And Cropston Local History Society

Article by Peter Smith

The Society does not hold an event in April because the third Tuesday too often falls during the Easter holiday – so what can you do to feed your desire for local history until next month? If you have access to the internet, there are many websites that are well worth a browse. Why not start with our own site at www. thurcastoncropstonhistory.org. uk? It has articles about various aspects of the history of our two villages, as well as reports of all our talks and outings during the past six years. (Find the archive under “Programme”.)

Other sites about the histories of our neighbouring villages include:

Anstey https://ansteyhistory.com

Rothley www.rothleyparishcouncil.org.uk/ village-history.html

Woodhouse wwe-historygroup.org

Quorn http://quornmuseum.com (2358 exhibits at the last count)

Moving slightly further afield, Lynne Dyer’s blog contains all sorts of information about Loughborough’s past, including themed trails that you can follow virtually or on the ground. https://lynneaboutloughborough. blogspot.com

You have surely noticed the “Story of Leicester” panels springing up all over the city but you can read them online too. The City Council also posts historic photos almost every day on its “Story of Leicester” Facebook page. (You don’t need a Facebook account to view it.) www.storyofleicester.info https://en-gb.facebook.com/ storyofleicester/ https://pubhistoryproject.co.uk www.leicestershirechurches.co.uk

Do you have fond memories of old drinking dens in the city? Or maybe church crawls are more your style than pub crawls! Check out one of these directories to find your favourites.

Bob Trubshaw has spoken to the Society several times and his YouTube channel has a growing collection of videos. They range from Little-Known Leicestershire and Rutland to gargoyles, Swithland slate, place names, the Anglo-Saxons and much more. www.youtube.com/@ BobTrubshaw/videos www.le.ac.uk/lahs/ https://leicsfieldworkers.org

We cannot finish without mentioning two of the countywide societies in this field. The website of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society (LAHS) includes copies of its formal Transactions dating back to 1862, as well as many issues of the more readable “Leicestershire Historian”. The Leicestershire Fieldworkers is less venerable but its website includes recordings of recent talks and details of its annual Festival of Archaeology.

We hope you will find something there to inspire you or at least occupy a wet afternoon. If you come across any other interesting local history sites, do share them.

Our meetings resume on 16th May, when Mick Rawle will be making a return visit to tell us about the extraordinary history of Melton Mowbray. You will be very welcome to join us at 7.30pm in Thurcaston Memorial Hall. The charge for visitors is £4.

Art Group In Anstey

Article by John Morfey

We are a small, friendly group who have different interests: drawing, lino-cutting, 3D paper pictures, painting…

We each do our own thing, and support and encourage each other. We meet every Tuesday from 1-3pm, and we use the upstairs room at the Methodist Church in Anstey. It’s a large airy room with lots of space for social distancing.

If you want to make a bit of time for something (anything!) creative, you’d be welcome to come and have a cup of tea and meet us. Or contact John on 07808143772 or jandbmorfey@ hotmail.com

Get Your Lawn Ready For Summer

Article by Ian Walker

With warmer, longer days on the horizon, the beautiful bright colours of your garden are best enjoyed alongside a lush, green lawn. As the centrepiece of your garden, GreenThumb Lawn Treatment Service will ensure your lawn reaches its full potential as a weed-free, healthy, and well-loved lawn.

Our ‘Summer Ready’ Treatment is applied between April and June and features a fully coated fertiliser designed to give your lawn a timed release of nutrition over several months, feeding your grass and stimulating growth. This sophisticated treatment also includes a weed control to help eradicate those which are unwelcome on your lawn, keeping your lawn looking its best ready for summer.

An added benefit of our ‘Summer Ready’ Treatment is that you’ll also receive an application of our fantastic water conserver,

Oasis. Now is the perfect time for an Oasis Treatment as it helps your soil to make the best use of any available moisture, meaning you’ll need to water up to 80% less. Our popular Oasis Treatment now features an innovative, highly concentrated seaweed extract which has proven to have an almost immediate visual effect on the colour of your lawn.

At this time of year, we also recommend implementing a regular mowing regime to help your lawn be the best it can be. Dry, sunny days are the best conditions for mowing, however it’s important that your mower blades are kept sharp or replaced when needed to avoid causing damage to the grass plant. It is also important, especially during the summer months, that your grass isn’t cut too short as this will weaken it, attracting unwanted weeds. When dry, we advise raising the height of your cut from 1” up to 2” and give it a good drink the day after mowing.

Let’s create the lawn we both love.

Contact your local GreenThumb branch today 0116 269 4019 or email leicestershirewest@ greenthumb.co.uk