January 2022 Your Local Ratby, Kirby Muxloe & Leicester Forest East

YOUR LOCAL 6,800 COPIES DELIVERED EVERY MONTH - RATBY, KIRBY MUXLOE & LFE - JANUARY 2022

Bluebells Of Ratby Preschool

Plans For An Eco Community Garden At Ratby Parish Church Can You Help?

Coffee Drop In At Kirby Muxloe Free Church

Carols On The Green

An Interview With Bob Pendery Of Stamford Street, Ratby

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Deadline Date: Friday 4th February Delivery Date: Friday 11th February

Articles

Article by Joan Hawkins

It would be a fair assessment to say that this Christmas was quite a challenge for us but despite all the problems and set backs not least our own Rector falling ill with the Covid virus we still managed to celebrate this very special time of year.

We did unfortunately have to cancel some of our activities and the special Nativity service on Christmas Eve which has always been enjoyed by lots of families however all other activities carried on as planned with much planning including comprehensive action plans in our endeavour to do all we could to keep everyone as safe as possible The celebrations started on Advent Sunday with Christmas lunch for our senior citizens We held a Messy Christmas Party for the children and then of course we had our worship service including Carols by Candlelight, Christingle and Midnight Mass .We had a special afternoon for families to come into church to remember and pray and to place a message on our Tree of Remembrance and light a candle for them as Christmas is a time when we miss those we’ve loved and lost the most.

We would like to take the opportunity of thanking those people who supported our Christmas fete which included a visit from Santa who had a gift for each child visiting. We raised almost £1100 which was excellent news and helps us to carry on with the work of our church. Thank you so much to all who helped to make this fete a success and to Pamela Pollard who was responsible for the organising of the event. A special thanks to our Santa (you know who you are!!!!)

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Plans For An Eco Community Garden At Ratby Parish Church - Can You Help?

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The Parish Church Council at St Philips and St James at Ratby have agreed a proposal for the development of an eco community garden in an area of the church yard.

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The reason for the initiative is to have a garden that encourages our community in Ratby to develop a greater understanding of our responsibility to enhance wildlife and its habitat and we feel that part of our church yard would be perfect for such a project We also want to create a new community facility and to provide a small area for quiet contemplation in the heart of the community where individuals can sit in relative peace and enjoy the surrounding

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Although this will be an ongoing project the aim would be to have the first phase of the garden for June 2022. It will be named the Jubilee Garden as part of Her Majesty the Queens Jubilee celebrations It is acknowledged that this will be a challenging project but we believe it is something that will have a very positive resource for the community of Ratby We are really keen to extend our links with the community including the schools, young people and youth group by involving them in the project as well as anyone who would be interested in helping us to create and maintain our vision for this area.

If you have some time to spare to help us to plan this garden I am particularly looking for individuals with skills to help as part of a project team to plan the garden and then individuals willing to give some time to make the garden a reality. Please contact Joan Hawkins 07545909868 email jvajhawkins@ hotmail.co.uk

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Protecting Your Family Inheritance Article by Klara Hesling

Our frontline staff follow Government guidelines for visiting you in your home and they are in the vaccination program with second course completed. LevLaw Ltd remains here for you.

Most people hope that their estate will pass on to their children and grandchildren eventually.

But this will not happen for many, unless careful arrangements have been made to protect their assets from being taken towards the end of their life to pay for care home fees. The solution to help protect your estate is a Will incorporating a Property Protection Trust (PPT).

The Drop In - Ratby Article by Sandra Slater

Come along to the Thursday Morning 'Drop In' at the Village Hall in Ratby, 10.00am - 12.00pm. The above photo was taken on Thursday 23rd December 2021

A testamentary PPT can only be executed whilst both partners remain alive. Upon death of the first partner, their Will specifies that their share of the property is placed into trust and names the ultimate beneficiary of this share, normally the children and grandchildren of the deceased. The surviving partner, under the terms of the trust, has the unequivocal right to remain living in the property for the rest of their life. On the death of the second partner the Trust comes to an end and the property passes to the beneficiaries.

As the surviving partner does not own the deceased’s share of the property it is fully protected for the beneficiaries, so if the surviving partner requires care, or even remarries, this share of the children’s inheritance is protected. This last point can be particular interest to couples who have come together and have children with different partners.

A PPT can help each person in a relationship ensuring that their children inherit their share of the property, while giving their surviving partner the ability to live in the property for the rest of their life. If the surviving partner wants to move to another property, they can still sell the property and the proceeds to be used to purchase a new property, the terms of the Trust remain over the new property.

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Bluebells Of Ratby Preschool Article by Catherine Woodward

As we go into the new year, we see the end of an era, as Ratby Preschool closes its doors. Open since 1971, it's time for a change.

My name is Catherine Woodward (Cat), and as the former manager of Ratby Pre-school I have taken over the setting and we now have Bluebells of Ratby Preschool.

I have been working in Childcare, in various supervisory and management positions over the last 18 years, and am really excited to be the owner of our village Preschool. Not so long ago I was 3 years old and attended the preschool, so it’s a real honour for me to now be able to launch Bluebells of Ratby within in our village.

With help from the amazing staff, and working alongside the parents, I plan to make the Preschool a corner stone of the village and work with the local community and clubs to build relationships that will give our little people the best experiences possible. If anybody would like any more information please feel free to check out our website www.bluebellsofratby.co.uk look us up on facebook @bluebellsofratby or give us a call to arrange a visit.

On behalf of the team at Bluebells of Ratby, we wish everyone a safe and Prosperous new year.

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Ozzy O’shea County Councillor

T: 0116 2394336 M: 07808585825 E: ozzyoshea@hotmail.com Budget Proposals.

The consultation is taking place from Wednesday 15 December until midnight 16 January 2022.

We have faced significant financial challenges for more than a decade now, dealing first with austerity and then the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Throughout this uncertain period we have managed taxpayers’ money prudently, making savings to see off potential financial crises, while protecting the frontline services we know really matter to the people of Leicestershire.

