ghrelin, a hormone that increases hunger. They also seem to increase peptide YY (PYY), a hormone that increases fullness or satiety. As appetite hormones play an important part in regulating how much you eat, this could be good news. As one scientist says, walnuts “may favourably change appetite hormones so that we can feel fuller for longer.”

The Trimphone started life in 1964 and was the first in the GPO range to use a tone caller which warbled at around 2350 Hz modulated by ringing current. It became available throughout the country in 1968, at extra rental cost, with a choice of three two-tone colour schemes: grey-white, grey-green and twotone blue. By 1980 there were 1.6 million Trimphones in use out of a total telephone population at that time of 27 million. There was also some concern about the luminescent dial that glowed green in the dark. This effect came from a small glass tube of tritium gas, which gave off beta radiation, which in turn energized light-producing phosphors and made the dial fluoresce. Although the radioactivity was equivalent only to that given off by a wristwatch it was felt wise to withdraw this facility as public concern over radioactivity grew Another problem with the dial version of the Trimphone was its light weight. This led to the complaint that on slippery surfaces the telephone turned and slid whilst dialling. The fix for this was to wet the feet and the phone stuck to the table. ‘IncredibleorganisedEggs’ for the children at school at half term. We had the opportunity to watch the eggs hatch live before our eyes and our live stream meant we could watch at home too!

ONE OF THE LATEST trends in fun home decorating is to ‘dress’ your fireplace.

Have you taken your seriouslymantelpieceyet?

So – why not get creative? Take a new look at your own mantelpiece. Empty it, dust it, and then re-decorate it with anything from vases and candles to books, collectables, seasonal flowers, artworks and even shells andAnddriftwood.don’tdoit

Down Memory Lane Do you remember the TRIMPHONE?

Known as ‘mantelscaping’, it can range from simply rearranging your favourite things among seasonal flowers, to creating a huge and dramatic floral display with the help of bunched chicken wire that waterfalls down your mantelpiece in a grand sweep to the floor. So if you like putting photos on Instagram, here is your opportunity!

just once. “Moving things around, and frequently ringing the changes of what you display, will help keep a room feeling fresh and inspiring.”

One designer calls mantelscaping a “simple and joyful way” of ushering in a sense of the approaching season. Another finds “there is something meditative” about arranging your favourite things and seasonal flowers on a newly dusted and empty mantel. Whatever it is, “even if the rest of your room looks messy, your mantel can be a grand moment.”

THE TRIMPHONE was a fashionable model of telephone designed in the late-1960s in the UK. The name is an acronym standing for Tone Ring Illuminator Model, referring to the then innovative electronic ringer (“warbling”, as opposed to the traditional bell) and the illuminated dial.

Some EGGCITING news from Dove Bank Primary School FRIENDS OF DOVE BANK

All 7 eggs hatched and we had the opportunity to hold them before they went to their new home with our Premises Officer.

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Indian Fusion: finalists in Leicester Curry Awards

Joining THE NO MOW MAY CAMPAIGN

house, bird boxes and

you

Roxanne Dinsdale Glenfield Parish Council Serving the People of Glenfield FOODCOMMUNITYGLENFIELDDONATIONSFOODHUB Will Be In Morrisons Car Park On 10.00Am24thWednesdayAugust2022To2.00Pm To Gratefully Receive Any Food ForDonationsTheHub If you know of ANY GLENFIELD RESIDENT who needs help with food – please pop into the Food Hub (located near Morrisons car park – The Annexe) no explanations or questions asked - telephone 07710 174 005 or 0116 2312498

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Finalists in the Restaurant of the Year Category • Indian Fusion, Markfield • Chutney Ivy, Leicester • Dine India, Countesthorpe • Spice of India, Syston • Shimla Pinks, Leicester

THE FINALISTS of this year’s hotly-contested Leicester Curry Awards were revealed on 8th August, at an event hosted by sponsor Mattioli Woods A total of 35 city and county eateries have made the cut, after receiving the most public votes. There are seven categories in the awards, with five finalists in each category.

just

Indian Fusion, located in Main Street, Markfield, has been named as a finalist in the Restaurant of the Year Category. The winners will be revealed at the awards ceremony on Monday, September 26, at Leicester’s Athena venue. Good luck to Muj and the team!

I HEARD on the radio in April this year, about ‘No mow May.’ If like me you don’t know what that is, it’s a campaign first launched in 2019 by the botanical charity Plant life. ‘No mow May’ encourages gardeners not to mow their lawn during that month, in order to let wildflowers bloom and provide a nectar feast for pollinators such as honeybees, bumblebees, solitary bees, butterflies, moths and beetles. As a family we’ve been finding lots of ways to become more environmentally positive, reduce waste and plastic, recycle, save energy, grow our own veg and buy green. So, the idea of extending our mission into the garden really appealed. At first, we didn’t see much difference, but by the end of the month I noticed there were more visitors to the garden, bees, beetles, hedgehogs and more. Excited by this, we let the grass continue to grow on into June. Eventually it reached two feet high and produced seed heads, that’s when we saw the birds, lots of birds, some who’d not visited the garden before, goldfinches, families of sparrows all kinds of tit and even some birds I couldn’t identify. The strange thing is, our garden is not that big, so it made me think, what if we all did ‘No mow May’ what sort of difference would that make? This little experiment inspired us, we went on to build bee hides, insect houses, a hog even a bat box. It goes to show we can all do our bit, give it a try next year, even if just want an excuse for a few weeks, not to mow the grass!

A KNITTING machine is a device used to create knitted fabrics in a semi or fully automated fashion. There are numerous types of knitting machines, ranging from simple spool or board templates with no moving parts to highly complex mechanisms controlled by electronics. All, however, produce various types of knitted fabrics, usually either flat or tubular, and of varying degrees of complexity. Pattern stitches can be selected by hand manipulation of the needles, push buttons and dials, mechanical punch cards, or electronic pattern reading devices and computers. Comparison of machine knitting to hand knitting The fabric produced using a knitting machine is of a more even texture than flat knitting, hand-knitted fabric, which is particularly noticeable on large areas of plain stockinet stitch, and can be an advantage. Some stitch patterns (e.g., tuck stitches) are much easier to produce with a knitting machine. Others (e.g. garter stitch) can also be produced with machine knitting, but can take a little longer; however, this is still much faster than hand knitting. The standard gauge 200-needle machine can knit the finest yarns up to a good sport-weight (4ply UK), while the heavier yarns knit better on a mid-gauge or bulky knitting machine. Machine knitting saves a considerable amount of time but does require learning to operate the machines correctly. Most if not all hand knitting patterns can be worked up on a machine, either identically or in a similar design, but some are simpler to do by hand, whilst others are easier on a machine. Hand knitting patterns are designed to „flip“ the fabric on every row so that the knitter consistently uses the dominant hand. However, machine knitting is consistently knit with the fabric facing the same way. Flat bed machines knit back and forth and circular machines knit continuously in the round.

36 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 Quick Crossword Across 1 Demand (6) 4 Smaller (6) 9 Hair cleanser (7) 10 Spin (5) 11 Freight (5) 12 Advantage (7) 13 Always (11) 18 Tolerant (7) 20 Arrive at (5) 22 Expel (5) 23 Apparent (7) 24 Dismal (6) 25 Floats (6) Down 1 Bug (6) 2 Step (5) 3 Prop up (7) 5 Consumed (5) 6 Accomplished (7) 7 Tell (6) 8 Mixture (11) 14 Exterior (7) 15 Appearance (7) 16 Scatter (6) 17 Phantoms (6) 19 Insert (5) 21 Bypass (5) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

SURPRISEENDATANSWERSTHEOF

Leicestershire Machine Knitters are a group of ladies and Bob who meet the 3rd Tuesday of the month 10 am to 1 pm at Lcil West End Neighbourhood Centre, Andrewes Street (off Hinckley Road) Leicester, LE3 5PA. We have a planned programme where tuition and support are given. Perhaps you have a knitting machine in your ‘loft‘ and feel that it needs to be used again. This is an opportunity to dig it out and regain your skills from many years ago. Or perhaps it is a new hobby that you wish to explore; we can give advice about different types of machine and try the clubs machines before you buy For further information, please contact Club secretary Susan Marlow on 0116 2365789, or email: susanmarlow47@btinternet.com or visit our website www. leicestershiremk.org.uk

Leicestershire Machine Knitters

It 200was:years

ago, on 25th August 1822 that William Herschel, German-born British astronomer died. He discovered the planet Uranus and infrared radiation, conducted the first deep sky surveys, and was the first president of the Royal Astronomical Society.

80 years ago, on 8th August 1942 that the Disney’spremiereworldofWaltanimated film Bambi was held in warfare.inbloodiestasEurope.pointandplace.Stalingradthat2ndAugustago,AlsoLondon.80yearsfrom23rd1942toFebruary1943theBattleoftookSovietvictory,theturningofthewarinRegardedthelargestandbattlethehistoryof

50 years ago, on 1st August 1972 that the Washington Post newspaper published the first article that exposed US President Richard Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate scandal.

All in the month of AUGUST...

75 years ago, on 14th and 15th August 1947 that first Pakistan and then India gained their independence from the UK. Also 75 years ago, from 22nd August to 11th September 1947 that the first Edinburgh Festival was held in Scotland.

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125 years ago, on 11th August 1897 that Enid Blyton was born. This enormously popular British children’s writer created Noddy, the Famous Five, and the Secret Seven. She is among the world’s bestselling writers, selling more than 600 million copies of her books. She sometimes wrote 50 books a year.

10 years ago, on 25th August 2012 that 11)astronautAmericanArmstrong,Neil(Apollodied.Hewas the first person to walk on the Moon.

30 years ago, on 30th August 1992 that the German racing driver Michael Schumacher won the Belgian Grand Prix – the first of his record 91 Formula One wins.25years ago, on 31st August 1997 that Diana, Princess of Wales, her companion Dodi Fayed and their driver, died in a car crash in the Place de l’Alma underpass in Paris.

100 years ago, on 2nd August 1922 that Alexander Graham Bell died. This Scottish-born American audiologist and inventor is credited with developing the first practical telephone. Also 100 years ago, on 6th August 1922 that Sir Freddie Laker, British entrepreneur, was born. He pioneered budget airlines. Best known as the founder of Laker Airways. (Died 2006)Also 100 years ago, on 9th August 1922 that Philip Larkin, one of Britain’s most famous post-war poets, was born. One of his most famous poems is ‘MCMXIV’. Larkin was often called ‘England’s other Poet Laureate’. (Died 1985) Also 100 years ago, from 28th29th August 1922 that the first Walker Cup golf match was held in Southampton, New York. The match is held every two years between the USA and UK and Ireland.90years ago, on 31st August 1932 that Roy Castle, TV presenter, singer, dancer, comedian, actor and musician was born. Best known for presenting the children’s TV series Record Breakers, he broke nine world records himself while presenting it. (Died 1994.)

Ruth Rolinson President Kate read out some interesting facts about the Queen

38 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 Groby WI News (June)

Whilst enjoying the buffet we did a quiz based on Royal knowledge and although our table did a lot of guesswork, we did quite well!

OUR JUNE WI meeting was in the form of a party, ‘Posh Frocks and Tiaras’, to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and a great time was had by all.

We had been asked to bring any royal memorabilia and the evening started with Mike Pratt presenting his wonderful models of a stagecoach and also an open road coach, complete with boxes, which fans of ‘Bargain Hunt’ will know makes them more desirable! They are made of metal and were to commemorate the coronation of Elizabeth II. The intricacy of the models is amazing, particularly the tiny Queen and the Duke of Edinborough in the stagecoach. We were told that Princess Elizabeth went to Westminster in one and returned as Queen Elizabeth II in the other. There was also an array of glassware, china objects, books and leaflets. Our own Lyn Mellor had bought her invitation to a garden party at Buckingham Palace in 2015 and had met the Duchess of Cornwall there.

Our President, Kate, read out some interesting and some little-known facts about the Queen. After the usual WI business part of the meeting, we had a wonderful buffet of sandwiches, sausage rolls, cakes and strawberries and cream, washed down with a cheeky glass of Prosecco (or soft drinks). This had all been provided by members of the committee and gave us the opportunity to chat with friends. After welcoming well known villager, Mike, we also had a beautiful three-month-old baby girl at our meeting, who behaved impeccably throughout the evening and who, hopefully, will join Grandma Angela and Mum Emma at WI in years to come!

THE NEXT MEETING is on Thursday 21st July at 7.30pm in the Village Hall and the speaker will be Bob Neal talking about ‘Bits and Bobs from Granny’s Kitchen’, which I’m sure will be fascinating.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO , on 9th August 1922, Philip Larkin, one of Britain’s most famous post-war poets, was born in Coventry. Often called “England’s other Poet Laureate”, he was also a distinguished librarian. He died in 1985.

touching and full of brilliant leadership advice, this is the diary of the woman the Daily Mail labelled Britain’s strictest head teacher. AT THE END OF SURPRISE Read a good book? Tell us about it. co.ukinfo@surprisemagazine.

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Spot The Difference Philip Larkin – the ‘other Poet Laureate’

BLURBBOOK ANSWERS

His first book of poetry was published in 1945, but he came to prominence in 1955 with the publication of The Less Deceived, followed by The Whitsun Weddings (1964) and High Windows (1974). He was also a jazz critic for The Daily Telegraph and edited The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse (1973).

Most of his poetry was published during the thirty years he was university librarian at the Brynmor Jones Library at the University of Hull, a place he called “at the edge” and said it suited him well. Although not in the least nationalistic, his work has been described as “very English” as well as “glum” and “sad”. He himself said that deprivation for him was “what daffodils were for Wordsworth”. His father told him never to believe in God, and it seems he complied with this, describing himself as an agnostic Anglican, though he came across more as an atheist. He saw beauty in the Bible but believed little of it, and the fear of death was strong in him. He did however have time for the Church as an institution, or perhaps more accurately as a building, described in Church Going as a “serious… special shell”. He declined the role of Poet Laureate when it was offered to him but has been described as the laureate of a “post-Christian, secular England”. Larkin had a number of close relationships with women, sometimes simultaneous, but he never married.

No Excuses: Turning around one of Britain’s toughest schools by Alison Colwell NO EXCUSES charts an extraordinary principal’s journey in diary form from the moment she took over at a failing secondary school in a deprived area of the country, where less than a quarter of children attained five or more A*–C GCSEs, and how she set about the gruelling task of transforming its reputation using her zero-tolerance, tough-love approach. Armed only with a wicked sense of humour, fearless energy and a powerful vision, Alison Colwell put in place a stringent set of rules, including a strict uniform policy and a complete ban on mobile phones, provoking resistance and hostility from some parents, the wider community and on social media. This is the darkly funny, moving story of how, together, teachers and their – often troubled – pupils rebuilt a school and community, with an inspirational head at the Charming,helm.

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Norman Griffiths

Proposed Groby Parish HBB HACHAB HAA IAB ¯ Scale: 1:20,000 © Crown copyright. All rights reserved Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council LA100018489 Published 2022

Proposed Markfield Parish GAA HBA HBB HBC HAB HAC HAAHAD ¯ Scale: 1:20,000 © Crown copyright. All rights reserved Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council LA100018489 Published 2022

A boundary change would affect some residents in the Leicester Road, Jacqueline Road, Charnwood Drive and Ratby Lane area. Although geographically the homes are on the edge of the Markfield urban area, some residents may rather identify with Groby, and prefer the status quo. The consultation is an opportunity to express your view, either to favour change or the current arrangements. Even if most Field Head residents say they agree with the proposal, it takes two to tango and, as Markfield Parish Council seem happy with the existing arrangements, it would be sheer speculation to try to forecast the final decision. How to comment If you have internet access, you can read the full consultation online on the Borough website. It’s a long address to type in so just Google ‘Grobylinx’ instead. This will take you to GrobyOnline, where you can click on a direct link to the consultation. If you don’t have internet access, you can request a paper copy a paper copy of the questionnaire by calling Rebecca Owen on 01455 255 879 or Mollie Brooks-Crowley on 01455 255 835. The consultation closes on Wednesday 7th September 2022.

Governance consultation Do you want Field Head to be transferred from Groby Parish to Markfield? IF YOU LIVE in Field Head you’ll probably be particularly interested in the latest consultation launched by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, as the outcome could determine whether your home stays within Groby Parish or becomes part of Markfield. It’s called a Community Governance Review and it includes such things as • creating, merging, altering or abolishing parishes • the ordinary year of election • the number of councillors to be elected to the council The Borough Council has analysed the responses to a public consultation which commenced in February and approved draft recommendations for further consultation. Changes are recommended in a number of parishes, including Groby and Markfield, but a final decision won’t be taken until the comments of residents have been considered.Yourviewon whether the boundary should be redrawn between Groby and Markfield parishes to result in Field Head becoming part of Markfield Parish is important, and it would result in these changesWhen looking at the maps, a spokesperson for the Borough Council has provided this guidance : “The blue line is the proposed outer boundary of the parishes. The purple lines show the internal borders, which are polling districts on the electoral register. So the proposed map for Groby shows the Groby outer parish boundary, now excluding polling district HAD (which is equivalent to the entirety of Field Head parish ward), and the map for Markfield shows the Markfield outer parish boundary including HAD.”

I share the soup with a young woman who has a toddler in tow. She graciously lets me have both pots of couscous and I allow her two egg salads. We leave the curry for someone else. I spot the reduced chicken breasts in a fellow shopper’s basket and resist the urge to grab them and run for the tills. I’ve already saved a fortune...I think.

