Using a Tablet

Multiply is a new government -funded programme to help adults improve their numeracy skills. If you are aged 19 and over and do not have maths GCSE at grade C/4 (or equivalent), you can access free courses through Multiply to build your confidence with numbers.

We are offering courses such as:

• Applications and Games Using Maths Skills – use a tablet or computer and explore some of the applications that are available to improve your maths skills in fun and interesting ways.

• Tracking Household Income and Expenditure - use a tablet to keep track of household expenses and learn how to compare prices across different supermarkets.

Keith Harris

Borough Councillor for Hathern

T: 01509 557701

E: cllr.keith.harris@charnwood.gov.uk

The Seed Swap at the library today (February 25th) was a success with 21 visitors bringing and taking seeds. So village allotments and gardens will have some more variety. Gill did the afternoon shift and some further exchanges were made and some children were involved. Yet another way the library has provided to keep them off screens and doing something creative. Well done, Phil Clark and Gill Rockett for conceiving and organising this. The remaining seeds will be in the library for a while and then will go to another seed swap. (Due to the time lapse between me writing on the 25th and you receiving the copy it is sometimes too late).

Jaylets on Loughborough Road have put in a planning application to install a café in their front yard which would be open from early morning to late evening claiming that it will enhance tourism. The parish council didn’t receive notification of this for some reason despite the officer sending an email. Residents attended the meeting last week to comment. I offered to ask for the deadline for comments on this to be extended and the officer kindly granted an extension of 2 weeks. If you have a view on this matter, you will have the opportunity to submit it. (Time lapse again! The period will be about over by the time you get this).

I attended the HVA AGM (no more acronyms) last week. It was really sad to hear that they have been forced to confirm that there will be no Wicked Hathern Fest this year. The financial risk is great. Last year’s festival cost 90 grand to put on despite being mostly run by volunteers and the income was less than 50 grand. Thank you to all who supported the event. It is a shame that a lot of people chose not to attend the last 2 events, once because it was a bit windy and once because it was hot. This marvellous facility is only possible because of the phenomenal graft put in by volunteers but they need support from the public to ensure financial solvency. We should show our appreciation for what these local heroes do by buying a ticket and attending. The ticket price has been kept extremely low to enable local people to have a great time for very little compared with a day (and a half) out at the National Space Centre or Conkers.

They will be at the centre of Big Week as usual and will be running the Fireworks event again. That was a roaring success last year and made a hefty profit. This will provide a bit of a buffer in the finances. Don’t forget that they are running the Club as well, giving up their time to staff the bar. Pop down there for a drink, a quiz or musical entertainment and help them make a bit more towards financial security. Ben Hardy retired from the committee after many years’ great service. We all thank him for his massive contribution to the village.

The council contractors have restored the trees in the Woodland which blew over in the wind and so the wood is back in good shape. After consultation on a name for the wood, the one which was suggested the most and which seemed to the parish council as the most appropriate was ‘Avederne’ Wood, the ancient name for the village from the Doomsday Book.

CBC have successfully prosecuted many fly-tipping and dog-fouling offenders recently. In Hathern there have been successes mainly due to the heroic efforts of Trevor Fisher. The council encourages people to report cases of both these annoying activities. Please don’t go rummaging around in rubbish yourself to find evidence. Report it and the officers will find it if the perpetrators are dumb enough to leave signs of ID in there. CBC need evidence in dog-fouling cases. This is possible (but don’t confront people, just discreetly gather evidence) and this has been provided by the public recently. Well done, Trevor and others.

Jane Hunt

Member of Parliament

T: 01509 262723

E: jane.hunt.mp@parliament.uk

Friday Release Bill

As it stands, if a prisoner has an automatic release date which falls on a Saturday, Sunday or bank holiday, then their release is brought forward to the Friday prior. On the surface, this is a good method to ensure that prisoners do not serve any more time than they have been sentenced to, however, there are a number of issues which arise when a prisoner is released on a Friday.

For example, most public services in Loughborough are closed at the weekend (and bank holidays), which leads to great difficulty for prisoners to access these services when released.

Naturally, this leads to a risk of reoffending, and the figures for this are stark. 30% of adults and 27% of juveniles who reoffend do so within 3 months, perhaps after failing to be able to secure housing or a job and having to turn back to crime. Furthermore, ex-offenders have a much lower rate of employment: with releases in 2011/12 17% of ex-offenders were in P45 of employment one year after release.

In that same year, I was calling for reform of Friday releases for prisoners. As the chair of the reducing re-offending scrutiny panel for Charnwood Borough Council, I looked at patterns of reoffending and what could be implemented to reduce this. I heard evidence from a number of witnesses who attended the panels which significantly changed my opinion on prisons and why it was important to prevent people reoffending in the future. Of course, I firmly believe that if someone has committed a crime that warrants a term in prison, then this sentence should be served. However, as they leave prison, they certainly should have the chance to change their lives for the better. One important outcome of this was making representations to the local MPs in the Charnwood area on the subject of Friday releases for prisoners.

Recently, I was very pleased to be able to speak in the debate for the ‘Offenders (Day of Release from Detention) Bill’ where I spoke in support of its aims to stop prisoners being released on a Friday and that they will instead be released on a Thursday, allowing them at least 24 hours to access services which can help them with a better rehabilitation, which serves the dual purpose of ensuring ex-offenders lives are easier post-custody, but ultimately also will help to reduce reoffending, which costs the tax payer a significant amount.

Since then, I have joined the Bill Committee for this bill which will allow me to continue to champion this important issue.

Reducing crime and making people in Loughborough feel safe is something which is at the forefront of my agenda, because I know it matters to residents so much. which is one of the reasons tackling crime and antisocial behaviour is a part of my 6-point plan for Loughborough. So, I welcome this bill and the work that it will do to reduce re-offending and I hope to see an impact in Loughborough.

As ever, if you have a concern or would like to contact me, you can do so by telephone, email or post.

Shepshed Wednesday Evening Bingo Club

Article by Janet Proctor

We are a group of local people, male and female of varying ages, who meet on Wednesday evenings at Shepshed Community Offices to play Bingo and enjoy a sociable evening together. We provide our own drinks and (nibbles if you wish) and the evening starts at 7.30pm and finishes at approximately 10.10pm.

Currently, we are looking to welcome a few more members to join our group who could commit to attending on a regular basis each Wednesday. The venue is situated on the ground floor for easy access and disabled toilet facilities are available.

For more information and to book your place to join us for the opportunity to meet new people and play Bingo, please telephone 07944609415.

For those enquirers who are interested, places will be offered on a “first come, first served” basis.