But our situation remains hugely difficult and again we are in a position where we have to consider raising council tax to not only maintain those vital services – including adult and children’s social care to look after the most vulnerable among us - but also to tackle unprecedented rising demand for them.

We can balance our books in the next financial year but thereafter the gap between the council’s income and what we will have to spend becomes increasingly difficult to manage.

However we are not sitting and waiting for the worst-case scenario to engulf us.

We are working to fix the broken system of local government finance which unfairly places us among the lowest funded councils in England.

We have led on the establishment of the new F20 group, a collection of other low-funded councils, to lobby the Government for a shortterm fix which would see £300 million shared among them.

In the longer term we are pressing the Government for a County Deal to bring greater devolved powers to Leicestershire and significant funding to back them.

Please take some time to tell us what you think of our budget plans because what you say helps us make important decisions affecting all the people and businesses in the county Our 2022-26 budget at a glance: • Balanced budget for 2022-23 • £230m savings since 2010 • £514m capital pot for new roads, schools and more • £60m more for children and family services and adult social care • £100m of savings needed by 2025/26 • Proposed 3 per cent rise in precept from April 2022 What services county council provides We're responsible for delivering a wide range of services including adult social care, children's social care, public health, transport, education, planning, road maintenance, libraries, waste management and trading standards. These are funded by Council Tax, business rates and Government grants.

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The council's projected expenditure versus income shows a £46 million gap in 2025/26.

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

• Environment and Transport (£6m) - this mainly relates to more for pupils with special educations needs and disabilities.

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

Council Tax A Council Tax increase of 3 per cent is proposed (including the 1 per cent adult social care levy) and equates to £42.30 a year for a band D house.

Council Tax is the only significant lever available to the County Council to raise additional money to fund vital services whilst balancing the budget.

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

• £27m for Adults and Communities including a specialist dementia care facility • £226m for Environment and Transport including major schemes such as the Melton Mowbray Distributor Road and Zouch bridge replacement as well as routine maintenance of the road network.

Find out more Let us know your views The consultation is taking place from Wednesday 15 December until midnight 16 January 2022.

You can have your say on the draft budget plans by filling in the online survey. Type the following link into your computer. https://surveys.leics.gov.uk/snapwebhost/s. asp?k=163949172677 If you're able to, please complete this survey online using the link above. For paper copies or alternative formats of the survey or any other questions, please email resources@leics.gov.uk or call 0116 305 5800.

What happens next?

The proposals will be debated by councillors

through the scrutiny process and the consultation responses will be considered by cabinet. The proposals will then be voted on by the full council on 23 February 2022.

Leicestershire Communities Approach 2022-2026 Have your say on the council’s proposed Communities Approach 2022-2026, which sets out our proposed way of working with communities over the coming years.

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

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

The key principles of this Approach are: • Prevention - how the whole council works towards providing preventative and self-help support • Engagement - building trusting relationships to collaboratively define and design local solutions • Catalysts - supporting voluntary organisations and town and parish councils to provide local services and activities • Have Your Say • To submit your views, please use the following link.

• www.leicestershire.gov.uk/have-yoursay/current-engagement/leicestershirecommunities-approach-2022-2026 If you need help reading the document or completing the survey, please email communities@leics.gov.uk or call 0116 305 7743.

This engagement activity will run from 1 November 2021 – 21 January 2022.

Road Closure Ratby Lane, Kirby Muxloe.

Please Note Ratby Lane, Kirby Muxloe will be closed from 10/01/22 to 04/02/22. To access the A47 you need to follow the diversion from Main Street, into Desford Lane Ratby and through Kirby Muxloe via Main Street to access Blood Hill. This will be second time this road has undergone a 4 week closure due to utility connections for the new houses being built on the corner of Desford Lane Kirkby Muxloe. I have been working with Highways to ensure that better diversion signing is put in place and that HGV’s do not use Main Street and Desford Lane Ratby, or Main Street or Station Road Kirby Muxloe. Pound Stretcher have been made fully aware of this closure and have been told to relay the diversion route to their drivers which does not include coming through Ratby or Kirby. I

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have requested extra police monitoring of the area during the closure. The County Councils Highways Inspector for the area will also carry out regular Monitoring.

enough information about someone’s identity to commit identity fraud. Identity theft can take place whether the fraud victim is alive or deceased.

Scam update.

This month I have included a message from Leicestershire Trading Standards, whom I work very closely with. They have highlighted a number of ongoing scams, that they have come across and have been dealing with.

If you’re a victim of identity theft, it can lead to fraud that can have a direct impact on your personal finances and could also make it difficult for you to obtain loans, credit cards or a mortgage until the matter is resolved. Keep your personal information safe and think twice about who you may be providing your details to.

Keep wallets close, cover PINs and don’t share passwords or personal information.

1. WhatsApp Scams Fraudsters are posing as family members on WhatsApp to manipulate victims into transferring money. We have received reports of messages purporting to be from sons or daughters, addressed to ‘Mum’ or ‘Dad’ and claiming their phone has been lost or damaged and this was their new phone number. Messages will continue by saying that they have an unexpected bill that they needed money for. Once the victim has given their bank account details and the money was transferred, the victims never heard from them again. The message is to Stop – take time before you respond. Think – does this request seem genuine? Are they asking for money? Call – Verify the request by calling your family member to make sure it was them.

2. Online Shopping Scams It can be difficult to spot a fake, fraudulent or scam website.

Fraudsters are extremely cunning, using the latest technology to set up convincing websites that look like genuine online retailers.

These websites will offer items such as clothing, games consoles and other desirable goods at extremely low prices to quickly sell counterfeit, or non-existent items. Our advice is – if it’s too good to be true, it probably is! Choose carefully where you shop and research retailers online to make sure they’re legitimate. Ensure the website is secure by looking for a padlock next to a website's URL, this means the site is encrypted.

So, what you do on it – such as browse or make payments – can't be intercepted. Secure websites begin with https:// and using a credit card if you have one, will provide some level of protection if things go wrong. Never pay for goods by bank transfer.