Christian Aid and Churches Together in Markfield (CTIM) are very grateful for all the donations, and for all the hard work and effort of those involved. A special Thank You to the wonderful volunteers with the Good Neighbour Scheme, and also the managers of Markfield Retirement Village and our local Co-op. Many thanks again to all. Markfield Churches – working together for our community Methodist-www. markfieldmethodistchurch. org or FB Parish Church j22churches.org.uk– or FB Congregational Church – FB Catholic Churchstwilfscoalville.blogspot.co.ukwww.

Bargain Hunting by A. O’Brien

Christian Aid 2022 WE ARE DELIGHTED to inform everyone that the Christian Aid Houseto-House collection in Markfield Village and Markfield Retirement Village in May this year, together with the Collection at the local Co-op and the Christian Aid United Service raised in total £1,566.22

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• House-to-House collection raised £1,210.82 This all comes to a Grand Total ofThe£1,566.22.amount gift aided was £683 which should generate a further £170 for the charity.

• The Collection at the Co-op raised £120.55

Dial A Ride is looking for drivers - can you help?

I don’t need to tell you that food prices are shooting up – you know that. But I’ve become a bit of an expert in supermarket saving. I’m not saying it’s easy but I think of it as a combined sport/hobby. Every evening, my local supermarket reduces the price on those items nearing their ‘sell by date’. Nothing seems to be off limits: fresh salads, lamb chops, curries, and scotch eggs (there’s always lots of scotch eggs – does noone eat them anymore?) By 6.30pm I’m in the supermarket, basket in hand and hovering. I normally loiter around the low-fat yogurts; you don’t often get interrupted by anyone wanting to buy one. It’s also useful if you can appear to be engrossed in something. For example, although I appear to be debating the merits of ‘low fat’ versus ‘no fat’, I am in reality waiting for ‘The Door’ to open. It is through this door that he will come (and it’s always a ‘he’ at my supermarket), carrying with him a device loaded with bright yellow stickers. He will then start looking at the sell by/best before dates on the fresh items, removing them to a separate trolley for the mass repricing. He won’t start the labelling until all the necessary items have been selected and is likely to disappear back through the door if you ask: “Oh, are you going to be reducing that?”

• Christian Aid United Service raised £234.85

Now, I find it useful at this stage to reposition to a more advantageous spot. By that, I mean a place where you can clearly see what he is doing, while still managing to appear engrossed in some other items on offer. I peruse those little pots of olives and garlic that cost an absolute fortune; these never seem to be reduced.

HINCKLEY & Bosworth Community Transport (Dial a Ride) has been running for over 30 years. Our volunteer drivers use their own cars to take elderly and disabled people to health and hospital appointments, social events, lunch clubs, visiting relatives & friends, shopping etc. We are looking for friendly drivers to join us! You will meet some amazing people, whilst making a positive impact to their lives by helping them get to the activities and appointments that are important to them help alleviate social isolation, supporting their physical/mental wellbeing. Volunteers will need to use their own vehicles, be over 25 years and agree to a DBS Check. We pay for the mileage so it only costs your time.Our volunteers say how rewarding the role is as they are helping others whilst also keeping themselves busy and staying in touch with others. If you are interested in helping your community, please give Lindsey Short a ring on 01455 250462 or email dialaride21@hotmail.com

A crowd of fellow bargain hunters will now have begun to gather. I always have to resist the urge to charge forward, elbow them out of the way and shout: “Get back, I was here first.” I don’t know what stops me really...one day you’ll probably hear about it on the news: “Woman threatens shoppers with a French stick over a penny off.”

Items are now scanned, reductions made, stickers stuck and the ‘treasure’ is put into the reduced item area. The crowd erupts into a scramble of clashing baskets, grabbing hands and hard elbows. I hold back: waiting for a pause, a gap, a chance to get something...anything! Finally, the crowd parts and I can see my chance. Two tubs of spicy couscous, two egg salads, a Madras curry and several cartons of fresh soup. No scotch eggs tonight.

Performances November from tulip time to winter

WI MEMBERS had a busy Jubilee weekend. We were invited by the Methodist Church to decorate their porch as part of its Flower Festival. A shelf was made to fit the church’s arched window which was then filled with members’ jam jar posies and royal memorabilia. A large table display was arranged by two members Sue and Mary and a small table held arrangements including the Queen complete with crown knitted by our member Gill. We had also knitted corgis which were hidden in flower arrangements throughout the church with a chocolate corgi prize for those who found them all. (Photos on page 17) AT OUR JUNE MEETING we were given a talk by a volunteer from Leicestershire & Rutland Blood Bikes. They are a volunteer charity who support health organisations by providing out of hours transport for blood, samples, human milk etc, they operate all year round and have groups around the country. All volunteer riders must have experience on the type and size of bikes used by Blood Bikes and have advanced qualifications. They do their own fundraising with help from some commercial sponsors. Following his fascinating talk we took the opportunity to admire his bike; the newest additions to the fleet being the Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro. We were duly impressed and our member Mary Pepper couldn’t resist the chance to relive her youthful exploits.

An engaging seated exercise programme designed to improve balance,

Hazel 07817303018 happyhome07@hotmail.co.uk LOVE TO www.grobysings.orgformoreinformation RegisteredCharityno.1180490

FOR OUR JULY MEETING we had a talk by Alan Rimmer which he entitled ‘The Grey Gap Year - real life story of oldies surviving in a world of youngsters’. Having got the ski-ing bug following a visit to a dry ski slope in Somerset he and his wife embarked on lessons and progressed to ski-ing holidays abroad. When Alan lost his job at the start of the recession he decided to take some time to consider what to do next; next turned out to be their decision to work as a ski-lodge couple for the season. He talked us through the trials and tribulations they went through before finally getting the job they wanted. The work was hard but they thoroughly enjoyed it and indeed felt that being in their 60s with a grown up family (most of the other ski-lodge applicants were in their 20s) helped them to deal with any situations which might arise. At the end of the season they were asked to stay on but decided not to. They came back and wrote a book about their experiences, available on kindle, an inspiration to those who have time and don’t know what to do - the answer is try something new.

IN AUGUST we will be having a talk on Life on the Royal Yacht Britannia, there is a competition of Royal memorabilia. As always visitors are welcome. Biker Mary on the Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro A Groby Community Centre Forest Rise Groby LE6 0BD co cognition wellbeing.

strength,

and

thethroughseasons

Rehearsals at Groby Club from 7th Septembe Wednesday afternoon choir: 1.30pm 3pm Creche area available Children’s choir 3.40pm 4.40pm for children aged 7 years old and over Wednesday evening choir: 7.30pm 9.00pm

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42 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 News Update from Markfield WI

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EnidRememberingBlyton

Enid was the daughter of a nature-loving clothing wholesaler, to whom she was very close. He once sat up with her when she was expected to die of whooping cough, determined that she would survive. Her mother was less solicitous. Enid was bright, popular at school and a talented musician, but decided against it as a profession, going into teaching instead. She married twice – first Hugh Pollock, an editor at a publishing firm who helped her to become established as a writer. They moved to Buckinghamshire and had two daughters, but then divorced in 1942. The following year she married surgeon Kenneth Waters, and they moved in the 1950s to Manor Farm in Dorset, which inspired much of her later work.

Find the words associated with photography in the grid and the remaining letters will spell out a related

IT WAS 125 YEARS AGO , on 11th August 1897, that Enid Blyton was born in East Dulwich, South London. This enormously popular British children’s writer created Noddy, the Famous Five, and the Secret Seven. She is among the world’s bestselling writers, selling more than 600 million copies of her books.

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Blyton’s mystery and adventure stories have clearly defined good and bad characters and are easy to read. They have been criticised for being too simplistic, and more recently for some of the now outdated social attitudes and language. But they remain popular worldwide for their sense of joy and wonder at life. Several of her books are based on biblical stories, but she had a general rather than personal belief in God. She was brought up as a Baptist, and her children were baptised in the Church of England: towards the end of her life she became interested in Roman Catholicism. She put much energy into charity work, encouraging children to do the same. She died in 1968.

If you’d like to be notified when a new issue of the magazine is available online - and supplied with a direct link to the updated SURPRISE magazine - please send your email address to us at:info@surprisemagazine.co.uk

STOP PRESS WE ARE about to start planning our Halloween Spooky trail as well as a brand new event for Christmas 2022. The library events team is keen to know if you have any ideas, suggestions and offers of help. Please get in touch via Communitygmail.com,markfieldlibrary@visitMarkfieldLibraryFacebook page - or why not pop in to the library to see us!

44 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022

SUMMER READING CHALLENGE

MarkfieldLibraryCommunityNews

Margaret Bowler – Chair, Markfield Community Library

LOCAL AUTHOR LOOK OUT for two books kindly donated to Markfield Community Library by local resident DOUGLAS MAAS. Both can be located in the Local History section in due Fictioncourse. – DEAD WOOD. A murder mystery with a full moon to guide and ultimately all will be revealed. Non Fiction – A ROWING BOAT TO FREEDOM. A dramatic escape by rowing boat by Doug’s father fleeing pre-war Germany.

THE SUMMER Reading Challenge is taking place from 2 July – 10 September. All children aged 4 – 12 are welcome to come into the library and take part. Please see org.uksummerreadingchallenge.formoredetails.

Liz Jarvis is a Champion!PlatinumGroby

QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE

Dawn Walker & Residents of Flaxfield Close, Groby WANT TO RECEIVE A LINK TO THE ONLINE SURPRISE MAGAZINE?

Well done Liz; thoroughly deserved!

Thanks! (We promise not to pass it on, or use it for any other purpose.)

WE WERE honoured and delighted to take part in the Methodist Church Flower Festival to commemorate the Queens Platinum Jubilee in June. Thank you to everyone that helped put it together. We were thrilled with the result and it drew many admiring comments, particularly the knitted Corgis! With Autumn approaching – why not come and volunteer with us and save your heating at home, or come and settle down with a tea/coffee and the newspapers*, not to mention the books we provide. (*daily papers are available on our public computers or local ones in hard copy).

WE ARE PROUD of our dear neighbour Elizabeth Jarvis who was nominated for and has received a Platinum Champions Award. This prestigious award recognises her dedication and outstanding voluntary service to the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) and our community.

45SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022

wasteatopeningExtendedhoursCoalvillesite

The group had left the rear entrance of the Ritz Hotel in a Mercedes limousine and took a circuitous route to shake off paparazzi. They were less than two miles from the hotel when they crashed. The Princess’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, survived. Diana was sitting in the back seat but not wearing a seatbelt.

The Princess had fitted in well initially with the Royal Family and, according to biographer Andrew Morton, had a “profound sense of destiny”. She was raised in the Anglican tradition but seemed to dislike its formality, though her “strong faith” was demonstrated in her many heartfelt actions for others. She was, however, an “unorthodox believer” who also visited astrologers, psychics and new-age thinkers.

Making A Difference Award for Rose Blayney

25 years since the death of Princess Diana

Rose Blayney (left) receiving her ‘Making a Difference’ Award from HBBC Mayor Dawn Glenville MY MUM, Rose Blayney, nominatedwasfor HBBC’s “Making a Difference” Award. There were different categories on the day and Mum’s was Creating a Sense of Community. Mum was surprised to be nominated as she does things daily for people as well as running her Help for Heroes fundraising. Speaking of which she is about at the £2,000 mark. The Making a Difference event was held at Hinckley Rugby Ground where a light buffet lunch was served and all nominated people received an award with a personal inscription inside the presentation case. Mum is thrilled with her award and at the same time she says “she does it because it keeps her busy, she gets to see the lovely people of Groby and it keeps her out of trouble!” I love my Mum, her love of life and the pleasure she brings to others. She truly is one in a million!

Wendy Lemmon

NEW EXTENDED summer opening hours for Coalville’s recycling and household waste site are now in force.

The ‘people’s Princess’ was hugely popular with the public, who reacted to her death with an unprecedented outpouring of grief. It was calculated that some 60 million flowers, as well as ten to 15 tons of bouquets, were left in her honour around London, together with candles, flags, photographs, stuffed animals and personal notes. She was 36 when she died.

JUST 25 YEARS AGO, on 31st August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, her close companion Dodi Fayed and their driver, Henri Paul, died after a car crash in the Place de l’Alma underpass in Paris. Fayed and Paul died instantly, but Princess Diana survived for nearly five hours. She was conscious shortly after the crash, and was reported by a firefighter to have said: “My God, what has happened?” She then lost consciousness and was taken to hospital, where she died from internal bleeding after a two-hour operation, having suffered concussion, a broken arm, a cut thigh and massive chest injuries.

The Linden Way site, off Ashby Road, is now open for an extra two hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, now closing at 7pm. The site remains open on Mondays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 9am –5pm.Councillor Blake Pain, cabinet member for the environment and the green agenda, said: “We’re pleased that our current staffing levels mean we’re in a position to extend the hours at Coalville for two days for residents to use over the summer period.”Thelatest information about waste and recycling is available on the county council website. Anyone planning a trip to recycle or dispose of rubbish is urged to check before setting off. Winter hours (open 9 am to 4pm) at the site will run from 1 October to 31 March.

THEY SAY a week in politics is a long time, but the week of June 30th to July 7th felt like a lifetime.

46 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 Message from Dr Luke Evans MP

Here lies the issue: Number 10 was briefing my colleagues that they had taken swift action – which they did –but also that this was the first time they had any knowledge of issues regarding Mr Pinchers behaviour, and therefore had no knowledge of any previous allegations. A letter from a previous Permanent Secretary in the Foreign Office proved this to be categorically untrue.Thisrevelation led to both the Secretary of State for Health, Sajid Javid, and Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, independently tender ing their resignations from the Prime Minister’s cabinet. On Wednesday, Sajid Javid delivered a statement in the House of Commons, saying “It’s not fair on ministerial colleagues to go out every morning defending lines that don’t stand up and don’t hold up. It’s not fair on my parliamentary colleagues who bear the brunt of constituents’ dismay in their inboxes.” He went on to say that it’s not fair on voters who rightly expect better standards from the party they supported. A small but significant number of resignations from Ministers were sub mitted on the Wednesday morning. In previous times this would signal that a Prime Minister cannot continue, how ever Mr Johnson remained defiant. By mid-afternoon and after over a dozen resignations, it became clear that the Prime Minister would not step down despite having lost the confidence of the Parliamentary party. By the end of Wednesday the total number of resig nations was over 40, and by Thursday morning it was more than 50 members ofBorisGovernment.Johnson, shortly after midday on Thursday, announced that he would tender his resignation as leader of the Conservative Party, and provide for an orderly transition for a new leader and Prime Minister. What did I do? At the start of last week (Monday) having heard the revelations about Mr Pincher, I shared my dismay through the usual channel: a private conver sation with my Whip, explaining my concerns. Upon hearing of the actions taken by Number 10, I was pleased because at that point I believed it had been dealt with appropriately. I then attended the Urgent Question last Tuesday answered by the Government about standards in public life. It was at this point that it became evident to me that the ‘line’ from Number 10 over the weekend and Monday had changed and was not con gruent with the emerging evidence. Following the resignations of the Health Secretary and Chancellor on Tuesday evening, I had many conver sations with colleagues and Ministers to try to establish what had happened and why. On Wednesday, it became clear after PMQs, the Liaison Committee hearing and further ministerial resignations that the Prime Minister was not going to step down. I then spoke to Sir Graham Brady, Chair of the 1922 Committee, to inform him that I had lost confidence in Boris Johnson.OntheThursday morning, after news had broken that the Prime Minister in tended to resign, I issued a brief state ment about my position. Why didn’t I say anything public sooner? There is a saying I first heard when I entered Parliament “do you want to be a player or a commentator?”. What this means is, it’s very easy to shout from the side-lines, but how effective is this? The media tend to revel in constant speculation. But in a rapidly changing situation such as this, I believe that effective change is brought about by those who keep a cool head. As a backbench MP and having re cently been made an Parliamentary Private Secretary (an unpaid junior role in Government) I only have a limited number of levers to pull: withdraw my support for Mr Johnson, resign my post or both. I chose the former, why? Because this was the most effective way to make a change. I chose not to speak publicly on the Wednesday evening that I had spoken to Sir Brady because, even at the best of times, the media enjoy cre ating hysteria. We saw this throughout Brexit, the pandemic and the current war in Ukraine. And I do not want to give oxygen to this approach. I am more than happy to justify my de cisions to those who have elected me in a way that is meaningful and open. As a GP, I wouldn’t speculate during the diagnosis of a patient’s illness or condi tion without knowing the complete pic ture. Similarly, I want to ensure that my constituents, who have entrusted me to take decisions on our community’s behalf, know the full reasoning behind my thinking by releasing this detailed explanation rather than giving an ongo ing commentary at the time.

I have had many emails and social me dia comments over the past few days. Some angry and despairing about the fall of Boris Johnson; claiming plots, media witch-hunts and treachery. Others jubilant at the resignation of the Conservative Party leader, and an guished that it hadn’t come sooner. All in all, as with any events like this, there are things to be said on both sides and over the next few paragraphs I have set out what happened, what actions I took, why, and what happens next. As always some will agree with my actions, others won’t. Since my election I have been open and honest about the decisions I have taken and why, and I see no reason why that should change now. What happened? From my perspective. The trigger for the unfolding of recent events was the then Deputy Chief Whip, Chris Pincher’s, by his own admission completely unacceptable drunken behaviour, and further allegations of groping, resulting in his resignation. These are to be answered by him and him alone, and I hope – as with all enquiries into suspected conduct of this kind – that due process will take place. Mr Pincher, rightly, had the whip removed (meaning he was suspended from the party) when the allegations came out and Number 10 told my col leagues and the media this had all been dealt with appropriately as an isolated incident.Onthemorning of Monday the 4th, Minister Will Quince was briefed for the Ministerial media round and had been told categorically by Number 10 that this issue was dealt with. Yet in his subsequent resignation letter he states “regarding the briefings I received from No 10 ahead of Monday’s media round, which we now know to be inaccurate.”

Why didn’t you resign your po sition as a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS)? I chose not to resign my role within the Home Office for a combination of two reasons: lack of impact and a sense ofWhileduty.politicians are renowned for their delusions of grandeur, I still have a sense of station. If, when a Secretary of State, the Chancellor and sever al Ministers resign and this doesn’t change the Prime Minister’s mind, I am under no illusion that my resignation after three weeks of being a PPS is go ing to bring the Government down! Couple this with the reality of the fact that the Government and its work must continue. My role means I cover Immigration and have been acting as the conduit for ALL 650 MPs casework regarding passports and visa issues. There is a mountain of work still to be done, and hence I was appointed an additional team member to help deal with the demand. While it would have been easy for me to tender my resignation, in actuality this would only further the disruption to families across the country who are trying to get their passports in time for much-needed summer holidays. I take my responsibility as a PPS seriously and will carry out this role until I am either promoted, sacked or moved sideways. But hang on, didn’t you support Boris Johnson in the no confidence vote only one month ago? Yes. I said in my statement that the revelations over ‘Partygate’ that my confidence at the time was shaken. But because of his work through Brexit, the vaccine rollout, and his world leading support for Ukraine, I did still have con fidence in Boris Johnson as our Prime Minister. What I briefly referred to in my statement following the vote were the real, tangible changes I have seen over the last six months in the oper ation of Number 10. See my previous statement here: Statement from Dr Luke Evans MP on the vote regarding the Prime Minister | Dr Luke Evans MP In her report Sue Gray talked about the structural changes that have oc curred since reports emerged of the events during lockdown. I have seen these changes myself. During my first two years as an MP I would have strug gled to tell you how to approach senior policy people in Number 10, but since bringing in Steve Barclay as Minister for the Cabinet Office alongside a raft of other appointments, the difference has been palpable. Daily.

Dr Luke Evans MP

What happens now? The Prime Minister will stay in post until my colleagues and the member ship of the Conservative Party elect a replacement. This is organised by the 1922 Committee, which is holding elec tions for their Executive on Monday the 11th of July. This Committee will set out the rules of the leadership contest during which, through a series of run off votes, Conservative MPs whittle a list of candidates down to two. Finally, the last two candidates are voted on by members of the Conservative Party. Some may ask, why can’t the Deputy Prime Minister take over? Under our constitutional system when a Prime Minister resigns they must go to the Queen, as our Head of State, and ask for her permission. The Queen would then appoint a successor, which has always been the leader of the Party with the largest number of elected MPs. Dominic Raab is not the lead er of the Conservative Party, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister by Boris Johnson last year to assist with the administration of Government. Not all Prime Ministers choose to have a Deputy PM, the holder of the role typically serves as a short-term stand in should the PM not be available. For example, when Boris recently attend ed the G20 summit. The Deputy only serves while the PM who appointed them remains in post, the Deputy is not the automatic successor as leader of the Party. At the time of writing Conservative MPs have had two leadership votes so far. In both I have voted for Penny Mordaunt. I have chosen to support Penny after taking private meetings with each candidate in which we dis cussed their vision going forward and how it will benefit our constituency and theTherenation.ismuch more that could be said on this matter but I’ll end here for now.

I had seen the fresh start and, I be lieved, I had witnessed a change. But, when senior ministerial colleagues are saying they are defending a line “that is known to be inaccurate”. This cannot stand. Which was why I chose, on Wednesday 6th of July, to make it known to the Chairman of the 1922 Committee that I no longer had con fidence in Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. “This was a coordinated plot by the media and some MPs to bring down Boris Johnson.”

I have been involved in more Number 10 policy meetings on issues and con cerns within our area, mental health, online safety, the women’s health strat egy, eating disorders and local plan ning reform than in the entire preced ing two years put together. That is part of why I voted to have confidence. However, the information which has emerged over the last 12 days has tak en that confidence.

Member of Parliament for Bosworth • House of Commons • London • SW1A 0AA w: drlukeevans.org.uk t: constituency: 01455 635741 parliament: 0207 219 4250 m: 07920 619812 twitter: @drlukeevans instagram: drlukeevans

47SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022

Since the 2019 General Election, I do believe the media have gone to great lengths to hound Boris. I also think it can be strongly argued that the attacks levelled at him have been unfair and disproportionate. There is no secret that the Opposition and many of the fiercest Remain activists were desper ate to see Mr Johnson fail. This is in part for some because they dislike or disagree with him and his policies, for others they see his removal as an op portunity to reverse Brexit, and for the Opposition it is partly because (despite what they may say!) they saw Boris as an electoral threat in the future. What I can say is that I have seen no evidence, whatsoever, within the Conservative Party over the last 12 days which suggests this was a co-or dinated effort to remove the Prime Minister. Of course there will be de tractors in the party, but I genuinely believe this was an organic event dur ing which many colleagues reached the same conclusion as me: the events in question could not, in good conscience, be left unresolved.

On one final and important note, I have been struck by the understanding shown when I’m out and about in our area regarding just how tough these circumstances are. I am so pleased to represent a community who care so much for one another, and for that I am truly and eternally grateful.

Off Markfield Lane, Field Head - 150 houses

It is also close to a site that has already been rejected due to significant concerns about the location and the access. Although Stanton does not have a neighbourhood plan it is obvious to me that the location is not sustainable and will simply increase road traffic use. The footpath is almost non existent at the location and the village no longer has a shop which is a key factor in determining the hierarchy of settlements suitable for development proposals.Theapplication number is 22/00527/OUT and you can go online to the Borough Council’s planning portal to object to this speculative application.

Governance Review

Borough Councillor Matthew Lay writes

48 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022

No sooner had the consultation began when residents received a note from a certain Groby Borough Cllr who I shall not name. Quite what possessed a Groby Borough Councillor to interfere when he doesn’t represent the area is beyond me. It has also led to a flurry of political activity much of which ordinary residents cannot see but I know is going on behind the scenes and merely uses Field Head as political pawn. It has confirmed in my own mind the need for residents to respond positively to the consultation. The consultation is online at; governance_review/1835/draftwww.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk/info/200407/community_

with Markfield to create a stronger community

WHY IS IT happening now? Well the Borough Council were recently obliged to conduct a governance review across the Borough.

Field Head should join

In the time since the last Herald, much has changed but sadly the challenges that effect our communities have not. We might have a different Prime Minister but essentially the same Government and its inflictions from Westminster press deeply on us and will do so for some time yet. To be clear, the obsession with build, build, build, will not be going away anytime soon. The language may change but the damage has been done already with the weakening of local planning authorities and changes to regulations to make it harder to stop unwanted development. Still, it is important we don’t lose sight of what is before us and that we continue to focus on the challenges ahead and don’t throw the towel in, as tempting as that can be.

Application for 50 new houses in Stanton FIRST UP, is an application that has just come in for 50 new houses in Stanton, south of 295 Main Street.

THEY SAY a week is a long time in politics, but a couple of months has proven to be an eternity.

For what it worth, what you need to consider is the following – If you predominantly use services in Markfield, the shops, schools, churches, GP surgery etc, etc, does it not make sense that you help pay for the upkeep of that community through your local taxes rather than one 3 miles away that you may infrequently visit? For decades it is Groby that has been receiving the local taxes from residents of Field Head. Another key justification concerns the approach to neighbourhood planning. During the development of the Markfield Neighbourhood Plan, the group working on the plan in Markfield wrote to both Newtown Linford and Groby Parish Councils to ask their permission (as is required) to include land in Field Head in the Markfield Neighbourhood Plan. Sadly both Councils declined to allow Markfield to do this. For the record, if they had allowed this to happen, land in Field Head could

THE OTHER live speculative application still to be determined is the one for c150 houses off Markfield Lane. This is currently now in the system at Charnwood Borough Council but I am not aware of when it is likely to be determined by them. For absolute clarity this application will only be determined by Charnwood Borough Council and as such only Charnwood Borough Councillors will have a say on it. That means that those who represent Markfield like myself, have no vote in the applications determination. This cannot be right, but the present planning system allows it and developers have pounced on it. Ultimately Charnwood Borough Council has its own planning pressures (the worst in Leicestershire). My fear is that allowing this application will be seen as a benefit to them with little actual cost because that cost is borne totally by Markfield. I have written to Charnwood setting out my objections and I would urge others to do so too. You can go online at the Charnwood Borough Council’s website and use the following application reference number - P/22/1031/2 to comment. It will be especially interesting to see what Leicestershire County Council say about the application particularly the highway and sustainability aspects. They can play a critical role and add massive legitimacy to those who oppose this speculation and the destruction of our countryside.Thefactthat this application is taking place in a part of Field Head that is not in Markfield Parish or in Hinckle & Bosworth, adds further concerns and highlights some of the vulnerabilities for Field Head by being separated from the settlement of Markfield to which it relates to. I am a Field Head resident, and my Borough Council ward includes Field Head. My Dad grew up in Field Head and my Grandparents lived there for many years.

Groby Parish Council in its response suggested that it made more sense for Field Head to be put into Markfield Parish as this was the community it most clearly related too. While this is clearly stating the obvious, it was a moment of honesty not often seen in governance circles which reflects well on Groby Parish Council. Nobody should be castigated for telling the truth.

I have already written in with my objections, but I am concerned as I was given no notification of the application by the Borough Council. This site sits at the lower end of the Village and because of this it will add further traffic pressure to the village and I have grave concerns about the access with the narrowing of the road.

I have always been clear that Field Head’s best interests are served by being part of Markfield, but an opportunity to address this has never arisen in my time as a locally elected representative. Well surprisingly I would add, it has and today I am urging residents to have their say.

THE THREE PARISH COUNCILS affected by the proposal to build new homes between Markfield Lane and Leicester Road in Field Head have all had the opportunity to listen to residents and consider what to do next.

OR VISIT THE WEBSITES FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION, PUBLICATION DATES & DEADLINES, ETC. www.grobyspotlight.co.uk

Norman

Residents opposed to the planning application for 150 houses feel that professional help is essential, and Groby Parish Council has set aside £3,000 to help fund any payments to an appropriate planning expert. Newtown Linford has also discussed similar funding, following an approach from Groby to share any legal costs. Around 20 residents attended their Council meeting on 13 July. Councillors agreed in principle to consider sharing the cost of a Planning Lawyer should it be felt necessary, but the amount involved would need agreeing by Council at a later date. The developers would like to have the guidance before it considers the shared funding request from Groby, so it could be September before a decision is made.

• LOCAL RESIDENTS have a created a Crowdfunder.com page and by the 25th July had raised £2,290 towards the funds needed to oppose the development. Follow this link to donate - www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/say-no-to-field-head-developments Griffiths 244069 www.markfieldherald.co.ukwww.glenfieldgazette.com

ADVERTISING YOUR BUSINESS TO ADVERTISE IN ANY OF THE THREE VILLAGE MAGAZINES, CONTACT MIKE WILKINSON ON 01530

£3,000 set aside to help opposition to Field Head housing proposal

49SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 today be protected from development. Markfield has allocated land for development up to 2039 and does not need to find more land for housing so Field Head would have been in a very good position today. That boat has sailed but helpfully the Borough Council recognised Field Head as intrinsic to the settlement of Markfield although that only applies to the land that is within the Borough.Thenote from the Groby Councillor which seemed to disown his own Parish Council made much play of the fact that in moving into Markfield, Field Head would lose two of its three Parish Councillors. In speaking to local residents, I asked if anyone knew any of the 3 Parish Councillors who represent Field Head? Not a single person could name one Parish Councillor! Let alone one who actually lived in the locality. The numbers of Parish Councillors is set by regulation and through the governance review, so whatever the outcome it remains proportionate throughout. For me, and I repeat, it’s really a simple choice, do I see myself as a Field Head resident, being part of Groby or being part of Markfield? That’s the choice on offer. It is certainly not a political one and it is patently obvious as a resident of Field Head that Field Head relates more to Markfield and not Groby. This is borne out by facts (who is registered with a local GP, school, a request for burial etc) which is exactly why Groby Parish Council put this sensible proposal forward before the politicians got involved. I will always put my local community first above any political considerations. It’s a shame that others involved only see these things through the prism of party politics first and the local community second. Matthew

The project at Stoneshollow Farm has the potential to power 22,000 homes. It will help reduce our dependence on imported gas and save perhaps two million tonnes of CO2. It could even cut bills given that solar is now one of the cheapest ways of generating electricity. There will be some short-term disruption and farmland will temporarily be diverted for energy production, just as it was in the 19th Century for the sinking of coal mines – but without the carbon downside. I am confident that our children and grandchildren will be thankful for the decision we made.

50 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 Tel: 01530 231377 • Email: andy.furlong@hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk

Borough Councillor

Andy Furlong’s

Sadly, I was disappointed. Despite the council signing up to the Climate Emergency Declaration, I was repeatedly called up to approve new housing and industrial development that made the problem worse. My hands were tied by central government policy that permitted, even encouraged, the building of new homes and workplaces with shockingly poor environmental performance standards. Now, with less than a year of my term to go, things may finally be changing, and a commitment to build low carbon infrastructure is more common in planning applications. Stoneshollow solar farm Additionally, we have just approved the development of what may become one of the UK’s biggest solar farms near Nailstone. Unsurprisingly there were local objections, but a choice had to be made. The Leicestershire coalfield was a major contributor to the problem for over a century. The pits at Bagworth and Nailstone produced millions of tonnes of coal. This was necessary to heat our homes and power our economy, but it came at a cost. Now we were faced with an opportunity to be a part of the solution.

Andy Furlong

ON A TUESDAY evening back in July residents in Markfield were alarmed to find a pall of smoke hanging over the village. A strong smell of burning added to concerns. Some keyboard warriors took to social media to point the finger at their neighbours, but it soon became clear that something more dramatic was afoot. A large section of Bradgate Park between Groby and Newtown Linford was on fire. A major incident was declared. Eight fire crews were needed to extinguish the blaze. Fortunately, no one was hurt. The incident was one of many across the UK on a day when the thermometer passed the 40oC mark for the first time. Extreme weather is more commonplace, and many readers will know that climate change impacts are both real and getting closer all the time. Urgent action is needed. What took you so long? I have written about global warming before. You’ll forgive me for thinking out loud: “What took you so long?” I learned about the consequences of rising CO2 levels 40 years ago. It was scary back then and I adjusted my lifestyle because of seeing the ‘Keeling Curve’ a graph that revealed the inexorable rise of CO2 in the atmosphere. Twenty years later, I organised a meeting for the UK government Chief Scientist, Sir David King. He provided an update on the situation. What seemed scary in the 1980s now looked positively terrifying in the 2000s. In 2015 I was in Paris for the climate change talks where politicians finally agreed to legally binding targets to reduce emissions and take steps to head off catastrophic climate change – the penny had dropped, but would real action follow? Blocked by government Coming up to date, I was elected to the borough Council in 2019. Here was a real opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the decarbonisation of our community.

UPDATE

• SUPPORTING PEOPLE County Council teams help adults who need additional support because of increasing fuel and food pricesincluding older people where in many situations their care workers are the only people that they will see and interact with. The council’s children and family workers help people with cooking on a budget, budgeting, priority debts, and signpost families to the sources of Ifsupport.you’re already receiving support from adult social care or children and family services, please talk to your worker about what help is available.

I

The Holiday Activity Fund provides free places at holiday clubs over the summer for children eligible for free school meals. The County Council is able to offer these as part of the Government’s Holiday Activities and Food programme, backed by footballer Marcus Rashford. The free sessions include sports, music, arts, and other exciting opportunities to learn and develop skills, alongside a nutritious meal each day.

• CRISIS SUPPORT The County Council supports The Signposting and Community Support Service which helps people in hardship with furniture and electrical goods, as well as emergency short-term food and fuel support to people in crisis. Help with home energy

Help with food and fuel

Help with cost of living

• HOUSEHOLD SUPPORT FUND

• LOVE FOOD, HATE WASTE

Thank you.

Parish. The number of Councillors for Groby Parish Council be set at 13 with no Currentlywarding. Field Head is represented by 3 Parish Councillors on Groby Parish Council. The proposal would leave Field Head with only one Parish Councillor representing their interests on Markfield Parish Council. I would urge residents to have your say by using the following onlyavailableIthatyourFinallytheTheconsultation?form=Grobygov.uk/service/Draft_recommendations_https://myaccount.hinckley-bosworth.link.consultationrunsfor8weeksfrom13thJulytothe7thSeptember.Iwouldliketothankyouallforcontinuedsupportandremindyoushouldyouneedmyhelporadvice,alwayspridemyselfonmakingmyselftoresidents.RememberIamaphonecalloremailaway. Ozzy O’shea ALWAYS WORKING FOR YOU Cllr Ozzy O’shea (Contact details at top of page.)

There are funds, programmes, and services to help you and your family get through this difficult time. To access any of these services type the following link into your livinghttp://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/cost-of-computer.

From grants and funding to supplying low-cost items, the Warm Homes Fund supports people to stay warm in their go to the County Councils livinghttp://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/cost-of-website.

Helping people to lead safe and fulfilling lives is part of the County Council’s job – and this includes support with rising prices.

• LOCAL CO-ORDINATORSAREA Local area co-ordinators and community recovery workers provide direct support on a range of issues including food, finances and fuel.