3. Phishing Emails/Texts Phishing emails and texts don’t stop over the holidays. Ignore messages claiming to be from a financial institution, telecommunications company or delivery company asking you to confirm personal information and don’t click on malicious links. Fraudsters send you a message and attempt to make you click on a link to a fake site or open an attachment that infects your device with a virus. Logos, email addresses, even the link might look genuine, but you'll get more than you bargained for if you do as the email asks. They will make you panic and rush your decision 4. Identity Theft and Fraud Identity theft happens when fraudsters access

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5. Social Media Scams The scammers create social media accounts and pay to have their scam message advertised to you in your timeline.

Stay vigilant when you see new companies, organisations or brands pop up on your feed.

You should also be suspicious if you see a new social media account advertising for a company you know well. It may be a scammer pretending to be a new branch or new account for that brand. Also beware of free prize draw offers and giveaways as these scams rely on you to fill in your personal details to enter or claim fake prizes. Always check for legitimate terms and conditions for the giveaway and never pay to claim a prize or for postage.

Also, is what you share on social media really necessary? Could it be helping a fraudster, or telling a burglar you’re away? Think before you post and take some time over Christmas to review your device and app privacy settings.

6. Bogus Charities Watch out for criminals using a legitimate charity's name and appealing on their behalf, for a donation. If suspicious, ask to see their official charity ID which they're required to carry. TRUST your instincts! Fraudsters are all too ready to take advantage of the feeling of Christmas goodwill. If you receive a marketing email, check it is genuine. Check the header or hover your mouse over the link - it should read along the lines of www.charityname.com/ donate. If it does not it is probably a scam.

7. Gift Card Scams Received an email from a friend asking to buy gift cards for them?

Criminals clone and pretend to be people you know to ask you to do this. They are after the code on the card to spend the money. DON'T do it. Another version of this scam is where the victim receives a call demanding an urgent payment by purchasing iTunes or other gift cards/vouchers from the nearest retailer, which could be their local shop or supermarket. The victim is told that this is to settle an overdue tax bill (fraudsters frequently claim to be representing HMRC), hospital bill, utility bill, debt collection fee or bail money. In reality, this type of gift card/voucher can be used only to purchase goods or services on the website of the business issuing it.

8. Computer Support Scams This type of scam could be via a phone call or email claiming that they have kindly detected an error or security risk on your computer they'd like to help you fix. They will try to direct you to a bogus website. Companies like Microsoft will NEVER call you directly. The scammer then asks for permission to remote into your computer.

They may ask you to download special software to enable this. Next, they may show you "log files", which are normal but claim these are bugs that need fixing. They will then ask for credit card details to charge you to fix them or convince you to subscribe to a service that supports you.

9. Supermarket Voucher Scams Planning to cook a family birthday feast.

Scammers have sent out a raft of emails claiming to be offering FREE vouchers at major supermarkets. Fake vouchers are circulating claiming to come from the likes of Aldi, Lidl, Tesco and Waitrose. Scammers are distributing them via a variety of channels, including email, WhatsApp and Twitter. It's another case of "if it's too good to be true..." The best action is to delete the message or email. Alternatively, check the official website of the supermarket or their official social media accounts. If they are offering a deal, the likelihood is you'll find the details there.

10. Romance Scams Looking for love online? Criminals are. Or you may have been approached through social media such as Facebook or Instagram by someone you don’t know. The relationship develops over time and the individual is convinced to make payments to the criminal DON'T pay them anything. They're also after your identity. Guard your privacy.

11. NHS Covid-19 Scams Look out for potential NHS Covid-19 scams, in the past criminals have used text messages, phone calls, fake websites and even home visits to try and trick people into making a payment or handing over their financial information. This could be for things like the Covid pass, Covid jabs including the booster jab, and even the NHS app.

Fraudsters will try and convince you that you must "pay" for these things, but they are all available from the NHS free of charge.

Finally…

If you would like to report a scam, or you have been a victim of a scam, you can get in touch with the following organisations: Action Fraud – www.actionfraud.police.uk Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline - 0808 223 1133 To keep up to date with the latest scams information and advice you can follow the Leicestershire Trading Standards Service Facebook page on; www.facebook.com/leicstradingstandards I would like to take this opportunity to thank residents for your continued support. Remember I am only an Email or a phone call away and I am always here to help. Finally, I would like to wish all residents and councillors A very happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

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Article by Liz Collinson Well, good morning all. We very much hope that you are well, had an excellent Christmas and are looking forward to a much better 2022. Things are not too good at the moment, with cold weather and the spread of the wretched virus, and we very much hope that you are keeping safe and well and looking out for yourselves and each other.

At the Library, we are doing our absolute best to keep our customers and volunteers safe, with mandatory mask-wearing (unless there are medical exceptions) and good ventilation. We hope that you will continue to visit us for books, chat and hot chocolate. You will always receive a warm welcome.

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THE CHINESE NEW YEAR Despite the circumstances, we are pressing ahead with our plans for the coming year – the Year of the Tiger. As we did two years ago, we are planning an event to celebrate the Chinese New Year, to include calligraphy, paper-cutting, language symbols and other activities. We will also be providing a Chinese lunch and snacks. Everyone is welcome – if you would like to have lunch with us, you will need to book in advance. The lunch will cost £6.50, but there is no charge for coming along and taking part in the activities.

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School + Nursery Sessions

This event was a great success in 2020 and we hope that you will be able to join us.

THE LEICESTER COMEDY FESTIVAL We have mentioned this before, but the time is rapidly approaching. Kirby Muxloe Library is taking part in the Leicester Comedy Festival on Saturday 12th February, and we hope that our kids have been brushing up on their jokes. We could do with a few laughs at the moment! There will be prizes for the best jokes and for the best dressers uppers. More details will be posted around the village as we get closer to the event, but in the meantime, keep practicing and watch this space for more details.

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COFFEE, CAKES AND CHILDREN’S CRAFT OUR NEXT COFFEE MORNING WILL BE ON SATURDAY 22ND JANUARY 2022 10.00 – 1.00 AT THE LIBRARY ALL YOUR OLD FAVOURITES AND MORE!

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Ratby Community Library And Crow Pie Cafe Article by Joan Burton

Happy New Year From All Our Volunteers. We Are Open Even Longer To Meet Demand. All opening times now extended. Crow Pie Cafe open every session for delicious coffee and teas, cakes and savoury snacks at very fair prices!

New for 2022 Knit, Stitch and Natter Group meeting 11th January.

Jane Hewison, textile artist invited any knitters, stitchers or other craft workers to meet with her on Tuesday morning in the library. Her assistance dog, the very lovely Sky the Spaniel, will be there too offering a friendly paw. Sessions are from 10.30 -12.30 and it will be up to the group to decide how often they would like to meet. The library is open to other users at the same time so do drop in and have a look at what's going on.

happy mornings but these super sessions should be extra fun!

Interested in creating a bee friendly space in our library grounds?

This is a project we are aiming to get up and running in 2022. We are bidding for extra funds but if villagers would like to offer help: plants, a bit of labour, knowledge, we'd like to hear from you! Funds will be used to move and relocate a large metal shed a short distance in our outside area, lay some hard landscaping to create a seating area and create planting areas where insect life can flourish. If you are a local business, keen to work for local people, please could you email our treasurer on ratbylibrary@gmail. com with your contact details? ASAP before grant deadlines close...

Community and business use. We have free time available in the library on several mornings a week. If you wanted a comfortable space to sit, chat, work, why not call in and we can discuss your needs? Hire of the library for business use is only £10 per hour. (Evenings by arrangement) Have you two hours a week to spare?

We'd like to thank all our volunteers who help create such a good atmosphere in Ratby Library but are in real need of new volunteers. If you would like to get involved with the local community but don't have much more than two hours a week to spare, why not come and join our community of library volunteers? We're a friendly lot and we enjoy working in all of the areas of the library. Full training is offered so do call in and talk to us about joining our team; you really won't regret it.

New Opening Hours:

Christmas Fayre better than ever.

Our annual fayre was a great success with an even better selection of goods to buy and games to play. The raffle, a super hamper brimful of food and drink was won by Emma, who co-runs our Thursday Wriggly Readers session. A delighted pair of children accepted it from Santa. We have more stall holders than ever with an array of Christmas items that appealed to all.

Santa flew in to meet all the children, ably supported by his elves.

Monday

10am – 12.30 & 2pm – 4.30pm

Tuesday

2pm – 4.30pm

Wednesday

2pm – 4.30pm

Thursday

2pm – 4.30pm

Friday

2pm – 4.30pm

Saturday

10am – 12.30pm

COVID VACCINATED Martin Tibbles

PAINTING & DECORATING SERVICES Excellent references available Interior exterior

Penguin's Playtime! Children's Christmas Activities Session Very sadly we thought it wise to postpone this event until later in 2022 – it's not forgotten though, so look out for further information.

Quiz Night with Steve Roche as question master.

Another year of brain teasers Steve has all his dates arranged for 2022, the first three being January 14th, February 18th and March 18th. All start at 7.30. There's no need to book places, just turn up and enjoy pitting your wits against all comers. The cafe is open and quizzers are welcome to bring their own bottle of refreshment if they wish!

Wriggly Readers Our children's special session is just as popular as it ever was with parents and carers of pre-schoolers. Songs, rhymes and stories combined with active play make for a really happy and sociable occasion. The library is closed to other users in order to give a safe and unique experience. Dates for future Wriggly Readers sessions : every Thursday morning from Thursday 13th January 10.30 – 12. There will be several themed mornings such as World Read Aloud Day on 3rd February (that's actually the day after the world event but we don't think the little ones will object too much) and bang on the correct date, World Book Day on 3rd March. All our Thursdays are

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0116 291 0489 07855 412 945

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How to Get Boosted

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

The NHS in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland has increased its vaccine capacity to support the Omicron Emergency so you can get vaxxed as quickly as possible.

There are three ways to get your jab 1. You can book your appointment in advance using the National Booking Service. You can either book online by visiting nhs.uk/covidvaccination or you can call 119.

2. You may be invited by your GP practice.

3. You can go to a walk-in clinic without needing an appointment.

You can find details of the local walk-in vaccination clinics on the website below, including opening times, age eligibility and which doses are on offer.

Why you need to get boosted •

Scientists are very worried about the arrival of the Omicron variant because of the speed with which it spreads and because two doses of the vaccine do not give us the protection we all need.

•

Thankfully, a booster jab can restore protection to around 75%.

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We don’t yet know how many people will need hospital care because of Omicron, so we need to take rapid steps to give the vaccine to as many people as possible to boost their protection.

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It’s vital that you get the life-saving jab as soon as you are eligible so if you have not had your top-up, Get Boosted now.

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Everyone can get their booster dose from three months after their second or third primary dose.

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Leicester Forest East Community Library Article by Teresa Robinson

The Trustees and Volunteers at Leicester Forest East Community Library would like to wish you all a happy and healthy new year and would like to thank all our library users for the support they have given us in 2021.

New and existing events held in the library By the time you receive this article we will have opened after Christmas and have resumed our normal library activities and events in the library. You will be most welcome to join us for ‘Tea and Toast’ on a Wednesday morning from 8.45 am or our usual Coffee and Chat group on that day from 10.00 – 12.00 noon. You can even borrow or return books at those times.

Look out for other events held in the library too, you are most welcome to come in to enjoy the warm friendly atmosphere, whilst browsing our information stands on local information, our separate ‘Wellbeing’ collection of books, children’s book area or talking books, for those who are hard of hearing.

Tuesday Teapot Club have also moved to the library on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month from 2.00 – 4.00pm, starting from Tuesday 11th January. New members are always welcome.

Want to try something new for the new year? Then come and join us for our Tai Chi classes. These will commence with a change of date and time, on Tuesday 25th January 2022 at 7pm.

Feeling blue after Christmas and wondering how you are going to get through the coming months, especially with the current Covid situation?