Leicestershire County Council are doing everything they can to support families as cost of living rises bite.

51SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 homes. Energy advice and switching support is also offered to residents to help them make informed decisions in the future.

• GREEN LIVING LEICESTERSHIRE

Supporting communitiesour

The Household Support Fund runs until the end of September and offers vouchers to vulnerable pensioners and families to help with fuel and food costs. The £3.6 million fund will also pay for food vouchers for around 14,000 children who are eligible for free school meals, during the six-week summer holiday. From August, the county council is planning one-off £100 payments for people in receipt of pension credit - you can find out more soon.

Groby Wombles I WOULD like to put on record, my sincere thanks to the Groby Wombles - also known as litter pickers. noticed you all out on Saturday 23rd July keeping Groby tidy, from Sacheverell Way to Leicester Road filling numerous black plastic bags.

• FIRST CONTACT PLUS Our First Contact Plus service is an online tool which helps adults in Leicestershire find information about a range of services all in one place. Information and resources on housing, health, living independently, money advice, work, security, and other topics that assist the county’s residents can be Tofound.access any of these services type the following link into your computer. Or

County Councillor’s Report from Ozzy O’shea Email: ozzy.o’shea@leics.gov.uk or ozzyoshea@hotmail.com Tel 0116 239 4336 Mobile 07808 585825

• HOLIDAY ACTIVITY FUND

Field Head, Groby Community Governance Review

THE PROPOSAL is for the boundary be redrawn between Groby and Markfield parishes to result in Field Head becoming part of Markfield

There are six community kitchens in Leicestershire helping people to not only reduce food waste but also save money. Learn more about the Love Food, Hate Waste programme.

By teaming up with district councils, the County Council is securing money to install energy efficiency measures in those homes most in need of support. This means that over the next year, more than £3 million will be spent making Leicestershire’s homes warmer, and tackling the crucial issue of rising energy prices. Find out more about the Green Living Leicestershire home energy grant.

• WARM HOMES

• Under the “How to get involved heading” click the link to read and comment•Followthe onscreen instructions

• SANDRA JONES (left)– KEEPING PEOPLE SAFE AND WELL Award

IM ProposalsProperties WORK WILL continue over the coming months on the two sites by IM Properties to carry out the requirements needed in order to be able to submit a planning application, as previously stated only the landowner can stop these works. IM Properties are not committing any offence in terms of planning law or civil law the Borough Council is pow erless to stop these works. It should be noted that any works carried out must reinstate the land to how it was prior to those works and investiga

At the Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council meeting held on 12th July I seconded the motion that Field Head residents are to be consulted on if they wish this change to happen or not. Previously when the same ques tion was raised in the end it was an outstanding majority, NO. The consultation takes place be tween now and September 7th 2022. I urge particularly all Field Head res idents with a view, either way, for or against the proposals as to best option for them to make their views known during the consultation peri od. Doing so will affect the outcome that will not be known until later on in the year.Ifyou ask to move by a majority then I am sure that is what will happen. If not the status quo should be the outcome, remaining with Groby Parish Council. To Have Your Say • Go to www.hickley-bosworth.gov.

• ROSE BLAYNEY (right) – CREATING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY Award HBBC Mayor Dawn Glenville presented the awards. Hinckley & Bosworth Local ReviewGovernance

52 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 HINCKLEY & BOSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL NEWS FROM COUNCILLOR MARTIN CARTWRIGHT Tel: 0116 287 4500 Mob: 07850 707050 E-Mail: hbbc@appliancehome.co.uk

Hinckley & Bosworth Making a Difference Awards

• CHRISTINE DAVIES (centre) – INSPIRATIONAL VOLUNTEERS Award

Each year Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council hold a MAKING A DIFFERENCE AWARDS ceremony. Congratulations to Award winners from Groby:

DISTRICT COUNCILS have to have a local governance review every ten to fifteen years. It has been ten years since the last re view so Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council is currently undertaking a re view as per the legislation. Under the review process Groby Parish Council concluded, and all Groby Parish Councillors present voted to move the Field Head resi dents into Markfield away from Groby Parish Council. The result of this would be that Groby Parish Council who currently are en titled to 16 Parish Councillors, 13 for Groby and 3 for Field Head would be reduced.Ifthechange takes place this will re sult in Groby Parish Council being re duced to 13 members for Groby alone and Markfield Parish Council would be increasing from 10 members to 11 members an increase of one mem ber. 10 members for Markfield and 1 for Field Head. The mathematics are simply you currently have a 3 in 16 (5.33%) rep resentation.Ifchanged that will be reduced to 1 in 11 (0.09%) representations, a signif icantFieldreduction.Headcurrently have three Parish Council members this would be reduced to one Parish Council member for Field Head under the proposals.Councillors come and go over time. Field Head currently has three Parish Councillors right now if moved into Markfield would be reduced to one Parish Councillor by this move you will only ever be entitled to one Parish Councillor, ironically unless significant additional homes are added to Field Head.Theprecept for Field Head currently paid to Groby Parish Council would be lost from Groby’s budget and instead paid to Markfield Parish Council. Result being a severe reduction of precept monies paid to Groby Parish Council.Groby Parish Council would have to live and work within its reduced budget finances from then on or in crease the Groby precept significantly toIncompensate.relationtothe precept raised by Field Head residents little of it goes back to Field Head. The proposals would create an elec toral division in Markfield labelled (HAD).Arather unfortunate name that could well stand for “HAD been better off previously”. Only Groby Parish Council can ex plain the rationale for why they be lieve Field Head residents would be better off aligned to Markfield. These proposals have been made by Groby Parish Council members with out consulting the residents of Field Head who will be affected by such a move, wrong in my opinion.

uk•Enter “Draft recommendations con sultation” into the search box

53SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 tions taking place. The fact that these works and sur veys are happening does mean that it looks more likely than not that IM Properties are working up a planning application as per the consultation events they held despite Groby and surrounding villages residents ex pressing a very clear view that they were not supportive of their propos als.Iwant to make clear to all Groby residents that both I, Cllr Martin Cartwright and Administrationmy at Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council, that the IM Properties proposals scheme is not a scheme that the Borough Council’s administration is supporting in the local plan 2021 - 2036. I do not support the change of use of this land from farm ing, agriculture to industrial units. Much more information than I can publish here is available in my IM Properties E-Mail updates. The lat est of which has just been released, Update 4 - August 2022 IM Properties Updates 1, 2 and 3 are also available should you require them.Ifyou wish to be kept updated by be ing added to the communication list please:E-Mail: youwhenonGDPR.inglyhome.co.ukgrobyproposals@applianceIcanonlysendupdatee-mailsdirecttothosewhohavewrittenbackasktobekeptinformed,becauseofYouwillonlyreceiveupdatesIMPropertiesproposalsandonlythereissometihigtoupdateon,notonaweeklybasis. Hello Homes –Highway Close Groby

The Solution: It is only the developer and Leicestershire County Council Highways Department who can re solve this issue. The blame seems to pass back and forwards between the two parties leaving the residents of Highway Close and the wider road and pavement network users at risk. Once again the issue arose this year, as it did last year, it was only with the efforts of the residents and myself that the overgrowth has been re moved, thereby again removing the hazard, for now! Sure as night turns to day the issue will re-present itself. In the mean time it IS still unsightly, unkempt and spoils the look of the rest of the de velopment and the contractors who maintain Highway Close inside of the perimeter fence to a much higher standard.Thepart you see cut in the photo graph was cut out of good will by EMH homes contractors for free, as they too were concerned that someone could potentially be seriously hurt. We can’t, and should not have to rely upon their goodwill to keep people safe, still we are very grateful for their efforts.

Time is well overdue for EMH and Leicestershire County Council Highways department to resolve this issue once and for all.

DURING CERTAIN times of the year the overgrown area in front of the site causes a risk to the safety of pedestrians and road users.

TheWhy?land overgrown in the picture above that creates the health and safety issue by way of the removal of visibility splay for pedestrians and ve hicles.Thisland is owned by Leicestershire County Council Highways but was used by the developer Hello Homes during the construction stage of the homes.Leicestershire County Council claim that the developer, Hello Homes has failed to reinstate the land to its previ ous state, prior to construction taking place, so are refusing to take back the maintenance of it as a result despite still being the owner. Should Hello Homes carry out the works, not that complicated, or ex pensive, one off to clear the area of debris in order to reinstate this land then it is my understanding from communications that I have had with the two parties that Leicestershire County Council will take back the re sponsibility to maintain it adding it to the contract already in place with Groby Parish Council to maintain the Highway Land in Groby. The land in question would then be maintained in perpetuity as is all the other Highway Land to the same standard conditions, please look di rectly opposite the site to see the dif ference for yourself. Whilst the current situation remains, in law, it is the landowners who hold the legal responsibility if it creates a Highway hazard so Leicestershire County Council would not be able to pass the responsibility should any thing happen as a result just because it is in dispute with a third party.

Potential 5G Mobile Phone Mast – Ratby Road, Groby STAKEHOLDERS have been advised that a planning application is in preparation for submission to the planning authority for the installation of a 5G Telecommunications 15.0m Phase 8 mono pole mast at Ratby Road, Groby by CK Hutchinson networks on behalf of the Telecommunication Company: Three. The proposed site is the corner of the entrance to the lay-by opposite Brookvale Campus directly across the road from 192 Ratby Road, Groby. The mast will be located across the road to the right of Woodbank Road when looking out of the entrance to Woodbank Road. As you exit Groby on Ratby road as you enter the first of the road humps the mast will be to your left at that point.Asward member I have tried to engage with the consultants but as I write this article they have not re turned my calls or e-mails. More details will become available once a planning application is submit ted to Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council in the meantime it would be good to receive your views on this. E-mail tacthelpPleasemast@appliancehome.co.ukrememberifIcaneverbeoftoyouoryourfamilypleasedonothesitatetocontactme.Mycondetailsarelisted.Kindregards, Cllr Martin Cartwright Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council – Groby Ward

Saturday & Sunday 10th & 11th September FOLLOW THE TRAIL of aroundScarecrowsthevillage of Thornton over two days of family fun. The theme is BEST OF BRITAIN. The Community Centre will host Messy and Sensory Play with Wrigglers and Gigglers, Raffle, Tombola and face painting. There will be an ice cream van in attendance plus light refreshments between 10am and 3pm both days. Trail Maps will be available from The Bricklayer’s Arms and the Corner Shop from Monday 5th September - and from the Community Centre over the Festival Weekend.

Don’t miss the chance to vote for your favourite scarecrow!

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

Don’t Miss the Thornton Scarecrow Festival!

WOW! What a wonderful Vintage Tea Party we had at Stanton Under Bardon Village Hall on Saturday 4 June 2022 to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. I think I can speak for everyone when I say a good time was had by all.

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Mark Stephens Chairman

Connie’s Pop-up Tea Party staff served a brilliant afternoon cream tea in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. We held a very successful Raffle to help towards the cost of this event. Janet Peberdy of the village provided a ‘Lucky Dip’, the proceeds of which (£90.00) she sent to LOROS. The original cost of each ticket was £8.50 but the Trust had agreed to subsidise each one by £3.50 to ensure we contributed towards the life of our village community on this special occasion.

Email: stantonvillagehall@gmail.com if you are interested in joining the Team.

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY: A Christmas Vintage Tea Party will be held at the Village Hall on Saturday 17 December 2022 starting at 2.00 pm. Details re tickets to be announced later. We were pleased to welcome 3 new Trustees in May. However, as the only male on the Committee, I would welcome some company!

New Parish Councillors CONGRATULATIONS to the successful candidates in the recent parish elections, Groby residents Janet Bishop and Gary Richardson, and in an uncontested election David Hyde from Field Head. Field Head FORTY TWO years ago the Markfield Parish Council looked at the possibility of including the area of Field Head into the parish of Markfield. The result of this met with considerable opposition from the residents, who it was reported at the time were almost unanimous in wanting to remain in the parish of Groby. It is now time again for the residents to decide which Parish they want to belong to Markfield or Groby. This has come about due to the publication of a document called ‘Community governance have your say ‘ to which there were only four respondents who suggested it might be a good idea logistically, the Consultation is now under way for the RESIDENTS of Field Head to respond with their own comments. This particularly important consultation the result of which would result in a number of major changes affecting residents of Groby but more specifically all the residents of Field Head. Two important aspects of this would mean that Field Head residents would lose their right to be buried in Groby Cemetery and secondly it would mean a rehash of both parishes neighbourhood development plans. The consultation can be accessed on the HBBC website and ends on September 7th, please don’t miss the chance to make your views known, it really is that important. A number of Field Head residents who recently attended the Groby Parish Council monthly meeting have already stated their wish to remain as part of Groby. A hot topic AT THE LAST Planning committee meeting of HBBC on the 2nd of August the members of that committee were faced with making a difficult decision regarding a proposed huge Solar farm covering 20 fields between Nailstone and Barlestone. The Borough Council has already declared a climate emergency. The recent uncharacteristic hot spell provides ample proof that we do indeed have to take steps to mitigate this. It was voted to approve the plan which will provide electricity using Solar Panels for the next 40 years after which it will revert to agricultural land. Cllr. Ted Hollick

Stanton Under Bardon Village Hall

I HOPE THAT you are all well and have been enjoying the scorcher of a July that we’ve had! I managed to get in a short break to Gran Canaria, but it turned out that the temperature was hotter in the UK than the Canary Islands!

In a nutshell it would mean Field Head (currently within Groby Parish) would shift across to join Markfield Parish. The boundaries are already slightly confusing with my colleague Ozzy O’Shea representing Field Head, whilst I represent Markfield itself. These “political boundaries” at a County Council level would not change. My own concerns about HBBC’s proposals are the impact that they COULD have on Markfield’s Volunteers,Councillorswork,AfterDevelopmentNeighbourhoodLocalPlan.yearsofhardbyParishandMarkfield passed its Local Plan by referenda in September of 2021. This has given the village

changevolunteersawayfriendlyenvironmentallybutwilltaketheneedfortohavetothebatteryon

regular

shortly.toownwillparishFieldproposalbytoandpredatoryprotectionsconsiderableagainstdevelopers,IwouldNOTwantseethisunderminedanadministrativetoshiftHeadfromonetoanother.IbemakingmyrepresentationsHBBConthisbasis

HeraldagreeresidentsHOPEFULLYwillthatmyarticles are broadly A-Political as I believe that Councillors should represent the entire community and not just those who share their political beliefs. However, it would be remiss of me not to mention the before‘whitesAugustBirminghamattendingLizcosts.NeedsinofpressuresimmenseCouncilsparticularlygovernmenttocandidateforTheLeadershipConservativecurrentPartyelection.overridingfactormeiswhichwillgetgripswithlocalfunding;sinceareunderfinancialasaresultsurgingdemandsSpecialEducationandSocialCareIamleaningtowardsTruss,butIwillbehustingsinon23rdtoseetheoftheireyes’castingmyvote! GamesCommonwealth(CWG) AS PART of Severn Trent’s commitment to supporting a carbon neutral CWGs, I will also be volunteering at plasticspectatorsthestationsArenaBirminghamatfreshwaterreducingneedfortobuybottlesto quench their thirst! Surgeries AS PART of my roving surgeries, I will be holding (or rather have held, by the time this article is published) a surgery at 10.30amAugustonCommunityBagworthCentreSaturday6thfrom–12pm. I will also be holding a surgery on Saturday 10th September (10 am – 12pm) at touch,notlocaldiscusscoffeeasCommunityCongregationalMarkfieldChurchpartofoneoftheirmornings.Ifyouwouldliketoorraiseanyissues,pleasedohesitatetogetinBestwishes, Peter (County Councillor for Markfield, Desford & Thornton)

HighwaysMembers

ReviewGovernance HBBC have put forward proposals, as part of boundaries.toGovernancetheirReview,redrawparish

55SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 County Councillor’s Report from Peter Bedford Email: peter.bedford@leics.gov.uk • Tel: 01455 824733 • Web: www.facebook.com/peterbedfordmdt • www.twitter.com/PeterBedfordMDT

Residents have until 7th September to submit their own to HBBC via their website. Fund (MHF) SINCE MY last update I is not only more a basis! The political bit…

comments

underSignVehicleforfundfromsubmittedhavearequest,myMHF,toasolarbatterytheMobileActivatedinStantonBardon. This

What’s in a name? by Eric Godley

He remembered that he had first watched a carpet being fitted when he was only ten years old and had marvelled at what he saw. He decided there and then to take up that profession when he left school. Having achieved only average grades at school, he was extremely pleased to secure a job with a carpet company at the age of 16 in a local firm. Starting as a general assistant, within a few years Wally had graduated to being a fully-fledged fitter. He had stayed with that outfit for four more years before starting his own company. He had always thoroughly enjoyed the job; the process of first cutting and fixing the edging strips, fitting the underlay and finally putting down the carpet itself, stretching and trimming it to be a perfect fit. The sense of achievement when he stood back and eyed up a finished job had never left him. Arriving home, he completely unloaded the van, all his tools and everything to do with the carpet business, and put them away in the garden shed. The empty van reversed into the garage and the offcuts he’d collected earlier were put to one side to taken to the dump in due course.

Wally put his tools away in the van and then went back into the house to collect the bag of off-cuts and rubbish. Some carpet fitters would have left it for the householder to deal with, but that was not his way. The lady paid him by cheque for the work, saying how pleased she was with the fine job he had done.