Perhaps you are working from home in isolation from your work colleagues or friends? We may have the answer with our Monthly Wellbeing sessions.

These take place on the 1st Thursday of the month from 7pm, the next one being on 3rd February 2022.

Pre- Christmas Events We held a very successful Christmas fair on Saturday 27th November.

Despite the frosty and bitter weather, we had a good turnout and were able to move the stalls indoors. There was a good variety of items for sale, and most of us were able to start our Christmas shopping early by purchasing some extra special handmade gifts to give to friends and family. Mulled wine and mince pies were enjoyed as winter warmers too.

Special Events Wellbeing Session and 1st Saturday of the Month Coffee Morning – 5th February 2022, 10am to 1pm Come and join us for homemade cakes with a warming beverage.

Spring Festival Celebration – 5th February, 10am to 1pm Calligraphy, Language Symbols, Paper Cutting and more activities plus Chinese Food and Snacks – Booking for this event is essential so take a look at our website to scan the code or call 0116 233 6373 for more information.

Spring Fair - 9th April Keep your eyes open for further details on our Facebook page, Website and Instagram Opening Times Saturday Monday Wednesday Thursday Friday

10am to 1pm 2pm to 5pm 8.30am to Noon, 2pm to 4.30pm and 6pm to 8pm 10am to Noon and 2pm to 4pm 2pm to 5pm

Regular Groups Saturdays 1st Saturday of the Month Coffee Morning – 10am to 1pm Including Construction Club for kids Mondays Knit and Natter every Monday – 7pm to 9pm Tuesdays Tuesday Teapot Club – 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month – 2pm to 4pm starting from Tuesday 11th January.

Women’s Well Being Sessions, Taichi & Qigong – 7pm to 7.45pm – starting 25th January Wednesday Tea and Toast – 8.45am to 10am Coffee & Chat – 10am to Noon Craft Group – 6pm to 8pm Thursday Baby & Toddler Group – 10am to Noon LE3 Ladies Group – 7.30pm to 10pm – Every 3rd Thursday of the month Monthly Meditation Sessions – 6pm to 7pm – 1st Thursday of the month starting 3rd February Friday Story & Rhyme – 2.30pm to 3pm

Our Christmas paper quiz was a winner, with us selling around 100 copies.

We had excellent feedback with everyone saying how much they enjoyed the challenge and format. Family and friends were able to contribute and found it a real brain teaser!

Our 100 Club restarted in January with us hoping to reach the 100 mark this coming year, after having approximately 86 members previously. A monthly draw is held with 1st, 2nd and 3rd monetary prizes, with half of the proceeds going to the library to help towards our running costs. Enquiries and subscription forms are available at the library if you wish to join us at £12.00, reducing by £1.00 each month depending on when you join. This is a good way of supporting us even if you are unable to be actively involved in volunteering for us.

The Children’s Christmas Craft activity morning also went well, with a craft table, children’s tombola, guess the sweets in the jar, decorate a gingerbread man and tile decorating it was well attended and enjoyed by all. They were even able to try out some Chinese symbols and card making. Children happily took their creations away with them to give to a friend or loved one.

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Visit our website for further information www.lfelibrary.org or call 0116 233 6273

The Care You Need In The Home You Love

We offer a superior domiciliary care service to individuals across Leicestershire. Care at Home is synonymous with quality and professionalism in the provision of care services.

Our Services

Our team at Care at Home are devoted in providing the highest quality, person centred care for Adults and older people in the comfort of their own homes, we offer a wide range of one-to-one services tailored to the needs of the individual service user 24/7.

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Coffee Drop In At Kirby Muxloe Free Church Article by Gillian Wisdish

Each week on a Thursday morning between 10.15 am and 11.30 am, a coffee morning is held in the 'Living Room' at Kirby Muxloe Free Church.

The entrance is on Church Road, an A board should be in situ to indicate the entrance. There is wheelchair access also.

The Drop In is open to anyone, whether or not they attend the church, please just come along and make some new friends, or meet some old ones!

Tea or coffee is very reasonably priced at 60p and includes a refill.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Carols On The Green Article by Dennis Walker

We enjoyed a Christmas celebration “Carols on the Green” event at the Glenfield Millennium Green, jointly arranged by the u3a committee and the Millennium Green Trustees. It was a great community event with music by flautists Helen and Jane from the Leicester Bardi Orchestra, plus Glenfield Ladies Cooperative Choir members to help lead the singing. Hot mulled fruit juice and mince pies warmed us on a chilly starlit night and to top it all Santa arrived on his sleigh to the delight of Children young and old!

A collection for Menphys was held and raised just over £100. If you are interested in joining Glenfield u3a, which is targeted at keeping people active in their third age after finishing full time work, more information can be found on their web site by Googling Glenfield u3a. You can also find out more about the Millennium Green in the same way.

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We regret that the current pandemic caused us to close in January, and with the present uncertainty are unable to con8irm yet whether we can reopen in February.

Hopefully information will be available by late January.

You can 8ind out by checking on LFE Noticeboards, the LFE Noticeboard on Facebook, Kirby Muxloe Noticeboards, and both the libraries, or by telephone (0116 239 4983) after 24 January.

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bathing. Their displays include walk in level floor showers, fold down shower seats, grab rails, digital push button showers, lever taps and comfort height toilets.

Specialising in beautiful bespoke bathrooms and en-suites, specifically tailored to meet their customers’ requirements, they strive to create a bathing experience second to none. Just walking around their exquisite showroom, you have the opportunity to see a variety of over 35 room settings, each perfectly showcasing many industry top brands, as well as a taste of the Mediterranean with Italian and Spanish wall and floor tiles.

At Designer Bathrooms it is perfectly clear that they understand just how important it is to make the right choices, for what should be, one of the most relaxing rooms in your home. As such they listen to your requirements and will guide you through the entire process, from first thought to final tile.

From speaking to the team at Designer Bathrooms it’s clear that they want everyone to be able to have a relaxing and inspiring bathing experience.