“Don’t suppose I’ll need you again. Wonder if I can sell you and make a few quid”, Wally said aloud as he patted the bonnet of his old red Ford Transit. He went indoors, exchanged greetings with his wife Mary, who put the kettle on to make a cup of tea. When the tea was made he sat down in the kitchen to drink it. He patted Mary’s hand and asked, “are we all packed then, sweetheart?” She, with a mouthful of tea and biscuits, merely nodded and smiled. They would be taking a long flight to South Africa in a couple of days to visit their son and his family. It would be their first flight anywhere and they were both a bit apprehensive. He breathed out, sat back, relaxed and, as he did so, reflected for the umpteenth time that his parents may well have been under some psychic influence when he was born. At the age of eight months, they had had him christened in the local church and thus he had become, would you believe, Walter Wall!

Five Minute Fiction

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As he climbed back into his van, he remembered again that tomorrow was his 66th birthday and the day on which he would be retiring. All the way home, thoughts of his long and active working life filled his mind.

Councillor Terry Richardson, leader of Blaby District Council, said: “I want to reiterate that this is a significant challenge for all councils in Leicester and Leicestershire.“Thisworkneeds to be undertaken proactively and in partnership with other councils. If we don’t do it, Central Government will do it for us, and this way gives us a lot more say than the alternative. “I understand how people may feel when they see Blaby District taking the biggest number of homes from the unmet need, but significant technical work has been done to reach the initial distribution figure.

Why don’t you give us a try? It’s a friendly, informal and free event and we will be very happy to see you. There are refreshments available as well as a wide range of hand-crafted goods to buy. All of our crafts, bakes and plants are specially displayed each week so you will be spoiled for choice! We take card payments to make your shopping experience even better! Thank you.

“It will also be important for the Government to recognise and support this joint working with the necessary funding of critical infrastructure, such as transport, schools and health provision to support the growth.

The Housing and Economic Needs Assessment (HENA) looks at each council’s relationship with Leicester City, the balance of jobs and homes in each authority area and the ability for each area to deliver the additional allocation.

“We are a Council that is prepared and strategic in its thinking and committed to shaping and making great places for our residents in the future. I am confident that any additional homes will be properly planned for so that we continue to do what is best for our local communities.”

Ruth Lane, Secretary for Glenfield Country Market

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We continue to welcome new customers having heard about us through the Glenfield Gazette. We are also trying to expand our appeal to further increase footfall and want to keep everyone up to date with our news.

Blaby District Council agrees to build hundreds more houses annually to meet unmet need in Leicester

Later this year we are to stage our 3rd Craft Fair to be held at the Groby Village Hall on Saturday 29th October, 10am-4pm. Please put this into your diaries and look out for the advert in The Glenfield Gazette with all the details. It is proving to be a popular event and many local crafters have already booked tables and it looks to be a perfect opportunity to browse and buy a variety of locally handmade and crafted goods. (Dare I mention Christmas present opportunities so early in the year?)

COUNCILLORS have agreed to proactively work with other Leicestershire districts, the City Council and County Council on the distribution of new homes and employment land from Leicester. Like all other councils, Blaby District Council is required to identify land for new homes and employment sites. The Council is set targets by the Government based on various factors such as population growth. Under national planning law, Blaby District is required to look at taking on a share of unmet housing from Leicester, which does not have enough land to meet its growth targets. The Council is legally obliged to co-operate with other districts to meet this need. To fulfil this requirement, the Leicester and Leicestershire Statement of Common Ground has been produced to distribute this unmet need of housing and employment land. At the Full Council meeting on 19 July, Councillors approved the intention to be the first council to sign the Statement of Common Ground.

Glenfield Country Market

THE GLENFIELD Country Market is a weekly event held in the centre of Glenfield. Producers cook, craft and grow, displaying their wares at this popular market held each Friday in St Peter’s Church Centre, Glenfield (LE3 8DP) from 9am-11am.

Due to the holiday period, we are to close on Fridays 5th and 12th August then reopen 19th and 26th August. We will then need to close again for Hall refurbishments on 2nd and 9th September. Our normal weekly opening at St Peter’s Church Hall resumes on Friday 16th September. However, we are attending The Anstey Gala on Saturday 10th September and it will be nice to see you there!

Signing the Statement of Common Ground will also help to protect the integrity of Blaby District Council’s Local Plan. Not undertaking proactive work could see any Local Plan fail at examination which may make the Council more vulnerable to speculative and unwanted planning applications.

The signed document increases Blaby District’s annual housing need for 20202036 from 346 homes to 687 homes per year, an increase in 341 homes annually. No additional employment land has been allocated to the area. A comprehensive method to distribute the unmet need has been used to calculate the 346-home figure.

Everyone aged 4-12 can join in – just ask at the library counter for your passport, stickers and other prizes, and all you have to do is read six books and visit the library three times over the summer! More details are on the Leicestershire Libraries AnotherWebsite.thing you can put in your diary is our book and cake sale on August 27th, featuring Lisa’s Luscious Lumps of Cake and a whole lot of second-hand books at amazingly low prices! Come and have a look – you might find a title that’s just your sort of thing, accompanied by a slab of cake that is very much your sort of thing! All proceeds will go towards meeting the library’s running costs. Library (and café!) users will be pleased to know that, from September 7th, we will be open for an extra hour on Wednesday mornings, from 10am-1pm. You may also be pleased to know that our monthly Cuppa and Chat mornings, where we meet from 10.30-11.30 to enjoy a free cup of coffee and a chat with our neighbours, is becoming well-established now, so if you don’t get out to meet people very often, you’ll find a warm welcome at the library. Cuppas are served on the second Friday, every month. We’d like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to Bradgate Rotary for donating the two lovely new easy chairs in the children’s area. The Rotary have supported us financially since we opened and I know they’d like you to come and sit on their chairs as you read a book with your significant youngsters. We rely a lot of the generosity of donors like Bradgate Rotary and the local Co-ops. Finally, some statistics. No, come back, they aren’t boring! Did you know that Groby Library has consistently had some of the most active users in the county of Leicestershire this year? That’s you! And you’ve been coming in for some of the most popular books currently available. At the time of writing, we have eight of the top ten The Sunday Times Bestsellers fiction paperbacks and two of the hardbacks! So you can come in and borrow, or request, any of these:

In womanwasCatherine1954/5Astonayoungstudying to become a teacher, and she decided to write a profile of Groby as one of her projects. This was before the days of word processors or digital cameras, so she included a number of line drawings and added a number of her watercoloursown of local buildings. The paintings were for toyears.subsequenthasmuchwhichaShethatgoneGrobyrecordedthedescribingSheandaofincapturematter.butgreatintendedpurposesillustrativeandnottobeworksofart,thatdoesn’tTheyamomenttimeinthelifeGroby,havecertaincharm,aredelightful.includedtexteachofscenes,andviewsofthathaveandmanyhavesurvived.alsopaintedvillagemapshowshowthevillagegrowninthe68Shewentonbecomeateacher

A VISIT TO Groby Community Library can be even more enjoyable if you can make time for a cup of coffee and a piece of cake. But there are other reasons to linger, especially if you are interested in old Groby.

MURDER BEFORE EVENSONG Richard Coles ESCAPE James Patterson and David Ellis APPLES NEVER FALL Liane Moriarty A SLOW FIRE BURNING Paula Hawkins WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING Delia Owens THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE Richard Osman IT ENDS WITH US Colleen Hoover HOW TO KILL YOUR FAMILY Bella Mackie NEVER Ken Follett UGLY LOVE Colleen Hoover Wow! That’s what I call a literary treasure trove! See you in the library! Dave Robinson

Coffee, cake, and a trip back to Groby in 1954

and met Groby resident Sylvia Beck at St Mary de Castro church, where Catherine was active and included providing illustrations for articles in the church magazine. She wanted her project to remain in the village and gave it to Sylvia, who subsequently arranged for it to be made available at the reference section of Groby Library. If you’ve wondered how Groby looked when it was still a small village nearly 70 years ago, just call in at the library and take a look at Catherine’s project. Coffee and cake are optional. But nice! Norman Griffiths

58 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 Library News

IF YOU’VE BEEN on holiday on a desert island, you may not have noticed that this year’s Summer Reading Challenge has started at Groby Library.

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BOOK

School governors play an important role in leading our school They set the strategic vision and direction, approve the budget and hold the senior leadership team to account.

Want to make a difference in your community by volunteering as a school governor?

Why not look at our website: www.martinshaw.leics.sch.uk

MARTINSHAW Primary School, Groby is looking for a School Governor.

writer Gary Lachman has been recording his own precognitive dreams for forty years. In this unique and intriguing book, Lachman recounts the discovery that he dreams ‘ahead of time’, and argues convincingly that this extraordinary ability is, in fact, shared by all of us.

Our school Governing Body is made up of Governors from all walks of life and come to us through a variety of routes and with a range of different backgrounds, skills and experiences, but they are all volunteers who work together for the benefit of the School and are the link between the School and the community it serves and anyone over the age of 18 can be a governor and you don’t need to be a parent. It would be helpful if the applicant has a knowledge of the local community and with a children’s/young person’s &/or health services background but not essential. Are you what are we looking for?

The benefits of being a governor are immense but: Can you bring to the School your professional skills and experience in strategic planning, chairing, financial planning, and team working? Do you like building relationships and networks in your locality and supporting children and young people in your community.

Find out more about the role by contacting: Chair of Governors Peter Griffin: pgriffin.gov@martinshaw.leics.sch.uk

Dreaming Ahead of Time: Experiences with Precognitive Dreams, Synchronicity and Coincidence

Dreaming Ahead of Time is a personal exploration of precognition, synchronicity and coincidence drawing on the work of thinkers including J.W. Dunne, J.B. Priestly and C.G. Jung. Lachman’s description and analysis of his own experience introduces readers to the uncanny power of our dreaming minds, and reveals the illusion of our careful distinctions between past, present and future. BLURB

By Gary RENOWNEDLachmanesoteric

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THIS YEAR to help raise funds for Adapt, the hospital based charity which supports premature and poorly babies at the LRI and General hospital, I am undertaking a 50 km walk in London. With the easing of restrictions it seems the best option to join an organised event which will be held over the weekend 10th to 11th September 2022.

GROBY POSTAL WORKER

Sue Williams, ADAPT Development Coordinator, said “When the COVID pandemic hit the Midlands all our events and activities had to be cancelled. Sponsored walks organised by parents, local tombolas, cake sales, local shows where we could sell new and nearly new items were stopped and whilst we were no different to other local charities this made a huge huge difference to our funds. As a local charity, ADAPT Prembabies rely solely on donations and grants as we get no funding from the Government or the NHS. The COVID pandemic also had a profound effect on the neonatal units where only one person was allowed on the neonatal units to visit their new baby. This was a very difficult time for not only the parents but also the grandparents, siblings and friends of the family. This made the support we gave to parents even more needed and we did whatever we could to try and help parents and families through this very rough time but also being very conscious of the fact that the more we were needed the more we had to watch our finances with nothing much coming our way. But we battled through, applying for every COVID grant going and were delighted to be awarded two small grants to help keep us afloat. Now that COVID is settling and organisations and charities like us can start and move forward again, we are absolutely delighted that Simon is able to continue fundraising for Adapt. All my fund raising events have always received fantastic support during the last 15 years from family, friends, residents of Groby and Royal Mail for which I am extremely grateful. Hopefully, this year’s challenge will be just as successful. If you would like to sponsor me then please catch me on my post round in Groby or pop into Groby Post Office. For more information to donate to Adapt call Sue Williams, Trustee, on 01455 459523 / 07739 504783 or visit www. prembabies.co.uk. Simon Moore

SIMON TO WALK 50KM FOR ADAPT CHARITY

REGARDLESS of your answer, we‘re all certainly capable of it. In fact, we, YOU, are the source of peace. You are, ultimately, the source of all your feelings, and, when you have the ability of anger, confusion and sadness - you also hold the possibility for calm, clarity and contentment. Every single day we make choices.Everysingle day we sow seeds for our future. Are you truly aware of these gifts, and are you fulfilling them? This means living in the moment and taking accountability.Yesterdayishistory and tomorrow‘s a mystery - how you think and behave today, right now, toward yourself and toward others, this is what matters. We are all both good and bad. We have things we don‘t like about ourselves as well as beautiful qualities. Sometimes we benefit from a reminder that we are in charge of nurturing hope and gratitude; rather than feeding into our disappointments and bitterness.It‘spossibly a lot easier, considering the way a majority of society is arranged, to focus on the bad. But we‘re all blessed with an inner-strengthcheck right now, it‘s there waiting inside of you to be called upon - and we can always keep choosing another way. Are you prepared to better understand yourself? I recently took part in the Prem Rawat Foundation‘s Peace Education Program Collection, which has been designed for that exact purpose. And I‘m now working closely with Kamla, founder of Celebrate Our Similarities, to bring this opportunity to the Glenfield Community, because I feel it to be so very beneficial. Plus the PEP is free! (Fee dependent on venue hire) This „education“ experience differed from any approach I‘ve encountered so far, with each of the ten topics consisting of a variety of video clips including animated stories, interviews with and international talks by the great Prem Rawat. There is no right or wrong answer and there is no test. Instead the PEP Collection, and delivery, provides a space for free and deep thinking, and if you feel like it, sharing of your thoughts and reflections. No matter your startingpoint, prior learning, or position in your journey, the PEP allows for outcomes that benefit every individual uniquely.Ihavegained so much from taking part and feel incredibly grateful to have been part of the pilot at De Montfort University. By next month I‘ll aim to announce the latest date and venue.

THANK YOU Groby for your generosity and support for Christian Aid Week 2022. A massive £4,270.49 was raised with a further £777.67 being raised through gift aid. Of this total £780 was donated via our Justgiving page and the rest via the red envelopes which were delivered to every home in the village.Over30 homes in the village were drop off points for donations, displaying posters in their windows. Also local businesses Classic Cuts Hairdressers, Chaplin’s Butchers and Laundon Way Co-op were drop off points again, and Groby Library was a first time drop off pointThanktoo.you everyone for helping in this way, it makes a real difference to some of world’s poorest people who are suffering from the effects of climate change. Money raised will help provide better water supplies, seeds and training in how to cultivate drought resistant crops. Chris Davies and Mary Pringle Churches Together in Groby Lindzi Mayann

Written for Joanna Lumley by award-winning comedy writer and journalist Jan Etherington, who herself has been married for 35 years. Jan has created and written many long-running radio and television series with her husband Gavin Petrie (Second Thoughts, Next of Kin, Faith in the Future) and has written sketches for Radio 4’s Ayres on the Air, but this is her first soloscripted, half-hour comedy. She says: “Conversations from a Long Marriage will resonate with couples of any age but especially those who are still dancing in the kitchen, singing in the car and trying to keep the passion alive.” Available on BBC Sounds.

Christian Aid Week

Conversations from a Long Marriage - a podcast you may like Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam play a couple who have been married for over 40 years. Children of the Sixties, they’re still free spirits, drawn together by their passion for music – and each other. The show follows their conversations that take them from the local café, to their kitchen table, taking in her resentment of new glasses - a symbol of ageing - and fury at being lectured by the dental hygienist. He has a dodgy knee and is on statins, and when they discuss the marriage break-up of their closest friends, Sally and Peter, there’s jealousy and talk of affairs. She suggests there are advantages to single beds, separate holidays and wants to go clubbing in Ibiza for her imminent ‘big’ birthday. When a couple stop kissing each other, the marriage is in trouble, she believes. ‘What it says in the Shoop Shoop Song is so true. It IS in his kiss!’

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Do you feel peace within you?

• 2 tbsp olive oil (choose a good quality fruity one)

• 50g butter, softened

4. Slice each monkfish fillet and arrange with the potatoes, peppers and tomatoes on four warmed serving plates. Spoon over the pan juices and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

TIP Replace the peppers with sliced courgettes, chunks of celery and baby button mushrooms, if liked.

• 4 monkfish fillets (each weighing about 150g)

• 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks

• 1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tbsp fresh chopped oregano

• 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks

• 225g small plum tomatoes, halved

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.

2. Add the peppers and tomatoes to the roasting tin and toss to coat in the hot oil. Make a space in the tin and add the monkfish fillets. Return the roasting tin to the oven for 10 minutes.

Serves: 2 Ready in: 50 mins

RECIPE

3. Dot the butter over the fish fillets and sprinkle over the lemon rind, juice and oregano. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and roast for a further 5-10 minutes until the fish is just cooked through and the potatoes and peppers are tender.

Ingredients

This is a great one-pan dish full of fresh flavour. Monkfish is quite pricey but the meaty flesh is delicious and bakes really well, however you can replace it with cod loin, salmon steaks or thick pieces of haddock fillet if you prefer. Serve with a green salad and warmed ciabatta bread to mop up all the lovely herb and lemon flavoured pan juices.

• 350g small new potatoes, halved

Place the oil in a large non-stick roasting tin and heat in the oven for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes to the tin and toss to coat in the hot oil. Roast for 20 minutes, turning once.

• Pared rind and juice from 1 small lemon, plus extra wedges to serve

Mediterranean Fish Bake

63SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 Friday September 2 2022 | 7pm markfieldmethodistchurch www.markfieldmethodistchurch.org Book in advance via website (preferred) OR / Tel 07979 607 099 Doors open at 6.30pm Tickets | £12 Adults - £6 ChildU16s Domonkos Csabay MarkfieldRecitalsMethodistpresents Piano Recital

64 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022

Markfield Community and Sports Centre News

After months of planning we had got the bunting was up but we were anxiously keeping an eye on the weather as it had been a rather soggy, wet and cold week. We had a bit of a panic at 11.15am when I got a sudden call from the RAF Memorial Flight saying that, because of weather conditions elsewhere in the country, the fly past would now take place at about 2.15pm. This was the third time that times had changed but the good news was that, instead of a Hurricane, we would now be getting a Spitfire. Once again, we had to “scramble” to let as many people know as possible. At 14.10 hours the Spitfire suddenly zoomed out of the sky over the Community Centre with its iconic engine noise roaring away. It circled round the Community Centre three times with cheers from the crowd before flying off into the horizon. It was a not to be forgotten and awesome sight. Apologies to those of you who missed it but we had no control over the weather.