As such they are proud of their quality of service, products and their single level showroom plus they also specialise in accessible

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Ozzy O’shea Borough Councillor

ChrisBorough Boothby Councillor

T: 0116 2394336 M: 07808585825 E: ozzyoshea@hotmail.com Gladman Planning Application 225 Houses on Desford Lane, Ratby 21/01295/OUT Following the well-attended public meeting at the Methodist Church prior to Christmas where over 60 residents attended, we would like to take those residents for taking the time to attend.

We would to take this time to remind residents of how to object to the application to build 225 homes off Desford Lane in our village.

Residents should email planning@hinckleybosworth.gov.uk Quoting ref 21/01295/OUT Reasons for refusal are as follows should you wish to: Policy DM4 Development in open countryside The application site sits on top of a hill that rises to a high point in the north-western corner. The site will be visually prominent within the context of the local landscape and conflicts with the objectives of the Council’s Landscape Character Assessment 2017, by eroding the sense of a rural entrance into the village of Ratby from the southwest and lessening the predominant character of the surrounding area, this being arable farming with established hedgerows Policy DM17 Impact on the Highways System Policy DM10 Design and Layout not in keeping with the local area.

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council New Local Plan.

The Local Authority HBBC has to find land to provide up to 9,500 houses up to 2039 across the Borough. We have both engaged through zoom meetings with Planning Policy Officers and the Executive Member for Planning Cllr David Bill to discuss the Local Plan which the Liberal Democrat Administration delayed for over a year. As we are a Key Rural Settlement, we are required to take 200 houses under this plan. We both stated that Ratby had already been forced to take 267 houses which the administration passed on Markfield Rd over the past 18months alone. So we had clearly have meet their quota.

Nevertheless, HBBC have now come back and said, as Cawrey Homes who have recently been

T: 0116 2912796 M: 07306 390543 E: chris.boothby@hotmail.com

sold to Logan Homes, have put forward land up the Burroughs for development, they say another 210 homes are required for Ratby. On top of this, Borough and District Councils across Leicestershire are now required to take the overspill from Leicester City as they have very little land to develop. Hinckley and Bosworth’s answer was, Ratby is our closet village to Leicester so are best placed to accommodate this. This is absolute rubbish!!

What we cannot understand is that Groby has been allowed to carry one site that was not developed over from the previous plan to their new plan they only have to provide 45 houses. Markfield are being allowed to count development passed last year into the new plan.

We will fight this and need our community to object as soon as the new plan goes forward for consultation.

The Burroughs is our jewel in our crown meeting the needs of walkers, dog walkers, horse riders and cyclists etc.

We both will fight this for evermore as this Local Plan is not fit for purpose. Chris has agreed to chair a neighbourhood plan group.

We are looking for volunteers, please join Chris by putting your name forward to produce a Neighbourhood Plan for Ratby to protect our village.

You can do this by contacting Chris directly his email address is chris.boothby@hotmail.com or give your details in to the Parish Council Office.

Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant now open.

Applications for a new business grant which will aim to help the hospitality and leisure sector in Hinckley and Bosworth are now open.

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

The scheme will provide eligible businesses with a one-off grant based on the rateable value of their business on 30 December 2021. Grants range from £2,667 to £6,000.

The Omicron variant could not have hit hospitality and leisure businesses at a worse time. We would urge our local businesses to check if they are eligible for this latest government grant by visiting the Borough Councils website and applying before the deadline of 28 February.

All grant payments remain a priority and will be distributed to support businesses as soon as possible.

Eligible businesses must submit a new application by the deadline of 28 February 2022 regardless of previous grants they have applied for. To find out more and check eligibility visit: www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk/omicrongrant And finally, A sincere thank you Residents may have noticed a new womble litter picker in the village over the last few months if not longer. His name is Mr Mick Maidment who is retired and wanted to keep his village clean. We both would like to take this time to thank Mick immensely for his hard work. We would also like to thank Brian and all the other wombles as they are known for picking up the litter in our village.

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

We wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

Remember we are only an Email or a phone call away.

Regards Chris & Ozzy.

Working for you.

Latest Update From The Kirby Muxloe Local Committee For Cancer Research UK Article by Penny Rundle

We are delighted to report that our recent fund raising event raised over £500! Everyone enjoyed themselves whilst answering the fiendish questions set by Roger and Rosemary in our fun Quiz.

Alongside a well supported raffle, the evening kicked off the first of our activities for 2021/22. We are now starting to plan for the next event which is:

Thursday April 7th Afternoon Tea and entertainment at the Golf Club. Ticket price & further details to follow.

Saturday May 21st Spring Fair in the Village Hall

Monday February 7th, 2022 Curry Night and raffle at the Chef & Spice Restaurant, Hinckley Road. Tickets £15

Tickets are available from Committee members, or contact Glen Graham on (0116) 2388018

Following this will be:

Hope to see you there!

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Events For Spring 2022

Supporting A Cough Naturally

Regular indoor meetings are held in Woodhouse Eaves Village Hall on the second Wednesday every month from January to May starting at 7.30pm. Admission is £2.50 for LRWT members, £3 for visitors, children free.

A cough is the body’s protective reflex, an attempt to eliminate foreign objects from the respiratory tract. It is quite common for a cough to accompany or follow a cold or flu.

Article by Linda Tomalin

N.B. Talks will return to being online, should government advice change.

Wednesday February 9th at 7.30pm Cone Shells – Killers or Curers by Brian Hammond Brian has collected shells all his life and there are over 10,000 specimens from his collection in a Glasgow museum. This talk is about a particular family of molluscs which are venomous and carnivorous. Their venom is complex and is used a lot in drug research.

Wednesday March 9th at 7.30pm A.G. M. followed by: Enthralled by Galls: Exploring the Plant Galls of Leicestershire by Hazel Graves Hazel is a keen amateur naturalist and will describe how she become interested in galls. She will discuss the structures and extraordinary lifestyles of those galls she has found in Leicestershire, particularly Charnwood Forest.