THE QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE CELEBRATION

IT SEEMS a long time since we held our Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations at the Community Centre on Saturday 4th June.

I can only describe the turn out on the day as brilliant and it made it all worthwhile. There must have been at least three hundred people who came along during the afternoon. Initially we had over 100 Jubilee souvenir flags to give out to the children but these were all gone within the first hour. It was great to see all the local people gathered on the grass outside the Centre listening to music played by Baily from Big City Entertainments, some even brought along their own picnic, chairs and brollies just in case. Fortunately, the weather was quite kind being a bit cloudy but no rain. The Centre itself was packed. Kids enjoyed a huge inflatable obstacle course which nearly filled the whole of the sports hall. Hot food and refreshments were gratefully provided by Jo Norwood and her family. There was also an opportunity for children to make their own Jubilee rosettes and of course the boys enjoyed playing football on the outdoor sports area. Prior to the day we had grown 100 sunflower plants. These were given away free on the day however, any donations made would go to the DEC Ukraine Appeal. Amazingly all the plants went and we raised over £100 for the appeal. So, if you did take one away and it is still growing, please send us photographs as there will be a prize for the tallest sunflower grown. During the afternoon we also planted a celebration Silver Birch Tree to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Our guest of honour was villager Pat Fossey who is just a few years younger than the Queen herself. Pat came along with her family and with a regal wave of the hand proudly tipped the first trowel of soil into the hole to start the tree planting process. At the same time, we buried a time capsule. The contents of the time capsule is a secret and will only be revealed when the capsule is dug up in hopefully many years to come. I can tell you that it does contains photographs, a copy of the Herald and other bits and bobs that reflect on our current life and times. It also contains a good will message for the future residents of Markfield. Judith Lincoln the Minister of Markfield Trinity Methodist Church kindly blessed the tree which we all hope will still be flourishing for decades to come. I have to say that, due to the present lack of rain and the water shortages we have been taking watering can loads of water down to the tree to keep it well watered and thriving. We must sincerely thank villagers Mac, who made the plinth for the commemoration plaque, Gregg who dug the hole for the tree, all the children who excitedly helped us refill the hole and of course Markfield Community Association who provided the tree itself. Most of all we thank all you residents who came along to make it a special day for the village.

– robust exercise work-out sessions Weight

–DONATIONS

MAYFLOWER CLUB CELEBRATIONS

ALTHOUGH

to help with their supplies. If you have any donations of non-perishable food or other items, please drop them off at the centre or call us on 07885 243033. NATIONAL BLOOD SERVICE DATES Wednesday 31st August Wednesday 26th October Wednesday 21st December All sessions are from 11.30am to 9pm For bookings and enquiries please contact Markfield Community and Sports Centre,Mayflower Close, Markfield LE67 9ST on 01530 242240 or email markfieldcomunitycentre@hotmail.co.uk or you can visit our website www.markfield communitycentre.com to view our facilities, latest news, photo gallery and information about the Centre. Ron and Dawn Grantham Info:ForWhere?When?more A Love to Move is the first cognitive enhancement exercise programme of its kind in the UK, based on scientific research. Groby Community Centre Forest Rise Groby LE6 0BD An engaging seated exercise programme designed to improve balance, co ordination, strength, cognition and wellbeing. Physical and emotional benefits designed to get you moving more. Hazel 07817303018 Wednesdayhappyhome07@hotmail.co.uk11.1512.15 LOVE TO MOVE

NEW AT THE CENTRE Centre.contactpleaseinformation,furtherrequireso,thestartingsessionsFOLLOWINGTHEareatCentreifyouthe Love to

Gentle exercise to keep you fit and moving

– to help you keep trim MARKFIELD

If you are interested in joining in, the Mayflower Club meets on Wednesday afternoons and our Friendship and Arts and Crafts Clubs meet on Monday afternoons all from 2pm to 4pm. Just turn up on the day and you will be most welcome. Move –Boxercise Watchers GOOD NEIGHBOUR’S SCHEME FOR FOOD BANK the scheme is still there if you need any help, we are now starting to concentrate on the current cost of living crisis especially the cost of food and other essential We have started to collect donated items which we will deliver to Coalville food bank

MARKFIELD DEFIBRILLATOR SCHEME

• Words & pictures from Ron & Dawn Grantham

65SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 Tel: 01530 242240 • www.markfieldcommunitycentre.com

THE CENTRE’S DefibSafe cabinet and defibrillator are now located outside the main entrance of the Community Centre. It is ready to use by the public in the unfortunate event of an emergency. Don’t be afraid to use it. Once again, many thanks to Charles Poole of the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust and Robert Quiney the lead on the Markfield Defibrillator Project for all their support and advice in helping us get this important facility up and running.

items.

SUCH WAS the desire of our members to celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee we had to have two special Jubilee events that both took place during the afternoon of Wednesday 1st June. One event was at Ulverscroft Manor with a celebration dinner and the other at the Centre with a royal tea party. In both cases members of the “Markfield Royal family” i.e. Queen Dinah and Prince John came along and joined in celebrations with members wearing their Union Jack hats and waving their Jubilee flags. All members also received a special sunflower plant to mark the occasion. On the 29th June we held our annual “Wimbledon” Swing ball tennis championship but this time with a difference. Competitors were required to hit the ball as many times as they could whilst wearing “beer goggle glasses”. Wearing the glasses certainly made it more difficult and even funnier. John and Helen emerged as the eventual champions. Members also enjoyed a bowl of strawberries and cream and burnt off the calories with a taster session of Love to Move gentle armchair exercise. During June and July, we also had bingo and beetle drive sessions, a trip to Sunnyside Nursery for afternoon tea. I gave a talk on what it was like growing up in a Cotswold village during the 1950’s with childhood memories of sledges, soap boxes, old television programmes, playing in the fields and woods and many more memories that brought back smiles and laughter. How times have changed!! Our Arts and Crafts club has now gone onto doing crochet work with the more experienced making their own ponchos and the others making crochet squares to turn into blankets etc.

66 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022

• Almost two thirds of older generations adopted a clear, strict style of parenting

inconsistentwithraisingrelaxedagreeinghalfregion,generationsthanaretheparentingrevealsresearchthatmodernstylesinEastMidlandsmorelenientpreviousinthewithalmost(47percent)theytakeaapproachtotheirchildren,veryfeworrules.Thisisastark

Lars B Andersen, Managing Director at My Nametags, comments: “At My Nametags we speak to parents and grandparents every day. We were interested to find out how parenting has changed throughout the generations because we know that life has changed so drastically in the last 30 years.

• Almost half of modern parents in the East Midlands set few or inconsistent rules for their children

“Whilst there may be fewer rules in place, it doesn’t mean that modern parents are hands-off. Instead, families today prioritise spending quality time together and developing children’s soft skills.”

These significant differences between parenting styles are reflected in the fact that almost a third (31 percent) feel uncomfortable with their own parents looking after their children.

Visit the My Nametags website to find out more about the differences in parenting styles across the generations.

• Over 70 percent of parents in the region claim they spend more quality time with their children than their parents did with them

67SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022

• 74 percent feel they show more love and affection than their parents did contrast to the previous generation, with almost two thirds (65 percent) of parents claiming that their own parents took a strict and clear approach to rules when they were growing up. This is demonstrated in day-today life. Over half (55 percent) of modern parents are more relaxed about what their children eat and drink than their own parents were, whilst around two fifths (39 percent) don’t expect their children to help with household chores. Instead, modern parents in the East Midlands are focussed on spending time with their children and supporting them emotionally. The study, which was commissioned amongst parents in the UK by leading name label manufacturer My Midlandsofreveals(https://www.mynametags.com/),NametagsthatalmostthreequartersmodernparentsintheEastbelievetheymakemore effort to spend quality time with their children (74 percent) than their parents did with them. Parents also feel as though they show more love and affection to their children (74 percent) and insist on more family activities than their own parents did (74 percent). As a result, almost three quarters (74 percent) feel their children can be more open and honest with them than they could be with their own parents. This is reflected in parents’ actions, with the research highlighting some stark differences between the generations in the East Midlands. Whilst previous generations were more likely to support their children practically, by teaching their children to ride a bike (50 percent), buying ingredients for home economics at school (43 percent) and mending damaged clothing (43 percent), modern parents are more likely to spend quality time with their children. For instance, they are twice as likely to do arts and crafts at home (68 percent) and play imaginative games (52 percent) with their children than their parents were with them.

New

Research Reveals Modern Parents in the East Midlands Are the Most Lenient in History

The speaker at the meeting on Thursday 18th August is Kath Reynolds - ‘Goose Grease and Brown Paper’ which sounds very interesting!

68 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022

IN THE BUSINESS part of the meeting, we discussed our 70th birthday anniversary next year and how we could celebrate it. Various venues were suggested and the Committee will make a decision where we will celebrate this momentous milestone.Diane’sCorner is going strong with trips to see Billy Elliott, Mama Mia and The Wizard of Oz planned.

THE SPEAKERS at our July meeting were Bob Neal and his assistant whose name I didn’t note, so apologies to her! The subject was ‘Bits and Bobs from Granny’s Kitchen’. Bob’s interest in collecting these obscure items began when he came across his Grandfather’s shop ledger from 1928. A lamp chimney was 9d, one length of wick was 1d, cycles were also repaired and petrol was sold at 4s 10d for four gallons. I’m sure we all wish we could go back to those ‘old money’ petrol prices! For this meeting we were in small groups sat on individual tables, various numbered items were passed round and we had to guess what they were. It proved to be a fascinating from Ruth Rolinson exercise and I think guesswork played a big part in identifying the twenty items in the quiz! It isn’t easy to see the individual items on the photographs but they included a codswalloper for knocking a marble into a cod bottle, a skirt hem lifter, a tablet counter, a stair carpet clip, a pen nib cleaner, a small wooden darning implement for mending gloves, a dolly for making pork pies, a glove stretcher and a wine tasting cup (which I guessed correctly, having seen it recently on Bargain Hunt)! Bob had a book published by Dalesman titled ‘What On Earth Is It’ for anyone wishing to look up these items from the past. I had taken in an item which sits on my hearth, a cast iron trivet which belonged to my great grandmother, which was used to rest her hot iron on. Bob was quite keen to take it for his collection but I’m afraid it has great sentimental value to me and remains on my hearth!.

Initially, when we resumed our WI meetings after Covid, we wore our masks and sat at the required distance apart and did not sing ‘Jerusalem’. Gradually the rules relaxed but we did not resume singing. Lyn Mellor suggested at this meeting that the singing of ‘Jerusalem’ should be resumed as it is very much a part of the WI and it was unanimously agreed that we would do this at our next meeting.

Groby WI News

69SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022

•

The Do-Over by Sharon M. Peterson “Look, you’re a nice girl but I don’t think we should see each other anymore.” The voicemail ends and I freeze in the dentist’s chair as I realize… I’ve just been dumped on live radio. It took the most humiliating break-up for me to see that my life is in serious need of a do-over. Cue my anti New Year’s resolutions that even I can’t fail at:

• Stop dating. (Men are the worst.)

•

Euro 2022 Final England 2 Germany 1 Please see our on-line links below for up to date information. !!!"#$%&'(()"%(*+,-.$/0,-1!!!"$%234%2/&$45(3"%(*+%234%2+6678 1! 23'' 4#5 6 76''! !" #$% &''( )&# *+,-,.%)/ *%++$-. $- +-)#'-* +/')*' .'0.12'**)3' #$%- &)2' )&( 4$2' .'/'+4$&' &%25'- .$ back.!"# !$ !!& #'"#&) !" *+,*+*-./00 !"#$"% &'(%)*%+ &%( ,$-%& ./"+)0& or after live service 12##23 /& 2 4) %5226 12( *2(% $"12(*)'$2" )"+ +) 0 72&'& '2 &/772(' 8 %"-2/()9% 02/ during "$# === ")>'5$$? >$213-$5#%->1 Services in church every Sunday at 10am see below. Telephone church every Sunday at 11 !"#$%& !"' () *+,-$%. 0116 2396520 On line Compline every Tuesday 9pm via Facebook page Every Wednesday at 930am Communion 19th June 8am Communion, 9.30am Morning Worship, 4pm Super Sunday 26th June 9.30am Communion, 6pm Evensong 3rd July 9.30am All Age Worship. 6pm Communion 10th July9.30am Welcome service with communion for Rev’d Riffat 6pm Evensong 17th July 8am Communion, 9.30am Morning Worship. 4pm Super Sunday (Tel

•

•

• Stop trying to live up to unrealistic expectations. (Start living my best life.)

•

• Stop working so hard. (Selling mortgages is not my dream career.)

BOOK BLURB

The England Women‘s football team in stats Here‘s the rundown on the key numbers... England have won 18 and drawn two of their last 20 international matches since Sarina Wiegman took over Wiegman is the first coach to lead two different teams to the Euro title, and the first foreign coach to win a final England have overtaken Germany‘s record of 21 goals at a women‘s Euro - their final winner was their 22nd goal of the tournament Beth Mead finished as top scorer with six goals and five assists The crowd of 87,192 was the highest-ever for a women‘s national team match in Europe 0333 0164 757 Room No 10336316# pin No 1920# call charged at local rate) Except 10th July for Riffat’s welcome service.

• Stop trying to please my mother. (It’s not possible.) But it turns out number five is harder than I thought, as she begins her campaign to get me back with my ex. So, what’s the perfect solution to keep her out of my love life? An imaginary boyfriend—at least he was supposed to be imaginary until I blurted out my neighbor’s name…

• Stop trying to lose weight. (I’m never giving up chocolate.)

Nate, the bad boy next door with gorgeous hazel eyes, a razorsharp jawline and a mysterious scar, might be hot, but he’s definitely not my boyfriend. Now all I need to do is stick to my resolutions while also keeping my interfering family away from my non-existent lover who has no idea that we’re fake dating. What could possibly go wrong?

• OUR MONTHLY MEETINGS will resume in September with a talk by John Gibson on ‘Making The Most Of Your Bulbs’. All are welcome to come along to our meetings. You don’t have to be a member. We meet at 7.30pm on the fourth Tuesday of the month in St Peter’s Church Hall. Yearly membership is just £14 or you can come for the evening for £2.50, an absolute gardening bargain and there is always tea and biscuits. Check out our facebook page for more details: www.facebook.com/ggaglenfield/ or ring us on 07791 488784 or 0116 231 3732 or 0116 232 1120.

Gardens are positively blooming now and there are lots of glorious gardens open to visitors. We enjoyed a group outing to White House Farm near Ingarsby. There were some lovely borders, water features and topiary to admire. All finished off with a delicious afternoon tea.

70 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022

Countdown to the Annual Show!

The GlenfieldAssociationGardeners’

WE HAD a very enjoyable and informative meeting in June. Neil Timms brought along lots of his unusual ferns from his nursery and gave us a brief history of ferns and tips on how to use them in our gardens. He demonstrated how versatile ferns are and a buying frenzy ensued for some of his more unusual ones.

Excitement is building for the annual show on Saturday 20th August. Not long now and we hope everyone has been busy with their crafty creations. We’re looking for a ‘vase of crafty flowers’ or a ‘decorated tin can’. Still time to snap your photos of a landscape or seascape. To commemorate 150 years since the first show in Glenfield, we are replicating the floral arch from that first show. Members will show off their own garden blooms. We can’t wait to see and hang your gardening themed bunting too. There will be a plant stall for those looking for a plant or two to refresh their borders and there will be a raffle and gorgeous cakes and tea accompanied by traditional vintage music. For those wanting to enter the competition classes, items can be brought down on Friday evening from 7pm. Experienced, friendly members will be there to help you set up. Everyone is welcome to enter and if anyone would like to help out, setting up or on the day, then please do get in touch. We appreciate any help from our local community.

71SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022

Unfortunately we couldn’t have picked a worse day for it. The event ran from 12-3pm and that’s when the rain decided to join us too! However, the stall holders were still keen to sell their ‘junk’ and a few hardy folk came to find their ‘treasure’ so it wasn’t all a washout. Thank you so much to everyone that still took part and those who had a stroll round. I hope you didn’t get too wet. It was lovely meeting everyone as I walked round and great to hear everyone being so positive about the event. Most people suggested we should make this a regular event, so watch this space. I’ll make sure I book the sun for the day though next time! Follow our Facebook page or check out our website for future events & news about The Glenfield Millennium Green. Just search ‘Glenfield Millennium Green’. Tracy Shearer

OUR WEEKLY Tuesday Brew About You Coffee morning 9.30 to 11.30 has been a resounding success. There isn’t a charge, however there is a plate for donations.

Circular Benefice Walk: Saturday, 17th September

IF YOU enjoy walking, why not join us on Saturday, 17th September on the Benefice Walk of about 8 miles through beautiful countryside visiting some of our local churches: St Peter’s in Thornton, St Michaels in Markfield, St Mary’s in Stanton, the Quiet Garden at the site of Holy Rood, Bagworth, and, if we are not too tired, Cross Hills Baptist Church. The walk starts at the Lychgate at St Peter’s Church in Thornton (LE67 1AA) and heads to Markfield following the Leicestershire Round through Brown’s Wood.From here our path takes us to Stanton, and then onto Bagworth, and finally back to Thornton through the new woodlands. We will leave Thornton at 11 am. You will need to bring drinks and a packed lunch. Footwear suitable for walking is necessary. There are options if you don’t want to do the complete walk. If you would like more information or to let us know you are joining us, please contact William & Shirley on 01530 230422.