Wednesday April 13th at 7.30pm The Condor's Feather by Mike and Paula Webster This talk celebrates the publication of “The Condor's Feather”, a travel memoir about the 4 years that the couple spent in South America and the filming they did for Birdlife International. It will include excerpts from the book as well as some of the films.

Wednesday 11th May at 7.30pm A Wildlife Quiz for Everyone This quiz will be an entertaining, sociable evening with questions for everyone, whether or not you are a wildlife expert, or just enjoy natural history. Organise your own team beforehand, or join others in a team on the night. Bring your own drinks and nibbles to help the evening along.

Tuesday Teapot Group Article by Sue Jones

Tuesday Teapot Group…..after many years of being located at the Parish Hall the Tuesday Teapot Group have made the decision to move to a new venue as from Tuesday 11th of January 2022. We look forward to welcoming old and new members.

NEW VENUE FROM JANUARY 2022 LFE Library, 76 Rushmere Walk, L.F.E. LE3 3PD (adjacent to Stafford Leys Primary School).

HELD ON THE 2ND AND 4TH TUESDAY OF EACH MONTH, BETWEEN 2pm & 4pm.

COST - £2.50.

Telephone 0116 2299277 for further details.

Would you like to earn extra money each month?

Distributors are needed in RATBY If your interested please contact our distribution manager Call / Text Andrew Lewis on 07504634838 20 | www.openboxpromotions.co.uk/news

Article by Gary Trickett

Cough remedies are amongst our oldest medicines, but first you need to identify what type of cough you have.

A cough can be productive or non-productive – a polite turn of phrase that describes how much or little mucus you bring up when you cough. A dry cough is a type of cough that produces little or no mucus or phlegm, it is therefore referred to as non-productive.

A productive cough on the other hand, produces plenty of runny stuff.

Chesty coughs, also referred to as mucus coughs, are characterised by the amount of mucus they produce. Your natural reflex is to cough up or ‘expectorate’ this mucus to help clear your chest.

Generally speaking, a cough suppressant will help to dampen down the irritation of a dry and tickly, non-productive cough. They work by soothing and reducing the urge to cough. A favourite herb for dry coughs is spruce or pine. Try A.Vogel Bronchosan Pine Cough Syrup or Santasapina Cough Lozenges. Made from extracts of freshly harvested pine shoots, either can be used to relieve dry, tickly and irritating coughs. They also contain honey, which is naturally soothing.

If your cough is productive, you will need an expectorant to help bring up the excess mucus in your airways. Expectorants thin and loosen mucus from the respiratory tract, encouraging its expulsion. Bronchoforce Chesty Cough combines Ivy, Thyme and liquorice to help relieve chesty coughs resulting from excess mucus or catarrh in the respiratory tract.

Whether your cough is productive or non-productive, staying properly hydrated will help to speed your recovery, and if your cough is worse at night, use extra pillows to help to prevent any mucus from collecting at the back of your throat and triggering your coughing reflex.

If symptoms persist or you cough up blood, do consult your healthcare professional or GP. For further information, visit Gary and his team at Healthy Route, 18 Silver Street, Leicester.

Christmas Day For Those Alone 2021

Article by Kerry Sharpe Last year it was an extremely difficult decision as to whether to go ahead or not re Covid and meant a lot of worrying and sleepless nights!

I decided to go ahead as some folks really don’t go out much at all and this is a lifeline for them, we do have to look after people’s mental health too and I believe if we had cancelled to would have been too much for some of our guests.

Re Covid, I decided to change our venue as the Church rooms where we normally hold this cannot be ventilated easily, so we joined forces with Brenda at Little Markfield farm in their barn which is set up for events and has natural ventilation but a lovely big log fire and other heaters which meant we had a ventilated but warm room!

We of course also did everything we could to be as safe as possible.

Volunteers and guests were asked to do lateral flows, we had hand sanitisers as folks arrived and each

table, everyone wore masks when moving about the room etc…. so, we couldn’t have done any more.

We catered for 70 people, and everyone had a wonderful time with a fantastic meal cooked by Brenda and Coralie, a present, goody bag, and a gift of fudge each, but most importantly company!

Many thanks for course to Brenda, David and Coralie at Little Markfield Farm for letting us all join you.

Thanks to all the wonderful volunteers, to folks of Anstey, Markfield and surrounding villages for all their donations made to our donation hubs, my friends, and colleagues and all who have donated.

Thanks to Markfield Community Centre and Roy Greens in Anstey for being donation hubs Thanks to all the companies who donated goods or money………

Next, Tesco (Fosse Road North), Morrisons (Glenfield), Langtons Butchers (Glenfield), Pladis (prev Jacobs), Oooh fudge, Charnwood brewery, Co-Op, GTS security (Anstey), Whitfields grocers (Anstey)

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The Kirby Muxloe Local History Group Article by Judith Upton

The Kirby Muxloe Local History Group generally meets 6 times a year, and membership is open to all.

Details of the dates of meetings, together with the topics that will be covered, are shown on the notice board in Kirby Muxloe Library and on our website, which is www.kirbymuxloelocalhistorygroup.org Covid precautions will apply. For further details, please see our website.

Our new “Memories” meetings unfortunately remain suspended, pending our assessment of the effectiveness of our new anti-virus procedures.

Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday 18th January 2022 the subject will be “A Bit of Fun”, an entertaining evening by Mike Gould, KMLHG Chair, about….Well, come and find out!

An interview with Bob Pendery of Stamford Street, Ratby

Sometimes, when I am debating over the next month’s article and trying to decide on a subject, something appears just at the right time. This is what happened with Bob Pendery. A few months ago, he had contacted us via email to say that he may have some stories that would be of interest. He also told us that he was 91 years old – for me that means I would be talking to someone who had lived through WWII, and would have many stories to relate, especially if he had lived the whole of his life in Ratby. I wasn’t wrong! I contacted Bob and his son Geoffrey and arranged to visit one Tuesday afternoon. Well, what a treat! I was there for two hours listening and talking to Bob about his 90-year long life in Ratby. Here is Bob’s story: I was born in Westcotes Maternity Home in April 1930. At the time, mum and dad couldn’t afford a home of their own and so were lodging with the Taylor family on Stamford Street, Ratby. Mr and Mrs Taylor were the school caretakers. When the new houses were built on Markfield Road, mum and dad moved into number 7 and that’s where I grew up. I was a real Ratby lad!