VERY FIRST YARD SALE

Markfield CommunityCongregationalChurchNews

ON SATURDAY 2nd July

The Brantings (the area around Glenfield Millennium Green) hosted their very first Yard Sale.

Clive Berry

THE BRANTINGS’

For anyone who hasn’t met our new minister yet, Rev Dr Rob Hunter, these events would be a good opportunity to meet him and in general have a great fun time together. I am sure you will find him to be a warm, friendly and very interesting person.

11 Sept 22 St Michaels and All Angels, Markfield 10.30am Holy Communion St Peter's, Copt Oak 3.00pm Praise Service (Service of the Word)

DATE CHURCH TIME SERVICE

Bobbin Lace classes at Groby Village Hall

BOBBIN LACE is a craft that is slowly seeing a revival along with other crafts such as knitting and dressmaking. As with most crafts, having someone to help you with the basics is a big help. Bobbin lace classes are being held at Groby Village Hall, Leicester Road , Groby, LE6 0DQ on Tuesday evenings and Wednesday mornings. They are suitable for beginners and those with someEquipmentknowledge.canbe borrowed for a short period to see if bobbin lace is for them and the first week is free as a taster session. A beginner’s bobbin lace kit is available for purchase from the tutor as it is difficult to purchase from Leicester shops. The cost of each session works out at £3 approx per week for 34 weeks. For further information, email susanmarlow47@ btinternet.com or phone 0116 236 5789.

St Peter's, Copt Oak 3.00pm Praise Service (Service of the word) St Peter's, Thornton 10.30am Morning Prayer

Article for Community Magazines.

Bobbin lace classes are being held at Groby Village Hall, Leicester Road , Groby, LE6 0DQ on Tuesday evenings and Wednesday mornings. They are suitable for beginners and those with some knowledge. Equipment can be borrowed for a short period to see if bobbin lace is for t hem and the first week is free as a taster session.

Details

A beginners bobbin lace kit is available for purchase from the tutor as it is difficult to purchase from Leicester shops. The cost of each session works out at £3 approx per week for 34 weeks.

Those who remember 1976 (I was around then but too young to remember) have been reminiscing about that legendary year. An article in the “i” newspaper however argued that it “wasn’t just summer”, but a warning sign of climate change already happening. Coningsby shouldn’t get hotter than Karachi. Climate change may seem like yet another thing to worry about, on top of Covid, Ukraine, and the cost of living. Or indeed, something to feel guilty about- and guilt can be paralysing. We may also wonder what we as ordinary individuals can do. But maybe the natural world, and the Bible, tell us something helpful. One lone wild animal can be vulnerable- but as a pack or family, they are strong. The apostle Paul talks about us being each part of the “Body of Christ”nobody can build God’s kingdom on their own, but every individual, giving what they can to the team, is essential. I hope that we can all, like the pack of animals, the hive of bees, the Body of Christ, each do what we can to care for our planet- and that together we can make a difference.

St Mary's, Stanton under Bardon 10.30am Morning Prayer

Bobbin lace classes are being held at Groby Village Hall, Leicester Road , Groby, LE6 0DQ on evenings and Wednesday mornings. They are suitable for beginners and those with some Equipment can be borrowed for a short period to see if bobbin lace is for t hem and the first as a taster session. A beginners bobbin lace kit is available for purchase from the tutor as it is difficult to purchase Leicester shops. The cost of each session works out at £3 approx per week for 34 weeks.

For further information, email susanmarlow47@btinternet.com or phone 0116 2365789

Photos that may be suitable to accompany the article.

Bobbin Lace Bobbin lace is a craft that is slowly seeing a revival along with other crafts such as knitting dressmaking. As with most crafts, having someone to help you with the basics is a big help.

72 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 Dear much.heatwavethatofsummer-MANYFriends,OFUSlovebutmostuswouldagreemid-July’swasabit

For further information, email susanmarlow47@btinternet.com or phone 0116 2365789

Photos that may be suitable to accompany the article.

St Peter's, Copt Oak 6.00pm Holy Communion St Peter's, Thornton 10.30am All Age Service

St Peter's, Thornton 10.30am Holy Communion St Mary's, Stanton under Bardon 10.30am SomethingServiceDifferent 4 Sept 22 St Michaels and All Angels, Markfield 10.30am J22 Worship

Bobbin Lace Bobbin lace is a craft that is slowly seeing a revival along with other crafts such as knitting and dressmaking. As with most crafts, having someone to help you with the basics is a big help.

Article for Community Magazines.

21 August 22 St Michaels and All Angels, Markfield 3.00pm Ulverscroft Service with Holy Communion St Peter's, Copt Oak 3.00pm Ulverscroft Service with Holy Communion St Peter's, Thornton 3.00pm Ulverscroft Service with Holy Communion St Mary's, Stanton under Bardon 3.00pm Ulverscroft Service with Holy Communion

St Mary's, Stanton under Bardon 10.30am Holy Communion

Judith Lincoln Minister, Trinity Methodist Church, FBwww.markfieldmethodistchurch.orgMarkfieldMarkfieldMethodistChurch of some Local Church Services

St Peter's, Thornton 10.30am J22 Worship with Holy Communion St Mary's, Stanton under Bardon 10.30am Morning Prayer

14 August 22 St Michaels and All Angels, Markfield 10.30am Holy Communion

28 August 22 St Michaels and All Angels, Markfield 3.00pm Holy Communion St Peter's, Copt Oak 6.00pm Evening Prayer

• I compared the size of our onebedroom suite to our friends‘ threebedroom and ours was significantly smaller.

If you feel the need of a change of scenery & a bit of companydon’t be on your own. Why not join us in the Methodist Church for an afternoon of music, singing and friendship - with refreshments, at 2 o’clock on the 2nd & 4th Thursday of each month. For more information please contact Linda on 01530 242607. We extend a warm welcome to everyone to join us for worship and all our church activities.

• They should not allow topless sunbathing on the beach. It was very distracting for my husband who just wanted to relax.

• It is your duty as a tour operator to advise us of noisy or unruly guests before we travel.

The Leicester Animal Aid Family Fun Day is back!

73SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 Catholic Church Of St Wilfrid Of York 53 London Road, Coalville, LE67 3JB Sunday Masses – Saturday 6 pm and Sunday 10 am. Weekday Masses – Monday and Thursday at 10 am in the Oratory in the presbytery. Please see Parish Newsletter on the Ventilation,website.withinternal and external doors open, is still in place, in the Church. Sacrament of Reconciliation You can book an appointment with Fr Gabriel to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation. Please call the presbytery to book an appointment – 01530 832098. Parish Contact Parish Priest: Fr Gabriel Offor – 01530 832098 www. stwilfspriest@gmail.com Parish Website: stwilfscoalville.blogspot.co.ukwww. School Details St Clare’s RC Primary School, Coalville: 01530 837747 Loughborough:Declares.leics.sch.ukwww.st-LisleRCCollege,01509268739www.delisle.leics.sch.uk Churches Together in Markfield United Services Sunday 23 August at 3 pm at Ulverscroft Priory – Anglican service. Please contact Margaret on 243292 if a lift is required. Sunday 18 September at 10.30 am at Trinity Methodist Church, Main St. Christian Aid Coffee Morning Saturday 17 September, 10 am to 12 noon, at the Trinity Methodist Church. Toasted teacakes, tombola, Red stall and cake stall. Everyone is most welcome. Village Contact: Margaret on 01530 243292 Services at Trinity Methodist Church Markfield www.markfieldmethodistchurch.orgFB:MarkfieldMethodistChurch Sunday 14th August 10.30 a.m. Morning worship Sunday 21st August 10.30 a.m. Morning worship 3.00 p.m. CTiM United Service at Ulverscroft Priory Sunday 26th August 10.30 a.m. Morning worship Sunday 4th September 10.30 a.m. Morning worship Sunday 11th September 10.30 a.m. Morning worship Sunday 18th September 10.30 a.m. Morning Worship CTiM United Service with Holy Communion Music Cafe Dates Thursday 25th August, 8th September, 22nd September

• My fiancée and I requested twin-beds when we booked, but instead we were placed in a room with a king bed. We now hold you responsible and want to be re-reimbursed for the fact that I became pregnant. This would not have happened if you had put us in the room that we booked.

• Although the brochure said that there was a fully equipped kitchen, there was no egg-slicer in the drawers.

• We booked an excursion to a water park but no-one told us we had to bring our own swimsuits and towels. We assumed it would be included in the price.

• I was bitten by a mosquito. The brochure did not mention mosquitoes.

• On my holiday to Goa in India, I was disgusted to find that almost every restaurant served curry. I don‘t like spicy food.•We went on holiday to Spain and had a problem with the taxi drivers as they were all Spanish.

• I think it should be explained in the brochure that the local convenience store does not sell proper biscuits like custard creams or ginger nuts.

COME ALONG to Pingles Pet Store, Barwell, LE9 8HW, on Saturday, 20th August from 11am-3pm for our Family Fun Day and Dog Show. Leicester Animal Aid (registered charity no 242560) is thrilled to re-introduce this event after what has felt like a very long time under the restrictions. It’s going to be fun for all the family – and that includes your dogs! We already have many great stalls confirmed, including jewellery, books, hook-a-duck, cakes, a mini waltzer, macrame, gifts and hand-made linens. There will also be a dog portrait artist and dog photographer in attendance. Activities for your canine friends to enjoy includes a full dog show, agility events and demonstrations. Tasty treats for humans will be available to buy including cakes, baked goods and gelati. And of course, visitors can find out more about, and support, the Charity where every year we care for around 400 dogs and cats who are lost, abandoned, neglected, unwanted or relinquished because their owners can no longer look after them. Our Dog Show starts at 12pm and visitors will be able to book their dog in from 11am. The Dog Show rounds are: best male dog, best female dog, golden oldie (8 and above), best puppy (1 year and under), waggiest tail, best rescue, most appealing eyes, best in show. Entries into the show cost £2.50 per round and rosettes will be awarded to winners and runners up. Prizes will also be awarded.Thereis plenty of parking at Pingles, and please pop into their store while you are there. There will be a small entry fee into the event and all monies raised will go towards helping cats and dogs (like Nala pictured below) in need of a second chance. We are looking forward to seeing you on the day! More information is available at leicesteranimalaid.org.uk

• It‘s lazy of the local shopkeepers in Puerto Vallartato close in the afternoons. I often needed to buy things during ‚siesta‘ time -- this should be banned.

ACTUAL COMPLAINTS RECEIVED BY A HOLIDAY COMPANY FROM DISSATISFIED CUSTOMERS

74 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 Glenwatch Bulletin

2 - If you think an email could be a scam, you can report it by forwarding the email

facebookglenwatch.org.ukorg.ukemailcyberaware.gov.ukprotectwww.actionfraud.police.ukandnotifyasprovidedit’stooriginproviderforwardforwardingtextcustomerspartchecked.they‘reevenanyreport@phishing.gov.uk.to:Sendemailsthatfeelsuspicious,ifyou‘renotcertainascam–theycanbe3-Mostphoneprovidersareofaschemethatallowstoreportsuspiciousmessagesforfreebyitto7726.Ifyouatextto7726,yourcaninvestigatetheofthetextandarrangeblockorbanthesender,iffoundtobemalicious.4-Ifyou’velostmoneyorpersonalinformationaresultofaphishingscam,yourbankimmediatelyreportittoActionFraud:Formoreadviceonhowtoyourselfonline,visit:YoucancontactGlenwatchbyatcontact@glenwatch.andonourwebsiteandourpage

Mike Salisbury Glenwatch Administrator

OVER THE last few months there have been a significant number of reports of both online and text scams reported on our facebook page (commonly known as phishing). So what is phishing and how does it work? You wouldn’t let a thief enter your home, but what if the thief was masquerading as someone familiar, such as a postman, and tricked you into opening the door? Phishing works in a similar waycriminals impersonate trusted organisations by againstperpetrateinformation,Oncetopeopleandlegitimate-lookingcreatingmessageswebsitesinordertotrickintoopeningthedoorstheirpersonalinformation.criminalshavethisitcanbeusedtofraudandcyberyou,orinyourname.

How big is the problem? Phishing attacks are a common problem faced by both individuals and businesses on a daily basis. As of 31st May 2022, the National Cyber Security Centre’s Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) has received over 12million reports from the public, and has removed over 83,000 scams and 153,000 malicious websites. The most impersonated organisations in phishing emails reported last year were the NHS, HMRC andMostGOV.UK.phoneproviders are part of a scheme that allows customers to report suspicious text messages for free by forwarding it to 7726. When a text is reported to 7726, the provider can investigate the origin of the text and arrange to block or ban the sender, if it’s found to be malicious. As of May 2022, 13,000 scams have been removed as a result of suspicious text messages reported using the 7726 service. How can you protect yourself from scams?phishing Most of the phishing scams reported to us have one thing in common, they started with an unexpected email or text message. Whether it’s an email asking you to “verify” your bank account details, or a text message claiming you’ve been in close contact with someone that’s got COVID, the goal of a phishing attack is usually the same - to trick you into revealing personal and financial information. Here’s some simple advice you can follow when it comes to dealing with phishing scams:1-Ifyou have any doubts about a message, contact the organisation directly. Don’t use the numbers or address in the message – use the details from their official website. Remember, your bank (or any other official source) will never ask you to supply personal information via email.

Comparatively, the Welsh counties of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, and Powys have seen the lowest numbers of van crimes, with just 50 recorded since 2018.Cumbria (86), Cleveland (550), North Yorkshire (654), and Cambridgeshire (783), were also amongst the UK areas with the fewest van thefts and break-ins. The Ford Transit is the van make and model that is most targeted by thieves across the country, according to the FOI data. In Hertfordshire alone 4,685 were targeted between 2018 and 2022, whilst in the UK’s number one area for reported van thefts and breakins, Leicestershire, a total of 1,874 Ford Transit’s were targeted. Other van makes and models that have proven most popular with thieves include the Mercedes Sprinter, Vauxhall Vivaro, and the Citroen Berlingo. While Leicestershire has the most reported van thefts, it does have a reasonable recovery rate, with 463 vans returned to their owners between 2018 and 2022 (which is a recovery rate of 4.4%). However, Cumbria police force lead the way having recovered a fifth (20%) of all the vans that were stolen in their area since 2018. At the other end of the table was Sussex Police, who were found to have the lowest recovery rate - just 3% (105) of vans stolen between 2018 and 2022 were returned to theiriComparioowner.

also surveyed 1,000 UK van drivers who use their vehicle for work purposes about the actions they take to secure their vehicle and its contents when not inTheyuse.discovered that three quarters (76%) knowingly leave themselves at risk to thieves, with just a quarter (24%) ensuring they park their van somewhere extra secure at night, where possible, and nearly half (45%) fail to simply lock their van when not in use. More than two thirds (77%) confess they don’t have an alarm or immobiliser installed within their vehicle, and a staggering 64% admitted they fail to remove any work-related tools and other valuable items from their van when it’s not being driven. Almost all of the UK van drivers surveyed (95%) admit they have still not secured the catalytic converter on their vehicle, despite thefts of this part increasing since the first Covid-19 lockdown began in March 2022¹.Leaving themselves open to further vulnerability, a substantial eight out of ten (81%) don’t park their van in a way that can make access and attempted theft harder, for example parking it against a wall or in a well-lit and overlooked area.Kerry Fawcett, Digital Director at iCompario said: “As experts in van insurance, whether using your vehicle for work or leisure, we recommend taking plenty of precautions to protect your vehicle. By failing to do so, you risk not only leaving yourself open potential thieves, but you may also invalidate your insurance when having to make a claim. “Much like the regular vehicle maintenance checks that should be made like topping up your oil or checking your tyre pressure, making the time each day to ensure you van is parked safely and securely when not in use should be at the forefront of every van driver’s mind.”

75SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 Leicestershire named the UK’s van theft and break-in hotspot Van Theft and Break-Ins: The UK Hotspots 1. Leicestershire 10,494 2. Hertfordshire 9,740 3. Avon and Somerset 6,832 4. Surrey 5,145 5. South Wales 3,919 6. Derbyshire 3,724 7. Northamptonshire 3,523 8. Sussex 3,180 9. West Midlands 2,974 10. Dorset 2,591 11. Cheshire 1,830 12. Staffordshire 1,448 13. Gwent 1,362 14. South Yorkshire 1,226 15. Nottinghamshire 1,130

EXPERTS AT iCompario sent FOI requests to police forces across the country, in a bid to discover the UK’s van theft and break-in hotspots

Figures collated as part of a recent freedom of information request have revealed the UK’s van theft and break-in hotspots, with Leicestershire coming out on top in the new study. The experts at iCompario sent out FOI requests to police forces across the country to discover the number of vans that were reported as stolen or broken into between 2018-2022. They also survey 1,000 van drivers on their vehicle security habits.

The findings placed Leicestershire as the UK’s number one van break-in or theft hotspot, with 10,494 van crimes recorded between 2018 and 2022.

According to the figures shared by Leicestershire Police, some of the most targeted postcodes and areas in Leicestershire include LE10 (Hinckley Greater), LE67 (Whitwick and Ibstock), LE3 (Braunstone and Rowley Fields), LE10 (Burbage), and LE17 (Lutterworth).Otherareasof the UK that have experienced high numbers of van thefts and break-ins included Hertfordshire (9,740), Avon and Somerset (6,832), Surrey (5,145), and South Wales (3,919).