My wife Brenda and I married in 1953; we lived with mum and dad to begin with and then after 4 years we moved to 131, Main Street, near to Harrison’s the Drapers (now Harrison’s Spice). Soon afterwards, the address changed to 23, Station Road. At the time, Main Street went down to the Chapel; it only goes to Desford Lane corner now. We lived there until 1963, when the house we now live in was built by Nev. Fitchett of Groby. Fitchett’s had bought the land from Moore’s the farmers and built a whole row of houses, which stand on a hill on the right-hand side of Stamford Street. We had 3 children – we lost Kevin at 2 weeks old to meningitis, Geoffrey was the eldest and Mark the youngest. My wife passed away a few years ago; we were married for 62 years, so we had a good life.

When I was growing up, to my knowledge, Ratby lads didn’t mix with Kirby lads. We didn’t mix with Groby lads either. Maybe some did, but my friends did not. There was so much going on in Ratby, bless your life – the cinema and 3 fish and chip shops! Barrett’s fish shop was on Plough Lane; you could sit down inside there. Then there was Albert Pickering’s shop in Berry’s Lane, and then another one on Park Road. I don’t know who owned that one; we didn’t go down to that end of the village. We were very, very lucky, having both the Majestic cinema and ballroom. Thursday night was Markfield night, when the bus came bringing lots of people to the cinema and dancehall. At one point, I worked at the cinema as a part time projectionist. I worked 4 nights a week; there were at least a couple of us, working from 7pm until 10pm. If you were learning, you had to re-wind the film. I’d earn about 10 shillings a week (50p). This was my “spending money”. The films often broke down, as they were very old, from the “film dump”. George Weston, who owned the cinema, couldn’t afford the newer films. Sometimes, when the film broke down, we’d have a fire in the projection room. We just put it out and carried on. Before reaching the cinema, we used to go to Charlie Dilks’ sweet shop. He worked at Reid and Sigrist in Desford and so the shop was only open in the evenings; it was near to the Post Office. The perfect place to go before sitting in the cinema! (Ed: I remember buying liquorice laces, so long that you could skip with them) I remember some of the school teachers, Miss Govertt, Miss Cufflin, Miss Holmes and Miss Hounam. I also remember Miss Brennan, who used to cook the school dinners. During the early years of the war, she used to go down to Archer’s shop, get some old bicycle tyres, cut them into small pieces and attach them to the bottom of the chair legs, so that they wouldn’t make so much noise. The headmaster at the time was Mr Walter Smedley Baker. Every Christmas, he used to give a very good rendition of “A

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Caption L-R Bob Pendery, Sid Jordan, John Freeman, Skip Rae and Denis Walton. Photo courtesy of Jane Raine - who organised an over 90's coffee morning for Ratby citizens.

Christmas Carol”; he could play Scrouge wonderfully well. I used to look forward to that happening every year. At one point, we had an influx of child evacuees from Birmingham. They even brought 2 teachers with them!

I remember one – he had ginger hair and spent much of his time in the Bull’s Head! The children lived in different houses around the village. Each house that wanted to be known as a place for children to shelter in the event of an air raid made a yellow sign saying ”CS” (Children’s Shelter). This was attached to the window saying - “Come here – you are welcome”.

I left school at the age of 14 and had to find a job. Mum and I went on our bikes to Reid and Sigrist in Desford to see if they were taking on new staff – unfortunately they were not, but on the way back, we saw P.T. Guttridge and Son, who were electrical and agricultural engineers. Their workplace was near to the Tubes factory. Well, I got a job there. At the time, there were just 2 trainees, 2 skilled workers, the boss and an office girl. The office girl’s name was Violet Wood (the late Violet Thirlwell, known to many in K.M.). I was paid £1 a week for the first month and then 30 shillings (£1:50) a week after that. When I arrived home I would give the money to my mother and she would give me my “spending money”. At Guttridge’s, we were the gofers and were always going to Desford or Kirby Muxloe Station to collect parts. We used our own bicycles and sometimes the parcels were so heavy we used to balance them on the cross bar and push the bike back to work.

After a year or two, I began to drive the van and at one point we were sent to collect a large item from Desford Station. It wouldn’t fit on the roof rack so we decided the only way was to tow it back to the works. Unfortunately, on the way back, a policeman on his bike spotted us. He decided to undertake us at a point where the camber of the road changed, the large item went into the curb, knocking the policeman off his bike! We were in trouble! However, the policeman went to see Mr Guttridge and we didn’t hear any more about the incident. After 4 years I moved on, mainly for more money and went to work for Astill and Jordan. I eventually became garage foreman. 30 years later, I moved on again and went to work at Tubes, again as garage foreman. I stayed for 18 years.

There are so many more memories. I remember messing about in Martinshaw Wood with my friend Eric Timson (late husband of Jan in K.M.). The Home Guard had built a practice rifle range there and also an area for throwing hand grenades – as you can imagine that was just right for us! We also used to smoke. I supplied the fags (Kensitas) and Eric the matches – I’ve never smoked since!! One lasting memory is from around 35 years ago when the Rev. Peter Blackman sent a message via my son Mark, who was a bell ringer, to say “church yard, tomorrow morning , 9 o’clock, barrow and spade”, so, the next morning off I went. This was the start of a long, long relationship with the churchyard. We began by removing all the dead flowers and wreaths that had piled up around the water tap – they smelt rotten! Over the years, I devised many a plan to keep the churchyard looking neat and tidy and now in 2021 I’m still doing the same job. What will happen when I have gone, I don’t know – it will be time for someone else to take over.

Bob’s full interview can been seen on our website, address at the top of this article. Thank you, Bob and Geoffrey.

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