The new development has provided a significant upgrade to Martin High School’s existing sports facilities, with the new sports hall comprising a multipurpose four court badminton centre, gym facility, performance studio, classroom and computer suite, all providing an exciting environment for learners. Opening the sports hall, Laura Sanchez, Executive Principal of Martin High School, said: “The sports hall will be transformational, not only for the learners at Martin High School, but also for the whole community. It’s thanks to colleagues in the Lionheart Educational Trust that we’ve been able to open this incredible facility and can’t wait to see it bustling with sporting activity.”

The project has been facilitated by Lionheart Educational Trust to provide state-of-the-art facilities for the 11-16-year-olds attending the school, as well as the local community. The 1,120sq metre facility took 9 months to build, with Surveyors to Education and Stepnell Ltd the major partners. Students, staff and the community are eager to make use of the state-of-the-art facility, for school lessons and extracurricular activity, as well as out of hours when it will be hired as a muchneeded indoor sports space for clubs and teams.

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ON THURSDAY 7TH JULY, Martin High School in Anstey, Leicestershire, officially opened their new multimillion-pound sports hall, with former student and former Tigers back-row, Taylor Gough, cutting the ribbon alongside Leicestershire County Cricket Club players, Scott Steel and Ben Mike.

During the official opening, guests enjoyed a tour of the sports hall while watching Martin High learners play cricket with professional players, Scott Steel and Ben Mike, from Leicestershire County Cricket Club.

Multi-million-pound sports hall opens at Martin High School in Anstey

This year’s categories showcase the vital work of councillors including the coveted Community Champion, Leader of the Year and Young Councillor of the YearNominationsawards.

Much of the work done by elected members is behind the scenes, which is why we created the Cllr Awards back in 2010. So that every year we can take time to recognise this work and celebrate their achievements.

Railway Stories

BY TED COOK AT MY FIRST Signal Box at Amberley on the Mid Sussex Line you would be the man in charge. In other words, in the same room as the signal box was the booking office. So you not only did the signalling you sold tickets and did train enquiries, etc. There was one local who always wound me up and I was caught out each time he called. He would come in and I knew he was going to Littlehampton but he would just come in and say “Return.” As I said I fell for it every time I would reply “Yes Sir return to where?” He would reply “Back here of course you fool!” The other time we had a “Whiz Kid” came down from Head Office. It was after the fares were deregulated and we could charge what we liked for fares. So he told me to put up our biggest issue which was a day return to Littlehampton from 3 shillings to 3s/6d. I told him it would not work, but he said it had brought extra revenue elsewhere. He came back after a month and as I said it had not worked. We would expect to sell 400-odd in that month but we had sold just 6! He put the price back to 3 shillings and after a month we were back to normal sales. He was devastated but he never knew the truth! Littlehampton tickets were routed via Ford on a triangle so Ford tickets were routed via Littlehampton. So for that month we sold 400 Ford tickets who told the passengers to do this I never knew! If our friend had checked the accounts for each month he would have seen the money taken had not moved at all!

The winners will be decided by a panel of judges made up of senior councillors and officers and leading stakeholders from across the sector. On Thursday 20 October the winner will be revealed at the annual awards ceremony taking place at the Roman Baths and Guildhall with 2022 hosts Bath & North East Somerset Council. It will be held as a hybrid event with virtual link ups to the live ceremony.

Councillors and councils are key to keeping the machinery of everyday life going, ensuring the most vulnerable in the community are looked after and making sure the places where we live and work are thriving, safe and inclusive.

can be made by anyone (members of the public, councillors and council officers) who would like to recognise a councillor who has made a real difference to their area over the last year.

THE ONLY NATIONAL awards ceremony celebrating the work of councillors across England and Wales has officially launched its call for nominations. The Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) and CCLA are proud to host the 13th annual Cllr Awards honouring the achievements of individual councillors who go above and beyond for their communities.

Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive of LGIU, said: “From how our towns look to the home care we receive and the funding of much valued community projects, the work of councillors is felt across all of our lives on a daily basis.

The LGIU is proud to once again open nominations for the annual Cllr Awards to honour the commitment of our locally elected representatives. Our local democracy and our local democratic structures are stronger because of our councillors. We look forward to seeing a record number of nominations this year and getting to know the many inspiring stories behind them.”

More stories from Ted in his books: email Ted at edward8fw@ btinternet.com

77SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 Nominations officially open for Cllr Awards 2022

The deadline for nominations is Wednesday 7 September with the shortlist due to be unveiled at the end of September.

This year’s Awards are made possible thanks to the generous support of founding partners, CCLA.

WHO ARE YOUR LEADING COUNCILLORS?

There are eight lottery-funded grants currently available for eligible entities in England, with a maximum funding amount of £100,000. Another seven grants are available nationwide for film- and heritage-related projects, some of which have no maximum funding limit.

Here is how much funding from the National Lottery every local authority in the East Midlands has received since 1994 until the end of June, 2022

• Over the past three decades, the National Lottery offered Oadby and Wigston the least funding in the East Midlands;

All these funds come from a proportion of ticket sales, as well as any unclaimed prizes within 180 days. Hinckley and Bosworth recently hosted one mystery millionaire who had not claimed their prize. They had until July 20th to do so. Between October and December, 2021, UK residents claimed around £38m less than the previous quarter, which was added as returns to good causes.

Meanwhile, Oadby and Wigston only ever received £8,389,431, this being the least funded place in the East Midlands. This year alone, the East Midlands received £28,393,111 from the National Lottery, according to a study conducted by Solitaired.com (https://solitaired.com/), based on the latest government statistics. The single biggest lottery-funded project in the East Midlands this year so far was worth £4,999,992 for the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts in Newark and Sherwood. Awarded on 14 February, the government data describes the project as „Nextdoor Nature“. So far, a total of £46bn from the National Lottery has gone towards good causes across the UK, in areas such as education, environment, health, arts and sport. Sport is the sector in the East Midlands that benefitted the most from National Lottery grants over the past 28 years.

The latest national survey carried out by the Gambling Commission suggests that 43% of adults took part in some form of gambling activity in the four weeks prior to the survey. This constitutes 4% less than before the pandemic. In the year ending March 31st, 2022, over £8bn-worth of tickets have been sold, of which almost a quarter went to various good causes across the UK. A spokesperson for Solitaired.com commented on the findings: „If you ever lost a winning lottery ticket, there is comfort in knowing that your prize would have gone to a good cause, quite possibly in your own town.“

On 7 July, 2014, the National Lottery awarded Nottingham CityCare Partnership CIC £44,991,807 for a single project. Nationally, Westminster has benefitted the most from National Lottery funds, amounting to a whopping £1,439,592,279 since 1994.

SINCE 1994, the National Lottery has sponsored £2,589,295,100-worth of projects in the East Midlands. Charnwood absorbed most of these funds (£505,551,498), followed by Nottingham (£365,716,203) and Leicester (£243,725,634).

• A total of £46bn from unclaimed prizes and a proportion of lottery ticket sales have funded good causes across the UK.

National Lottery raised £28,393,111 for good causes in the East Midlands so far this year

• Newark and Sherwood received this year‘s single biggest lottery grant in the region, worth £4,999,992;

• Hinckley and Bosworth hosted one mystery millionaire who had until yesterday to claim their prize before it went to good causes;

78 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022

• Charnwood, Nottingham and Leicester are the most lottery-funded places in the East Midlands;

The latest official government data suggests that this area in the East Midlands received a total of £916,486,281. Heritage is the second most lottery-funded sector in the East Midlands, with £490,832,603-worth of sponsorship since 1994. Health, Education, Environment and Charitable Expenditure causes follow closely behind, benefitting from £326,795,254 over the past three decades. Nottingham received the biggest ever lottery grant in the region.

We meet most Weds at 5.15 6.30pm in the LOROS chapel. LOROS Singers We are a ladies choir comprised of staff, former staff, volunteers and friends. We perform in and around Leicester & Leicestershire at fundraising concerts for LOROS and other events We meet most Weds at 5.00 6.15 pm at St Anne’s Church Hall. Letchworth Road, LE3 6FN. If you are interested, please contact Judy Dodd, musical director on 0116 285 6217 Come and join our Choir

80 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022

Hedges and ‘pleached’ trees are outside these rulings.

If you have developed something without permission, you can be made to remove it unless you have had 10 years of unbroken Permitteduse. heights for constructions for garden boundaries are fairly clear in planning law. You can make a boundary wall or fence 2m high unless it is adjacent to a highway; then 1m is your limit.

A Can Of Worms by Roy Denney

Garden ponds depend on size; larger ones involve ‘engineering’; it is about scale and the amount of earth to be moved. As ever, ask a planning officer first. There is though some sort of rule, a sort of statute of limitations, which means after a number of years not complying any breach has been accepted. Just as well as my wall is too high.

Swimming pools need permission but although planners encourage porous surfaces, I don’t think you need permission to create hard surfaces for games or even tennis courts within your garden area. Front gardens are often turned into parking areas.

There are at least two cases in Glenfield recently where fences have had to be reduced to comply. It is rare that any appeal against the local authority succeeds as the circumstance allowing anything higher are very limited.

If you are intending to pave your front garden the rules are a bit tighter. If your plans are for more than five square metres you may well need permission especially if the rain run-off cannot be absorbed in the garden. Basically, we don’t want water going into storm drains if it can be avoided.

Garden sheds workshops and garden offices are usually within permitted development rights as long as they are not larger than 15 square metres and do not take up more than half of the garden. They must not be used for sleeping in.

HAVING TOUCHED on planning in the last edition I have now been asked by several residents about other planning issues that have led to disputes. Innocently or otherwise many households breach planning rules and I don’t think Blaby’s enforcement team go around inspecting but if some other resident brings things to their attention, they will act. Usually, a quiet word will get the matters either resolved or a retrospective application Numeroussubmitted. disputes are not actually matters for either planning or building regulations but quite a few Toare.be fair it is a bit of a minefield when you get down to the nitty gritty. You hear people say “It’s nobody’s business what I do in my back yard” but I am afraid it often is. It is in my memory that somebody built a house inside a barn and another behind a wall of straw bales but they inevitably get found and had to be Moredemolished.commonly though, it is much smaller things which raise most complaints: “My neighbour’s children up in the tree house look straight into my window”, “My neighbour’s hedge takes all the light of my garden” “he’s running a noisy business from that giant garden shed”. These may not be permitted but not all are matters for planning. So, what do you need permission for? TV PROGAMMES abound showing remarkable make-overs of gardens but I do not hear much if any of planning permission. It is often needed when you come to hard landscaping. I am not an expert and have to ask the planners if in doubt but I think there are some fairly simple guidelines. Unfortunately, they are not well known as authorities are often inundated with complaints about gardens, sheds and boundaries. For a start what is a shed? They are often actually a workshop or, of late, offices. Is a shed still shed if it is up a tree or is it a tree ‘house’? If you are planning to build a fairly large tree house for your children, you do need permission. Generally, if more than two metres inside your property and no higher than four metres you are probably OK but it would pay to Planningask. legislation is by no means black and white but for what it is worth I think a shed has to be moveable and permitted development rights do allow owners to have sheds, including those used as outdoor offices so long as they comply with laid down size limits. This also applies to drives, walls and fences, ornamental ponds, large areas of paving and even raised beds may well need listed permission. I have encountered instances where planners have had animated discussions among themselves as to what permissions are needed, so it is no wonder that Joe and Jane Public’s perceptions can be hazy.

81SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022

ANSTEY AND GLENFIELD Cricket Club have started the 2022 season and had a fantastic start to the Summer. The first team play in Division 4 West with the second team participating in Division 6 West. Both teams are looking to have successful seasons and push for promotion.

82 SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 Answers to food and drink quiz 1. Sugar 2. Yorkshire pudding 3. Black pudding 4. Bakewell Tart 5. Eccles cake 6. Tripe 7. Cornish pasty 8. Pork pie 9. Wensleydale cheese 10. Bangers and mash 11. Pancakes 12. Scrumpy 13. Hot chocolate 14. Swiss roll 15. Toad in the hole 16. Cottage pie 17. Lager 18. Snowball 19. Scotch egg 20. Corn on the cob Man’s glasses a different colourGirl’s eyes are closed Girl’s dress is different A bottle is missing from the shelf A blade of the scissors has gone An earring disappearedhasThewomanhas closed herExtramouthpair of scissors in the woman’s hand Man has a eyebrow missingMan’snavel has disappeared Spot ProverbsDifferencesthe 1. Fences 2. Curiosity Killed The Cat 3. Guinness 4. Necessity 5. The Old Testament 6. Silence Is Golden 7. Harry S. Truman 8. All’s Well That Ends 9.WellAsilk purse 10. Actions speak louder than words Anstey & Glenfield Cricket Club News From Phil Vose, Vice Chairman

The first team have had an excellent first half of the season and at the time of writing are sitting in 2nd place within their division. Victories so far have been gained against Kegworth 2, Kirby Muxloe 2, Leicester Ivanhoe 3, Shepshed 2, Cropston 2, Burbage, Narborough & Littlethorpe and Long Whatton. Just leading run scorers to date are captain, Sunny Singh and Viral Patel. The outstanding individual batting performance of the season so far was by Viral Patel at Leicester Ivanhoe when he scored a fantastic 107. Half centuries have been scored by Shehan Perera, Stu Wiles, Sunny Singh, Viral Patel and Nuwan Dharshana. The bowlers have also been performing very well with Nilesh Patel leading the wicket takers to date. Other bowlers who have made a great contribution include Charlie Wilkes, Naveen Ponduri and Joe Harris. 5 wicket hauls have been achieved by Naveen Ponduri and Nilesh Patel which helped the team in victories against Long Whatton and Shepshed 2 respectively. It should be an exciting end to the season with the team battling with teams such as Narborough & Littlethorpe and City Cricketers to try and grab one of the top 2 positions in the division in order to gain promotion to Division 3. Its been a fantastic season so far for the second XI. They are currently top of the table with 9 wins from 12 matches. The team have been led by Ranjeeva Fernando. Victories have been gained against Loughborough Carillion 2, County Officers, Barwell 2, Quorn 2, Burbage & Stoke Golding 2, Hathern, Maher 2 and Sapcote.Thetop run scorers so far this season are Nuwan Dharsana and Hanuman Kundakarla with the top batting performance to date coming from Ishan Fernando who scored a wonderful 103 in the victory against Sapcote. Other batters to have scored more than 50 runs in a match are Nuwan Dharsana, Sunny Singh, James Ogle, Hanuman Kundakarla, Ranjeeva Fernando and Pasindu Wannipura. The bowlers have been playing their part too with Dileepa Rodrigo and Nuwan Dharsana leading the way, this included Dileepa taking 5 wickets during the victory against Burbage & Stoke Golding 2. They will be hoping to maintain the winning results over the next few weeks to maintain their pole position.Inaddition to the club’s league encounters, Anstey and Glenfield CC have been playing in some of the county cup competitions. They made it through to the 2nd round of the Challenge Cup where they very narrowly lost by 4 runs against Blaby CC. The club also fielded a team in the T20 bowl where they lost to local rivals, Cropston. There has also been a couple of Sunday friendly matches including a match against Loughborough Carillion so giving all members a chance to play.Saturday morning has been a busy time down at the ground with the club hosting All Stars Cricket sessions. It has been great to see youngsters aged between 5 and 8 learning some of the basics of the game and taking part in some excellent sessions. The club would like to thank some of its members who have given up some of their valuable time by volunteering their services to supervise the lively youngsters. If you are interested in joining the club, please email our secretary Amanda Wilkes. Amanda’s email address is amandaandcharlie@btinternet.com. We are hosting weekly training sessions at the Gynsill Lane ground on Thursdays from 5.30pm, so if you’re interested in playing for the club, why not come down and practice. Please also visit our website at http:// ansteyandglenfield.play-cricket.com and Facebook page for regular updates, results and news throughout the season.

83SURPRISE MAGAZINE AUGUST 2022 P R O C E S S I N G P H O A C O L O U R C A M E R A N T O G D E V E L O P E R O V E R E X P O S U R E T R S C N E G A T I V E R E A H L N D A R K R O O M L M U O I A P O S I T I V E A T S P D H Y F H E L P P F T E S P E P E I O P L H L E U T R I P O D L E T O A R P O I F R A M E T S T S E C O N T R A S T E E O H T I N T E N L A R G E R Hidden Photographyphrasehelps people to see. Berenice Abbott I 1 N S 2 I S 3 T L 4 E 5 S S 6 E R 7 N T U C 8 A K E S 9 H A M P O O 10T W I R L E I P M E L A 11C A R G O 12B E N E F I T T R I U E 13C 14O N T I N U 15A L L Y 16S U A R 17G 18P A T I 19E N T 20R E 21A C H R S N I I V O 22E V I C T 23O B V I O U S A D E N A I T 24D R E A R Y 25G L I D E S Across: 1 Insist, 4 Lesser, 9 Shampoo, 10 Twirl, 11 Cargo, 12 Benefit, 13 Continually, 18 Patient, 20 Reach, 22 Evict, 23 Obvious, 24 Dreary, 25 Glides. Down: 1 Insect, 2 Stair, 3 Support, 5 Eaten, 6 Skilful, 7 Relate, 8 Combination, 14 Outside, 15 Arrival, 16 Spread, 17 Ghosts, 19 Enter, 21 Avoid. ANSWERS TO PUZZLES THE END I hope you enjoyed reading this first issue of SURPRISE. Thank you to everyone who contributed. See you all again next time! Mike Wilkinson